It's that time of year when Italian Culinary Tours starts to share wonders of Italy with our guests. We started in Sicily again this year with a new specialty tour of Western Sicily, designed by my ever-creative and imaginative associate, Ottavia Fasce and myself, based in our families’ hometown of Montelepre.

It was late afternoon just before my citizenship ceremony with the mayor of Montelepre when, my associate and friend Ottavia, my Citizenship Advisor, Francesco, and I headed to the historic Norman-era tower in the city center for a tour with Vice Mayor Giusi Ciulla. After all the years visiting my family in Montelepre, I had never visited inside the tower.