An Italian village rises from the fog
Spring time 2011 I traveled to Sicilia with my two good friends and work companions to gather information for our last thesis, the Bachelor degree in Tourism and Management. We were introduced to an exciting project by the Norwegian architect Alf Howlid. He has a great knowledge of Sicilia, especially the area around the Province of Palermo and the village Geraci Siculo. Together we developed the project, and our job was to find out what elements the village Geraci Siculo had to offer as a tourist destination. We were presented to Howlids´ friends in the village, and they welcomed us warmly. One flight to Palermo, one rental car and three girls with camera and notebooks, and we were ready for Sicilian field work.

Driving in from Palermo, the village of Geraci Siculo surprised us with a foggy view. It was a special and magical atmosphere.

Arriving the village, we were accommodated by Giovanni and his kind family. They invited us to dinner, and we quickly learned that food and family are two of the main ingredients in Sicilian life and living. We immediately felt like family when they showed us around and they even brought us to their annual family tradition, the great barbecue at their cabin on the countryside.

From the list of food we were served I can mention olives, cheese, vegetables, pasta, homemade sausage, lamb, local wine, fruits and hand painted cookies. All local products. What a feast.

When the fog disappeared after a couple of days, we could finally see and get to know the Sicilian village from its best sides. Small stone houses, beautiful streets with interesting history on every corner, and friendly and curios locals speaking to us in Italian. What a shame we could not communicate with them in their language. But in a way, the communication went well in a mixture of body language, Spanish and English.

The village of Geraci Siculo has a lot to offer from a tourist perspective; interesting history, fantastic local food, friendly people and beautiful sceneries among others. I will definitely return one day. I kind of miss my Sicilian family some days.