For many years now, Sicily has been on my ‘bucket list’ of places to visit…. and this year that trip finally came true! I arranged a week-long tour, which had an option to go on to Malta – which I didn’t hesitate to add.

This is not the place for a detailed travelogue; I would only note that the tour turned out to be everything I hoped for…. and more! I was worried that there would be very few tourists because of covid, and that the tour might therefore be cancelled. Instead, I was amazed to find that fully 23 people signed up: 22 Italians, and me! We spent a week traveling around the island, seeing all of the major sights. Just a few pics:

I’m sure it’s easy to guess my reading list for this trip! Number one, of course, was Guiseppe Di Lampedusa’s The Leopard. This classic novel describes the decline of the Sicilian aristocracy in the 1860s, as Garibaldi landed in the west of the island and spearheaded the unification of Italy and demands for democracy. Its famous line appears quite early: “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” I was quite moved by the book, and especially the chapter set in 1888 when the Prince passes away. Lampedusa wrote the book when he himself was very ill, and died before it was published. It is truly an astonishing work – and led me to both the 1963 movie (starring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale), and a more recent ‘second-order’ novel by Steven Price entitled Lampedusa (a novel about the original author writing his own novel). Both were enjoyable, and paid suitable respect to the source.

Other obvious Sicilian reading material includes the Inspector Montalbano mystery series, authored by Andrea Camilleri. Thirty-one of these books were written before the author passed away, and they became a staple of Italian television – so much so that our tour guide frequently pointed out where specific scenes had been filmed, and his Italian audience was well-attuned to the series. I was playing catch-up, and so far have read only the first half-dozen novels – but look forward to reading remaining ones, as well as those television programs.

Then it was on to Malta – a nearby set of islands with an equally complicated history. I was able to explore Valletta and Mdina with a local guide, as well as the islands of Gozo and Comino. Everything about Malta seems…. well, the word I would use is “solid.” It’s central location in the Mediterranean has obviously provided a contentious history, and all of its buildings seem prepared to endure an extended siege. Luckily, my sister had a childhood school-mate who lives there – and so I was also able to spend a wonderful evening with Tessa & Josef, who not only treated me to a delightful dinner overlooking the harbor, but also provided a very knowledgeable mini-tour and commentary!