Imagine being surrounded by the golden wheat fields of central Sicily or walking through vineyards, the Etna Volcano smoking right in front of you. The scent of wild herbs, inebriating orange blossoms, while herds of sheep and goats peacefully graze.
Imagine meeting the people that take care of the land, by cultivating and respecting it profoundly. Or visiting those who transform their harvests making flour from wheat, precious wine and oil from grape and olives.
Imagine experiencing how fresh cheese and ricotta are made, together with a shepherd, in the traditional way. Indulge in savoury dishes, prepared by you at one of the hands-on cooking experiences. Feel real Sicilian hospitality at a private house, sit comfortably at a family Trattoria or surprise your senses with the delights of a fine dining restaurant.
Don't you feel captivated by this scenery?
Locked into our houses, in these strange strange days (that hopefully are coming to an end), a few words have the power to make us dream about flying away, to make us travel with our imagination: one of the purposes of Emotional Sicily Journal.
Saturated by loads of information about more of everything, we are exposed to a huge amount of blogs, sites, online magazines about any topic we could imagine and more.
So why the umpteenth blog about travel, food and lifestyle?
Because this is NOT like any other blog.
No.
In the pages of this journal, you'll read about travel, food, people, territory - Sicily as the fulcrum and common denominator. Inspirational stories about local people, gorgeous places to visit and useful tips for those who are planning to travel to Sicily, the Beating Heart of the Mediterranean. All of this from an insider perspective.
Moreover, the ‘behind the scenes’ of the travel experiences I personally design for Emotional Sicily as well as the inspiring stories of our partners, people I am proud to work with.
Finally, you’ll learn about my personal and, sometimes, intimate thoughts about this project, giving an insight into the reasons that are the foundation of Emotional Sicily and why these are related directly with you.
With me?
Yes. With you.
You are the reason why I have set my heart on offering a new concept of luxury travel that is both experiential and sustainable. A way of travelling that allows you to connect deeply with native people, immersing yourself into the community; to live genuine experiences and explore the identity of local culture through all your senses. All of this while visiting fascinating places and indulging in superb delicacies.
I'm sure these aspects are basic when you plan your vacation:
You care about responsible travel contributing to a positive impact on local communities and support those who work in a socially and environmentally-conscious way.
You desire to connect genuinely with locals while sharing meaningful experiences. The real luxury is to reconnect with ourselves through the relation with others, with nature, with the land.
You embrace adventure, are open to cultural immersion, appreciate the beauty of simple things and value the attention to detail.
With the utmost care and attention, our itineraries are accurately designed with these aspects in mind. In virtue of a sustainable and respectful approach to tourism we believe that turning our attention to the people and projects that are strongly committed with positive values, we can generate a lasting social impact that will benefit all concerned.
Therefore we carefully select our partners and local experts, people deeply connected with their land, preserving and recovering customs and traditions at risk of extinction, looking forward to a brighter future while getting back to the roots, in coherence with the Ethos of Emotional Sicily. With most of them, we create original activities related to their specific mastery and expertise, to give you a one-of-a-kind experience.
We are passionate about our land, our culture and our people and so proud to open our doors to you.
Manila
PS - If you’d like to suggest any topic you want me to write about or would ask me anything about this project, about Sicily or the itineraries, please write at manila@emotionalsicily.com. I’d love to hear from you!