This wonderful slice of heaven in Sicily is called Agrigento

I was joking with my youngest daughter just before I sat down to write this week’s newsletter. I said, “Hey you, junior content creator in chief! What do you think I should write about?” Before I give you her response, let me tell you about our weekend and the people I spent time with during these last few days away from my normal routine.

This wonderful slice of heaven is a province located in the southern part of Sicily that I adore called Agrigento. It is considered one of the poorest places in all of Italy or better said a place with the lowest per capita income. But as with most things in life, if you focus on something superficial you usually miss the heart of a thing. While it has more than its share of roads needing repair, Agrigento makes up for it with an abundance of soul and a people full of traditions!

This is an area where the love of the land is still present and the connection to the land is the most vibrant of all. The lush greenery and the beautiful chalky cliffs of the Scala dei Turchi or Capo Bianco are present and standing tall for all to admire.

I fell in love with this place the 1st time I arrived in Sicily when I was searching for a place to relocate my family from San Diego. At that time, I was looking for a place to call home while reconnecting to Italy after emigrating to the United States 25 years earlier. I remember arriving a few days before my family and instantly felt the connection I had been longing for, but more importantly, I felt rejuvenated and reconnected to my passion in life, to share the Italy I love with people who want to connect with this amazing country through its people.

I felt most comfortable on that coast where in the winter the wind blows and the air is cold and the humidity is felt in your bones. In the summer the hay rolls in the fields and sometimes onto the secluded beaches where few people are found enjoying the sun’s rays.

This place is full of people who want to share their slice of paradise with anyone who wants to know what it feels like to live in the moment without being a slave to the clock. Here time passes easily without worrying about what you have done. Just doing what you feel like is enough, where you don't worry about a schedule and where the people that you meet are here to enjoy their space with you.

This weekend was passed meeting different personalities that make a See Italy trip possible. These people don't know they are working in tourism, they just know they are sharing their passion with others and that the smiles of the people they meet are enough for them to make their life possible.

You might have guessed what my daughter told me to write about, “Just talk about this place, the people, and what you want to do for the area.”

What I want to do is share the love and joy that I feel here and share this amazing example of the meaning of life. How beautiful people are even when their views are different than mine because their stories become mine and the acceptance of the world is in each and everyone's hands. Why judge? But especially, why not allow beauty to enter our souls in order to experience the differences of the place you are traveling through, to be yours even if just for a moment and be in awe.

*Laura, See Italy

P.O. Box 927268 SAN DIEGO CA 92192 US