Say Hello to Moon Sicily
A conversation with Linda Sarris & the latest Italy reads.
As much as I love my little corner of Italy, there’s still so much of the country I want to see. My short list goes from the windy corners of Trieste to the peaks of the Dolomites and all the way down to the Greek temples of Sicily. That list got a lot longer when Moon Southern Italy with Sicily, Puglia, Naples & the Amalfi Coast was published in 2022. My co-author, Linda Sarris, so temptingly captured the beauty, history, and spirit of Puglia and Sicily.
Well, my Sicily list is about to get even longer because Linda’s brand new guidebook Moon Sicily is here! Just released on March 26th, it’s already a #1 New Release in Sicily Travel Guides.
You can meet Linda and find out more about Moon Southern Italy in this interview over on Ciao Amalfi. With the release of Moon Sicily, I had even more questions about the new book, guidebook research and writing (my 🤓 passion), and all things Sicily.
Welcome, Linda!
—Linda Sarris in Palermo’s Ballarò market. (Photo credit: Alberta Cuccia)
What was it like working on Moon Sicily and what sets it apart from Moon Southern Italy?
Travel in Sicily is my specialty and I think my passion for the island comes through in this book as I gush about the places near and dear to my heart. What I am proud of is the amount of newly listed and off-the-radar destinations that have been added to where I started with Sicily content within the Southern Italy book. Moon Southern Italy is equally important to me and packs a lot of details into one guide so you could even explore 4-5 regions of Italy on one single trip.
Did you discover any new favorite places while writing Moon Sicily?
The more focused a guidebook can be, the deeper you can dive in. I included new food tours (of course), wineries to visit, cooking classes and professionally-led cultural tours. What makes this book so special is the long list of incredible female-led small businesses that I made sure to highlight like the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school, Palermo Street Food, Casa Mia Tours, Marcella Amato, Le Angeliche in Palermo, Baglio Occhipinti, Enoteca Solaria in Ortigia, LoveSicily in Modica, Osteria Il Bagatto in Milazzo, YogaRea and Cusiritati restaurant on the Aeolian island of Panarea, Le Case del Principe and Parco dei Sesi in Pantelleria!
Sicily itself has more than 20 outlying islands and we’ve touched on as many of them as possible in this new book. It’s a region that merits more than one visit. Yes, you can see a lot on a week-long trip around the island with stops in new towns every day but is that enough? It’s a good idea for your first trip and then you’ll want more and more. To truly understand this island, slow down to savor it.
What type of traveler is Moon Sicily created for?
There is information inside that doesn’t need to relate to what kind of budget the traveler is able to spend on a trip here. There will always be something to upgrade … an expert-led glimpse into private noble homes, a private tour of the Monreale Cathedral, week-long sailing trip, or a way of treating yourself when able. The sky’s the limit, literally, since you could even book a helicopter tour over the Mt. Etna volcano. The “bread and butter” features of my guide are the chapter intros that acquaint readers with the cities, landmarks and monuments, parks, nature reserves, restaurants, and beach destinations that are available to any and every kind of traveler who is planning a trip to Sicily!
When I design personalized trips for guests in Sicily, the dining and accommodations recommendations will vary — but what you feel and experience here is for everyone. That’s something I love about Sicily. The people are truly generous in their own way, the island is worth visiting any time of year, and the depth of history and varied landscapes are incomparable.
Do you see Sicily differently after writing two guidebooks?
Mainly there is always more to learn in every part of life. Since I’ve started writing about travel in Sicily (for Moon Guides, Italy Segreta, Food&Wine Italia, The Taste Edit, Simple Things Magazine and The Infatuation), even my personal travels become a scouting opportunity and I’m always on the lookout for what’s new … and even what’s not good anymore and needs to be nixed from my recommendations. I used to travel so much more often outside of Italy but now that I’ve fallen in love with Sicilia, there are endless places to explore not so far from home.
—Wine tasting on Pantelleria with Linda. (Photo credit: Lean Timms)
Can you tell me about your travel programs in Sicily? They sell fast, but are there still experiences still available this year?
My week-long programs and retreats actually do sell out pretty quickly and I share a lot about my trips on Instagram. The best place to get first dibs is by signing up for my free newsletter. I carefully curate special group trips throughout the year and end up repeating them since the feedback has been so heartwarming. Here are a few classics to keep your eye on: Vino Volcanico wine tasting in a dreamy villa on Mount Etna in May, A Cheeky Sicilian Sailing Trip collaboration with Zoe Shapiro from Stellavision Travel where we take a mini “flotilla” of two gorgeous catamarans through the Aeolian Islands for a week in June, and the natural wine tasting program Vino Volcanico on the island of Pantelleria during harvest season in October.
I also offer a 2-hour chef-led walking tour in Palermo’s historic Ballarò Market year-round when I am in town. It’s a super fun tasting tour of Sicilian specialties, sweets, and street food.
What other creative and delicious projects are you cooking up in Sicily?
I am always cooking up something new since I have some absolutely delightful guests who are eager for more. I will start putting together the programming schedule for 2025 programs this summer so guests can start planning ahead. Other than my group programs and market tours, I rent luxury private villas for groups all around Sicily or week-long dammusi houses on the island of Pantelleria, I can organize a sailboat or catamaran trip in the Aeolian Islands and come along as your guide/chef for the week, or help you plan your own adventures in Sicily with my tried-and-true expert recommendations.
Please come and see me in Sicily and reach out with whatever questions you might have. If I can’t organize it myself, I have partners that I can recommend. Everything you need can be found on my website, www.lindasarris.com. Stay tuned for more adventures in the Mediterranean and follow me on Instagram for a little taste of what I get up to.
Curiosities & Latest Reads
Locals are abuzz about the new Netflix series Ripley, which was released on April 4th. A large part of the series was filmed in Atrani, and the first episode is being called “una dichiarazione d’amore per Atrani” (“a declaration of love for Atrani”). The eight-episode series is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Your girl here isn’t much of a thriller watcher, but I might have to make an exception for Andrew Scott … errr … I mean Atrani.
Did you know that The Talented Mr. Ripley was sparked by an image Highsmith saw in Positano? Find out more here: In Positano, the location that inspired The Talented Mr Ripley.
The New York City area may have had an earthquake yesterday, but if you felt a tremor from Italy that was probably just me jumping up and down because Frances Mayes announced that her next novel, A Great Marriage, will be released on August 13, 2024. What an absolutely delicious cover and tagline: “A great marriage is an elusive thing, and only a few know the secret to making one.” Pre-order now folks … this is not a test!
The Sirenland Writers Conference has wrapped for the year, but you can enjoy Off Season Italy: Le Sirenuse's Aldo Sersale's winter guide to the Amalfi Coast.
My lovely friend Lucy Kiely has released a new song “Hopeless Dreamers (Restrung)” - a remake of a song she wrote 10 years ago when she first moved to the Amalfi Coast. Listen to it—and all her beautiful music—here.
For Ferrante fans, lace up your walking shoes for Ischia - in the footsteps of Elena Ferrante.
I love all things lemon and so it was a pleasure to meet Bruce McMichael from The Lemon Grove in Amalfi to talk (and eat) all things lemon. He has very kindly made this issue free for Ciao Amalfi readers so you can enjoy the conversation:
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Laura, many thanks for spotlighting my new novel. I love the cover, too!! Hope we meet sometime soon! France’s
I always enjoy Ciao Amalfi updates but I was pleased to see a mention of Sicily where I and my husband have spent a number of holidays. I would like to recommend our friend's recent book. It is 'The Art and Architecture of Sicily' by Julian Treuherz.