The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday.  Carnival started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes.  

We also stopped by this man’s shop in Venice, Italy who makes masks. He was a character! He started acting in the masks he makes! 

Thereafter, it was only natural that a discussion related to twitter should follow…are our avatars our masks?

Since ... read more »

Tagged color, italy, social media, venice

The name Etna comes from the Greek Aitne, but it was known as Mongibello in the past, which is a combination of the Latin, Monte for mountain and the Arabic Gibel, which also means mountain, or rather mountain of mountains.

There is plenty of information available about Mount Etna.

Here I simply share a few shots from our excursion. The first one is of my brother Z laying on a rock that was once spewed as part of volcanic ash. The next one is of me doing what I do when my heart-mind begins stretching too fast: find earth for stillness. In this case I fell asleep. The air was cool, ... read more »

Tagged beauty, earth, italy, Mt. Etna, photography, sicily

Came across a really cool artist and just drooled over her work. I didn’t take many photos. She gave my mother and I a gift just for stopping by: a very unique ceramic key chain. More information about the work can be found at www.terrecottediprima.com (although in Italian!).

Tagged art, italy, nicolosi, photography, sicily, travel

While walking around I happened to come across a group of older men, doing what most do here: just sitting back comfortably in the arms of time, adoring moments as if each passing moment is a flower to be placed in the vase of life.

One of them called me over—I was not going to take their photos!—I was just walking by taking photos of houses and doors. But I went over because his eyes reminded me of my grandfather on my father’s side, although this man’s (I believe he is in the second photograph) are an electric blue and can hold the sea to a draw. My grandfather’s were more green and hazel but his ... read more »

Tagged beauty, italy, nicolosi, photography, sicily, travel

Some shots from a walk around the sleepy, quaint, colorful, rustic, village of Nicolosi in Sicily. Most people don’t stay here and those who do, do so only to hike up Mt. Etna. Everyone knows everyone and is sincerely warm and welcoming despite lack of communication in English. I really enjoyed staying here and had the best Italian food I have ever had.

Tagged beauty, color, italy, nicolosi, photography, sicily, travel