Like all true Italian cooking, Sicilian cuisine is intensely regional. As the largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicilia’s cuisine includes an abundance of seafood. The narrow stretch of water that separates Sicilia from the mainland is just under two miles wide in parts. Over many centuries, it’s as if the whole world has passed through it and left a subtle but lasting imprint.

In this part of the Mediterranean, the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian seas meet, creating intense tidal currents and natural whirlpools that support a rich marine ecosystem. From May to August, it is common to see strange looking boars moving up and down the coast. These are called passarelle boats and they are specifically designed for hunting swordfish. Whereas most other fish are not seen until they are caught, the swordfish hunt doesn’t begin until the fish is sighted; it’s much closer to an animal hunt on land than it is to what one normally thinks of as fishing.

Join us May 7 – 20 to dine from out Festa Regionale Sicilia menu, which includes Pisci Spada cu Salmoriglio (grilled swordfish steak with chopped tomato, cucumber, lemon & herb salmoriglio).

Passaporto holders who dine from our Festa Regionale Sicilia menu will receive a jar of Lemon Sea Salt. Despite the popularity of lemons on the Amalfi Coast, nine out of ten lemons grown in Italy actually come from Sicilia. The Sicilian climate and its fertile volcanic earth create a long growing season. Lemons are harvested in Sicilia three times each year!