Hard to believe, but the restoration of my family home in Modica is finally over and loveSicily finally has a new building for the cookery school.

We spent a year running after builders, plumbers, carpenters, architect, ect... and, by last May, the delays and the problems started to get their toll.

There is something about growing fruit and vegetables on the plant, naturally, with just the force of the sun that is hard to repeat in any greenhouse or other controlled environment. The end result tastes better, has more health benefits and has less of an environment impact. Even if you are not fully convinced on the health and environment benefits, keep in mind that eating in season just makes your job of preparing food so much simpler because everything tastes great already!

Walk into any food store in Italy today and you will find a dizzying array of prosciutto, salamis, and all sorts of other delicacies coming from all over Italy.

However, just a few decades ago some food products that can now be found anywhere in Italy were far more specific to particular areas. Only avid food lovers and those with the economic means to travel were aware of what was available across the country and how to order it.

Film directors and photographers have often been inspired by Sicily and many have used it as a backdrop to their films or placed it center stage in their photographs.

It is one of those places where great pictures are easy to come by: Mediterranean sunlight, evocative landscapes, interesting architecture, sharp social contrasts, intense religious rituals, and faces, looks, postures and gestures that are steeped in history and tell a full story in just a frame.

In these health conscious days, cheese is often the first victim in the diet of anyone trying to lower their cholesterol level. There is, however, a way out - goat's cheese is lower in fat and cholesterol when compared to cow's or sheep's cheese. Depending on the exact type there may about 40% less fat and 30% less cholesterol in goat's cheese. Goat's cheese is also great for those who are lactose intolerant.