When traveling the wine route in France and Italy, I come across fine olive oil almost as often as I come across fine wine. Of course, these are the two staples of the diet in this part of the world...

Only two miles separate Sicily from the Italian mainland at the Strait of Messina, but the largest Italian region feels like a whole different continent. A wild and exotic mystique defines Sicily’s sprawling landscapes, its fiercely independent people, and even its cuisine—the consequence of being isolated in the Mediterranean and subject to constantly changing rulership over the course of its long, convoluted history...