The start of the story

I am Suzanne Turrisi and I want to share with you the story of how this all happened – that one day in September 2003 I returned to the enigmatic Sicily with my husband and youngest daughter armed with a notebook with names of stone Sicilian villages in search of a house. I wanted to discover more about this complex island, a place that still casts a captivating hold over me after 17 years of returning time after time.

We found Palazzo Notar Nicchi in a village with an intriguing name- Polizzi Generosa. A village introduced to me when I read the charmimg book by Theresa Maggio " The Stone Boudoir; Travels Through the Hidden Villages of Sicily". It was a new place and we were soon asking “what’s for sale?” We signed a contract. Palazzo Notar Nicchi had been uninhabited for over 30 years and an 8 year restoration project happened- a project filled with passion, desire and intrigue.

Over this time I formed friendships with the Polizzani, we shared meals, laughed and danced. I travelled the island and as I explored, I uncovered a wealth of seductive layers and compelling details from Mazara del Vallo to Ortigia, from Lo Spasimo to le panelle di Palermo.

This was the start of The Sicilian House, a place for the curious traveller to discover and unlock the unspoken Sicily.

Over time I will share the contradictions, 'Byzantine intrigue' and the incredible mosaic like layers of Sicily. I will share Palazzo Notar Nicchi, its story and its village high in the Madonie.

This blog is a guide book to Sicily. It is a place to come weekly for stories about Sicilian art, Sicilian culture, Sicilian life.

Salve,

Suzanne