Lorenzo Maria Birkmaier
in Erice, Sicily, in January 2007. During that trip we spent some time in Rome and Sicily, where Lorenzo has lived many years. Lorenzo was born just outside Washington DC, in Silver Spring, MD where we lived for three years, and then moved to San Francisco. The past twelve years he has lived in Marsala, Sicily, and in Todi, Umbria.
I love this picture in Erice, a magical old town perched on a mountaintop overlooking Trapani, Sicily. It is synonymous with the best cookies in Italy (i dolci di pasta di mandorla), fog, nuclear physics, and medieval and Gothic architecture (although Erice is much older, it is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as Mt. Eryx, its Greek name). It's one of those places that can transport you back in time, and if you wanted to shoot a medieval mystery thriller you would probably pick Erice. There are few tourists invading the cobbled, narrow streets, but during the summer many flock to the concerts of medieval music, and in the fall mathematicians and nuclear scientists attend the international conferences held every year in Erice. The 'dolci' alone are certainly worth a trip!