In this small Sicilian town of Cianciana, I’m known as “The American with the Chinese jacket.” Around these parts, black is la moda Italiana, and my vintage red jacket sticks out (even if I don’t as I do in Asia).

Home is where you hang your hat – I wear one these days to protect my hair from lime as I scrape old paint from older wooden beams like this one:

But it’s all worth it.

Lots more work ahead in the coming weeks, and some good friends are headed this way to help out – including Nguyet,  the brilliant designer behind this website, who will revamp it during her stay here.

More soon after a few days in Rome with my Dad.