Last Updated on October 23, 2025 by Editor
ABOVE: The Hyatt Family in front of the Cattedrale di Monreale (aka il Duomo), built in 1172 in the town of Monreale.
By LISA HYATT
(Contributing: Jim Hyatt)
The idea for a trip to Sicily for the Hyatt family was born out of a conversation my brother had with my father about gaining dual citizenship in Italy.
Since the forms require a large amount of information regarding background and heritage, he went right to the source — my parents.
While discussing this information and on a rather uncharacteristic whim, my dad decided it was time to take his family back to where it all started. We thought it was a joke at first because anyone who knows my dad knows that he hates traveling. But then he told us why. He wanted to “complete the circle” — meaning, he started his life in Sicily, left it behind for a new and better life, and now wants to return with the people he loves the most to show his grandchildren (you know them as altar servers Vincent and Cecilia) the place that holds so many memories.
My dad was born in Partinico, Sicily, and came to the United States as a young adult in his early 20s. My mom was born in Canicatti, Sicily, and moved to the United States in her early teens. It was decided that we would spend 21 days in Sicily visiting both towns, along with all the famous sites and cities that were in the area. After a few days of planning, we booked our flights and spent the next few months developing a rough itinerary of what we wanted to do and things we wanted to see.
Voyage begins
We flew out of Newark airport in New Jersey on July 30 and landed in Palermo, Sicily, on July 31. The bed and breakfast we stayed in Partinico was off a dirt road in the middle of the country. It was called Il Bracco, and the owner, a wonderful man named Aldo, was a childhood friend of my dad’s and they had not seen each other in several decades. It was wonderful to see them reconnect and rehash old times. Every day was filled with hilarious stories of their youth.
We realized early on that driving in Sicily would be quite the adventure. The traffic control signs regarding speed limits or stop signs are more of a suggestion than anything as people routinely disregard them. We navigated the narrow streets of Partinico and visited my dad’s house where he grew up and took some photographs together in front of his old front door. We even met some neighbors who remembered him and my Nonna from more than 50 years ago. The best part of this day was seeing the town through the teenage version of my dad — his school, his church where he rang the bells, his library, and his favorite panelli shop (which still is there).
We spent the next few days trying to get in as much sightseeing as we could handle with the weather being as hot as it was. One of the most memorable days was when we visited the ancient temples in Segesta and the medieval mountain-top town of Erice. On a 90-degree day we climbed the hills of Segesta, viewing the temples and ruins built by the ancient Greeks almost 3,000 years ago. There are no words to describe the feeling of standing in the middle of such pieces of history.
On the same day we visited Erice — a preserved medieval village with views of the Mediterranean that don’t even seem real. If you ask Vincent and Cecilia about their favorite part of this day, they will tell you it was the genovesi we ate at the smallest dessert shop owned by the sweetest 70-year-old man. I think we would all fly back at this very moment just for one of those buttery, flaky pastries filled with Nutella and crema.
We then visited Palermo with the assistance of Aldo who was kind enough to be our guide for the day. Palermo is the most modern city that we visited and has all the famous shopping brands we are familiar with here. We walked into the heart of the city and checked out all the famous structures there — the theater where “The Godfather Part III” was filmed, la Vucciria market where vendors yell out to customers, and the Quattro Canti corner where statues of the four female patron saints of Palermo keep watch over the city.
It’s all about family
The second week of our trip consisted mostly of beach days, dinners with my dad’s side of the family, and a day trip to the island of Favignana, which is known for its crystal-clear waters and rocky beaches.
During our third week in Sicily we drove about two hours east of Partinico to Canicatti to visit my mom’s side of the family. We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast in Naro and had daily authentic Sicilian meals with my aunt and uncle in the countryside. On one of these nights, we went out to dinner with more than 40 aunts, uncles and cousins who have not seen my mom since 2016. The amount of love in the room was overwhelming, and it took more than an hour to say goodbye at the end. Needless to say, we went to bed very late that night.
Toward the end of our trip we made it to one of the more well-known beach towns in Sicily called Cefalú. This was about a 1.5-hour drive and was the worst traffic we encountered during the trip. Once you found a place to park you understood why. The place is gorgeous and the town is absolutely stunning. The streets were alive with vendors, restaurants, tourists and entertainment. The cannoli were great, too!
As we traveled from town to town, we made it a point to stop in many of the beautiful churches that each hold their own pieces of history. Some memorable ones were the Cattedrale di Monreale with its breathtaking Byzantine mural work, La Chiesa della Madonna della Rocca where Padre Gioacchino is buried (a candidate for canonization), and La Madonna delle Grazie, where my cousin Don Angelo has been a priest for the last several years.
It would be an understatement to say that this trip to Sicily will be one we never forget. What started as a conversation, with me repeatedly asking, “Are you serious?” turned into the most memorable and deeply personal family adventure.
We experienced the pride my parents have for their country, the love the family has for each other no matter the miles apart, the joy felt by our children, and the presence of God who continues to bless us each and every day.
This trip has ignited a spark in all of us, turning our thoughts to future adventures. In the words of our daughter Cecilia, “Where are we going next?”
