By Jess Fleming
From Pioneer Press
St. Paul—During the long, cold Minnesota winter, more than three dozen readers and I had the chance to escape to an unexpected tropical paradise—Sicily and Southern Italy.
I had been to Tuscany before, but the beaches, abundant citrus trees, palm trees and agave and prickly pear plants in the southern part of the country were a welcome surprise, even though temperatures weren’t quite swimsuit friendly.
With that climate comes a cornucopia of always-in-season produce, which makes for the amazing food scene we experienced. In addition, the history and archaeology of the region is mind-blowing and picturesque and the people friendly and animated….