Tonight, we'll visit southern Sicily, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, and influenced by many different cultures throughout its history. While a part of Italy, Sicily has a distinct culture, dialect, cuisine, and attitude that makes it a place apart. We'll follow the south coast from Agrigento, with its amazing assemblage of ancient Greek temples, to the stunning Baroque hill towns of the southeast, and finish up in the bustling city of Catania, in the shadow of Mount Etna.  

About the speaker: Jeff Klapes has been Head of Reference Services at Wakefield’s Beebe Library for over 20 years, where he is also known as the “Traveling Librarian”. Having visited more than 50 countries and five continents over the years, he does frequent armchair travel presentations showcasing the history and culture of various places, using photography to capture people, scenery, and local details. From Iceland to Namibia, Laos to Oman, Jeff has visited many off-the-beaten path places, as well as more popular ports of call. And of course, as a librarian, he also reads voraciously about his destinations to learn about their culture, history, politics, literature, nature, and cuisine.