TRAVELS

Lately it seems everyone I talk to has a mild obsession with Sicily. The Southern Italian island for years was passed over in favor of more glamorous places like Amalfi, Rome and Lake Como. But something interesting happened in the last decade or so: the casual, less polished nature of Sicily has become more interesting to travelers as the world has become more globalized and every city starts to feel like it has the same 30 stores. I was excited this year to finally get a chance to see this unique part of the country.

So like any set of recommendations, this one comes from too-short a time and not possibly having all the information. But I can tell you what I liked from my trip and what are the safe bets that I enjoyed. 

While Palermo and its environs are definitely on my list, for this trip we focused on the Eastern portion of Sicily. You can certainly drive around the entire island but if you only have a week or so I would try and stick to one general area, otherwise you'll be in a car the entire time.  You can rent a house or stay in a hotel - there are great options for both. We did a hotel in Taormina and then we were in a house the rest of the time. 

I'm not sure there's any job dreamier than traveling around the country getting paid to eat the most exciting things you can find. But that's the gig Casey Webb has with the new iteration of The Travel Channel's Man V. Food. We sat down with the host to ask him our 5 Questions

I recently went to Puglia and discovered something both amazing and intuitive: when you are faced with the world's best ingredients you don't have to do a lot to make them shine.  We learned a recipe that is all about taking the freshness of the sea and keeping it as light and simple as possible.

I know what you're thinking: luaus don't make anyone outside of Hawaii look cool. No one wants to dress up like their dad in a bad Hawaiian shirt. 

But I'm here to tell you that that's where you've been going wrong. Hawaiian theme doesn't have to mean pineapples and cheap leis. And that's where Sheldon Simeon comes in.

It's easy to think of lobster whole - unlike most seafood, we are accustomed to seeing them live and swimming around in tanks. But for most of the lobster we eat, it actually goes through a process that is a little more complex.