About Me

Welcome to My Sicilian Love Affair where i will be sharing all the juicy details about my (not so secret) “love affair” with Sicily from what to eat and where to visit, to how to dress the part and traditions to follow. Both of my parents were born and raised in Sicily and came to the US when they were teenagers. My siblings and I are first generation born in the US. 

Growing up, my family and I spent 3-4 weeks each summer in Sicily and our time was split between Castellammare Del Golfo (my moms town) and Porto Empedocle (my dads town). My grandparents immigrated to Brooklyn, NY in the 1970’s and since then have spent the winters in NY and summers in Sicily. After almost 50 years in the US, my grandparents learned the English language pretty well, in fact the extent of their English was “me no speak English” and “hello” which also meant goodbye at times LOL! 

We are a very tight knit family and my grandparents are basically my second set of parents. In fact if it weren’t for their age, I would forget the fact that there’s a generation in between! Any and all holidays are a must to be together whether its Christmas or a name day like San Giuseppe, I always look forward to big dinners ( which is usually a battle of whose recipe is better moms or dads), nonna and nonno bringing one of their classics like cassata, bianco mangiare, an old heirloom or even $20, and most importantly carrying on the traditions and memories to last a lifetime.

Fast forward to my twenties when I studied in Florence and it was during that time that I realized my true passion for travel and explore all that the world has to offer. I have been fortunate enough to vacation in Sicily every summer and each time, brings new experiences, new memories and strengthened bonds with family and friends that become family. In my late 20's I decided to start my jewelry line "Oriana Lamarca Designs" and used my travel experiences to design my signature collections based upon the colors and cultures of different destinations I had traveled to.

In a nut shell this is how “My Sicilian Love Affair” started, with the love of my family, my passion for fashion and travel and a mission to bring the best that Sicily has to offer at your fingertips. Now, My Sicilian Love Affair is the "heartbeat" of everything I do and create!

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So make yourself an espresso, relax and enjoy!
 

Baci,

XX

Oriana