Founder Story: My First Trip to Sicily
In May 2001, I traveled to Sicily for the very first time. It was a surprise trip from my nonna (grandmother) that would forever shape me.
It started with a phone call just a few months before our departure. My nonna began our call by quizzing me about Italy’s geography and language, before getting to the point – she was going to Sicily and I was going with her! Initially I thought it was just a joke, I laughed and told her it’s impossible because I couldn't miss school! However, my mom stood nearby nodding, confirming I would be missing an entire month of grade 3 and going to Italy with nonna!
Blessed with this unexpected opportunity, I boarded my very first Alitalia flight that would transport me to the heart of my family's roots. Excited and armed with colouring books, we took off on a journey that would define the connection to my roots and eventually inspire the creation of Curù Skin.
I will never forget landing in Palermo, walking out of the airplane and feeling the warmth of the island and the fresh, subtly smoky aroma that lingered in the air. I was finally in Sicily – the place I only heard about in stories.
Guided by nonna, our adventure began. I saw the sea for the first time. My nonna encouraged me to taste the seafoam. I was hesitant but scooped some in my little hands and tasted it as she explained the uniqueness of the salt water compared to the lakes back home. It was an unforgettable moment that marked the beginning of a sensory journey through the flavors and textures of Sicily.
I remember our trip to Trapani and seeing the streets lined with palm trees, imagining them as giant pineapples growing out of the ground! The zabbara (agave) and prickly pear cacti (fichi d’india) made me feel like I was transported to The Land Before Time. I loved spotting little lizards, stray cats and dogs running through the streets. I loved playing with the tiny snails I found crawling along the freshly picked lettuce we would eat that same afternoon. I learned new words in Sicilian and thought “babbalucci” (the word for snails) was very funny and could not believe it was a delicacy!
I still remember being in awe when I saw lemons and oranges growing on trees for the first time and smelling their sweet aroma! I will never forget when my nonna pointed out a tree and asked if I knew what was growing on the branches only to discover that the fuzzy green shells were almonds! I was amazed by all of this beauty. Each car ride, my eyes would be glued to the window so I wouldn't miss a single olive tree or vinyard, which in Sicily is quite hard to miss. The adventures in nature, finding a way to communicate with my cousins as we played all day, learning new words, chasing lambs in the country, tasting new food… it all became the mosaic of experiences that fueled my growing love for Sicily.
Little did I know that I would return to this island 15 years later in search of a remedy for my skin that was closer to me than I knew, with the same curiosity and a love that flourished from that very first trip.
It was always a dream to go back to Italy with my nonna one day. It was a dream that finally came to be when I moved to Rome a year and a half ago, creating a full-circle moment. It began like the first time – with a phone call from nonna announcing she would be going to Sicily in a few months. I knew I had to be there.
In October 2022, we were reunited, arm in arm, exploring the streets of Salemi, our ancestral town. We went shoe shopping for nonno, we cooked, argued, laughed till we cried, and celebrated her birthday. We made fresh pasta and biscotti, we sang and danced, got into trouble, and encouraged each other. Nonna watched me work tirelessly, adjusting to my new life, and overcoming challenges to move production to Sicily. Cutting up cachi (persimmons) and cleaning melograni (pomegranates), she made sure I was always eating enough because I had become an "imprenditore" – an entrepreneur who needed to grow and be strong like her. We unknowingly created memories on what would be her very last trip to her “sweet Sicilia,” making each of these moments more precious than imagined. It was a dream come true.
The love and curiosity inspired by that very first trip to Sicily with nonna till the last, is alive and continues to shape myself and Curù Skin – a celebration of our roots, inspired by love, passion and care passed from generation to generation.