A Piece of Europe in Manhattan

One of the things I love most about New York is the unexpected places you can find yourself.

Few visitors expect to find a medieval cloister overlooking the Hudson River, tucked away in the northern reaches of Manhattan. Yet here it is: a quiet sanctuary of stone arches, gardens, and silence that feels worlds away from the city below. Every time I visit, I find myself transported not only across centuries but across oceans.

I grew up in Sicily, where cloisters like these are part of the landscape. The magnificent cloister of the Duomo di Monreale, just outside Palermo, was a familiar sight long before I ever dreamed of living in New York. It is also where I was baptized.

Standing beneath these arches at The Cloisters, I am reminded that home can sometimes appear where you least expect it. For a moment, Manhattan and Sicily feel a little closer.

Together.