For his works Call Me by Your Name and Out of Egypt (each of which is set within a different location on the Mediterranean), Andre Aciman is one my favorite authors, and back in 2011, he published a fascinating article in Tablet Magazine on the hybrid and errant characteristics of Sephardic history and culture.
Especially for lovers of Mediterranean sounds and languages: read his musings (some factual and some, even better, intuitive): http://www.tabletmag.com... be further mesmerized and listen to Yasmin Levy's rendition of Naci en Alamo for the complete experience.
For a deeper look in to the religious Convivencia of Spain's Golden Age, Maria Rosa Menocal's The Literature of Al-Andalus should be your first stop. Or wander with me through the memories of one of Italy's most fascinating Jewish quarters, the Ferrara of the fabled Finzi-Continis.
