In Palermo’s historic center two major thoroughfares intersect: Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda. This busy intersection, known as Quattro Canti, is flanked by four 18th century Baroque facades, each with a series of statues: The the city’s former patron saints (prior to Santa Rosalia) at the top, a Spanish king of Sicily (in the middle), and a fountain graced with a woman at various stages of her life (at the street level). This year we’ve seen spring, summer, and autumn, and today, on the winter solstice, we find an old woman holding a flaming lantern who represents “inverno” or winter.
Just looking at this statue makes me feel cold. Hey, I think I would pick up Italian pretty easily because I recognized Inverno right away. Spanish for winter is invierno. How about that? Learning music helps a lot, too – all the Italian terms used. Happy Winter Solstice, Allison! <3
You would definitely pick up Italian quickly because of Spanish. They are so similar, that they are like the same language with different accents! Happy Solstice to you too… Now we can look towards the light!