There Will Be Jousting

Speaking of Lords and Ladies, this weekend head to Piazza Armerina for the annual Medieval Festival featuring period music, dance, jousting, and a Palio (horse race)! The citizens of Piazza Armerina don’t fool around–from 12-14 August, the entire town recalls the 11th century, dressing, eating, entertaining, and sporting in the style of the citizens during the time of the Norman conquest over the Saracen Arabs. For full details of the festival, visit www.paliodeinormanni.it.

In the meantime, I wanted to show you a scene from the renowned artist and puppetier Mimmo Cuticchio. It is a beautiful representation of Sicily’s proud medieval history, one that is played out not only in murals such as this one shown, but also in the island’s prized marionette theater, its storytelling traditions, and on colorful Sicilian carts.

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About the author

Allison Scola is founder, owner, and curator of Experience Sicily and the Cannoli Crawl. Named one of the experts for the 2019 New York Times Travel Show, Scola writes and lectures on Sicily and leads immersive tours and designs custom itineraries that delight discerning travelers. She has been featured on Rudy Maxa’s World with the Carey’s, America’s #1 Travel Radio Show and as the cannoli expert in the documentary Cannoli, Traditions Around the Table. Scola has lectured about Sicily at University of Pennsylvania, The New School, LIU Post University, Queens College, Westchester Italian Cultural Center, at high schools in the New York City metropolitan area, and at events in New York City.

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