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.