Palermo’s patroness, Santa Rosalia (Pictured: her likeness illustrated in Palermo’s Immaculate Conception Church), is recognized annually on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Mount Pellegrino. Tomorrow, pilgrims will arrive from far and wide to process up Mount Pellegrino, often barefoot or on their knees, in order to pay homage to the maiden who rejected a life of privilege and instead, sought a life devoted to prayer and solitude.
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.
