Cherubs caressing mermaids are the focus of this detail of the dizzying Baroque artwork you’ll find at the Chiesa del Gesù (also known as Casa Professa) in Palermo. Decorated from floor to ceiling with inlaid marble, stucco, frescos, and sculpture, this Catholic temple is one of the most shocking sites you’ll see in the Sicilian capital.
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.
