52 Reasons to Love Sicily #6. In Sicily, “fairytales” about knights and ladies and kings and queens are not fiction. Throughout the island exists displays of centuries of royalty. In fact, you’ll find castles seemingly on every hilltop with a view! Perhaps the most particular evidence of majesty is illustrated by the crown of Constance…
Category: Art, Ceramics, Music
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Palermo Goes To 11
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #3. When talking coolness factor, the city of Palermo goes to 11. It’s European. It’s north African. It’s exotic. It’s got flirtatious nightlife (La Vucciria open-air market becomes a people-watching hub after dark and in nearby Ballarò, jazz clubs take over the alleyways.). It’s got high-art — the city is…
Bagheria’s Cove Of The Heart
In Sicily, you’ll come upon guerrilla art often, like this heart placed at Bagheria’s Tre Piscine (the three pools), now with the secondary name Cala del Cuore (Cove of the Heart). It’s one of my most favorite places in the world. Rugged and hard to get to if you’re not prepared for it, it’s a…
More Sicilian Ceramics In Burgio
Burgio, a remote mountain town in Agrigento province, is one of Sicily’s ceramic centers, where for centuries different family studios created distinct pottery. Different from Santo Stefano di Camastra, Caltagirone, and Sciacca, most of Burgio’s are most depicted on tan-colored and off-white beds. If looking for an off-the-beaten path stop, it’s a great place to…
Votive Offerings Through The Millennia
Archaeologists are very careful to identify to whom an ancient temple is dedicated until they have concrete evidence (and I don’t just mean concrete in the sense of stone!). In Siracusa, for example, we know that the temple to Apollo on Ortigia is for Apollo because there is an inscription on the east-facing stairs stating…
They Looked To Venus For Love
In ancient times, if you were looking for love and passion, western Sicily was the place to go. I’ve written about Erice in the past, where for centuries there was a temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and before that, it was a temple to the Carthaginians’ and Phoenicians’ goddess of love. Well,…
The Extraordinary Church Of San Domenico In Castelveltrano, Sicily
The Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano in Trapani Province is a masterpiece. Originally built in the 1470s when commissioned by the Tagliavia family, the church gained spectacle status once artist Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana and his sons spent three years from 1577-1580 creating the stucco scene above the altar titled “Albero di Jesse,” or…
The Feast Of Sant’Agata Is Upon Us
The three day mid-winter Feast of Sant’Agata is upon us! Agata was a virgin martyr who died in 251 CE. Legend is that she was the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family from Catania. A faithful Christian, Agatha swore herself to Jesus. Important to know, during her lifetime, Christianity was illegal under Roman rule. So,…
Tonight: Wintertime, Sicily-Inspired Yoga
Could it be Warrior II?! Join us Friday at 5:30PM (Eastern) for Sicily-Inspired Yoga: Embrace Winter’s Inner Wisdom. Clio Mallin, host of Experience Sicily’s future Yoga in Sicily tour, will led us in a wintertime practice aimed to create balance in your body, mind, and heart. You’ll feel grounded as you nurture your seeds of…
The Sanctuary of Demeter Malophoros, Selinunte (Part I)
The ancient Greek community of Selinunte was founded as a sub-colony of Megara Iblea in 651-650 BCE. One of the first sacred sites in the western Sicilian city, which is considered one of the world’s largest archaeological zones, is the Santuario della Malophoros or the Sanctuary of the Fruit Bearer. “Malophoros” implies pomegranates or apples,…