The maiden Persephone holds a dove in this 575-550 BCE votive statuette found in a tomb in Siracusa, Sicily. As we move toward winter in the northern hemisphere, we prepare to send our innocent, pure protagonist of spring and summer to the Underworld or Hades, where she will take on her adult role as the…
Category: Art, Ceramics, Music
Stunning Sicily October 2021, Day 4
Ciao from Stunning Sicily, Day 4! Siracusa has one of the largest and most extensive Christian catacombs outside of Rome, and we explored the dark, damp, and mysterious underground pathways of San Giovanni’s Catacombs and San Marciano’s Crypt with our local, expert guide Lucia. After a visit to the Orsi archeological museum to see the breathtaking statue of…
Traditional Sicilian Baskets
These traditional Sicilian baskets handmade from river reeds are used for countless purposes. This particular size with the handle may often be seen tied to a rope, being lowered from balconies throughout Sicily. Called “un panaru” in Sicilian, they are used to carry everything from fruits such as lemons, grapes, and olives to foodstuffs like…
A Journey Of The Soul: Il Labirinto Di Arianna In Sicily
Ciao from Sicily! Yesterday we made a pilgrimage to the Labirinto di Arianna, or Ariadne’s Labyrinth, a sculpture high in the Nebrodi Mountains of Messina Province. The massive work is one of many large pieces that are part of Fondazione Fiumara d’Arte Sicilia, a collection of outdoor sculptures. The brainchild of empresario Antonio Presti, the…
Sicily’s Head Of Hades
Until Sunday, August 8, this magnificent “Head of Hades,” also known as Barbablù will be in a special short exhibition at the Museo Archeologico Regionale “Antonino Salinas” – Palermo. The head, which is normally housed in the Museum at Aidone in Enna Province, was brought to Palermo briefly in order to promote the Barbablù Fest,…
Palermo Next Level: Salinas Archeological Museum For Antiquities
Palermo’s Salinas archeological museum hosts many treasures from antiquity. Many of the findings from Selinunte are housed here, including these late-4th/mid-3rd century BCE terracotta statuettes, made in the style of those traditionally made in Tanagra, Greece north of Athens. They were found in a Punic grave site.
Cooking In Sicily: An Ancient Tool
If you are a cook, you probably could guess what this ancient cooking implement is that I photographed in the archaeological museum of the ancient city of Himera near Termini Imerese. What do you think it is? We just added another Cooking In Sicily: Stirring Sicily tour to our 2022 schedule from September 14 to…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #51. Imaginative Ceramics
Throughout Sicily there are various ceramic centers that developed over the centuries around natural sources of clay. Of course, the raw material is one thing, but more significant, however, are the artists and painters that produce and imagine the remarkable designs and/or playful scenes found on plates, bowls, pinecones, heads of men and women, vases,…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #37. Live Classical Theater in an Acient Greek Amphitheater
Attending these performances between May and early July each year, is, as one of my clients pointed out, magnificent: Walking through the historic archaeological park to arrive at the ancient amphitheater, being a part of an equally eager audience, and then, the performance itself. It’s absolutely extraordinary!