Viva San Giuseppe! Pictured is St. Joseph with a young Jesus in the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini in Palermo, where there is a series of art dedicated to this very important saint. Today is St. Joseph’s Day, March 19. Also, it is fittingly Father’s Day in Italy. Joseph was the surrogato father of…
Category: Art, Ceramics, Music
Holding Humanity In Our Hearts
Let’s hold those suffering in Italy in our hearts. Let’s send them healing energy. Let’s support those who are healthy and strong, so they may help support the elderly and fragile, protecting them from potential illness. I send these wishes also to Chinese, Koreans, Iranians, Americans, and all those across the globe who are affected…
Flowers Loaves Made For Saint Joseph
Ritual bread loaves made for St. Joseph (San Giuseppe) that are in the shape of flowers signify elevated spirituality and detachment from earthly possessions. These pictured were made by women in Salemi, Sicily, where San Giuseppe is strongly venerated. Join Experience Sicily this Sunday in New York at City Cacio e Vino to make bread…
Magic In The Alley Of Sutera, Sicily
When I see this image from September 2014, I remember the tears I shed as I listened to Fratelli Mancuso performing “Bella Maria” in the alleyway of Sutera, Sicily for our small-group. I am a huge fan of Lorenzo and Enzo’s music–I feel their harmonies in every cell of my body. The fact that I…
Pan Versus Cupid: Lust Versus Love
In art, look for Pan, who personifies carnal lust, and Cupid, the god of love, fighting it out. Come on, you know your own struggle of earthly “thirst” versus divine love! At the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina in Sicily you’ll find many age-old stories, such as this one, depicted on its remarkable…
Say YES2020 By February 1 And Let’s Go To Sicily
I’m going to Sicily in 2020 – – and you can too! Amuni’: Let’s go! Say YES2020 when you reserve your spot on a small-group Sicily tour hosted by Experience Sicily by 11:59PM on February 1, 2020, and save an additional $150 per person. Immerse yourself in this fascinating region of the world featuring 3000…
Carving Sicilian Carts
Before Sicilian carts are painted, the woodworker carves his magic (Work in progress at Cinabro Carrettieri Bottega d’arte).
The Ancient Art Of Basket Weaving In Sicily
Claudio Romano has a deep knowledge of medicinal herbs and wild plants, especially those from the Hyblaean Mountains of southeastern Sicily. Building on his passion for flora, Romano learned the art of basket weaving, a practice that has existed since humans sought containers to keep their foodstuffs and other products. Watching him work and learning…
A Journey In Sicily To Discover Your Vision
“The Cyclopean Walls of Mount Erice” is a painting housed in the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) in Palermo by painter Michele Cortegiani (1857-1919), (Oil on canvas, c. 1890). Monte Cofano pictured in the background is a magnificent limestone monolith on the Tyrrhenian coast that you’ll see with this same view when on Mount Erice,…
Recalling A Time of Chivalry In Sicily
The UNESCO recognized opera dei pupi was a popular form of entertainment in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before film and television, it was a favorite form of diversion for men and boys (It’s actually pretty violent and bawdy!). Our hero Orlando and the knights and their enemies recall the age of chivalry, originating…