Category: Art, Ceramics, Music
-
Circular Loaves For Maria Santissima
The Maria Santissima or Madonna brotherhood side of the Archi di Pasqua in San Biagio Platani, Sicily is decorated in blue and features artwork illustrating the legends and myths of Sicily and its saints and ancient divinities. Pictured here is the entrance archway that displays the cuddura circular bread (behind the white, glazed bread loaves)…
-
Joy In The Community Effort In Sicily
The Arches of Easter or gli Archi di Pasqua continues in San Biagio Platani until June 2. It is truly an extraordinary event to visit. Two brotherhoods of the town–the Jesus side (pictured) and the Mary side spend months preparing artwork with which they line the main street of town in celebration of Easter. Yet…
-
Entrance Elegance In Salemi
Front door, Salemi
-
The Easter Bread Arches of San Biagio Platani
Live from Sicily! We’ve experienced so much during these past two days while in Agrigento Province. A highlight has been seeing the work of the two brotherhoods from San Biagio Platini for their annual Archi di Pane, or the Easter Bread Arches. An Easter Sunday procession that unites Jesus and Mary in the center of…
-
Purity And Sacrifice: Easter Lambs in Sicily
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua! The lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. In Christianity, it symbolizes purity and sacrifice – two qualities associated with Jesus Christ. The basic form of the lamb is created from marzipan (sweet almond paste) using a mold. Then the cook decorates the pastry according to his or…
-
Orlando Inspired Us: The Opera Dei Pupi in Acireale, Sicily
Live from Sicily! We laughed, shouted, booed, and cried for Orlando during the opera dei pupi (marionette theater) last evening. The magnificent Opera di Pupi Turi Grasso theater company showed us the joys and craftsmanship of their multigenerational master work! We were all so inspired–us and the Grasso family too!
-
Cry For Me Siracusa
Live from Sicily! We had a glorious weather in Siracusa today. Our clients were full of questions about ancient history as well as modern. One of the more fascinating modern stories about Siracusa is this church, or should I say, this upside down ice cream cone, pictured from this morning! It is the Santuario della…
-
Galatea’s Grief In Acireale
Live from Sicily! Today we stayed local to the villa we have rented, visiting sites in the town of Acireale and environs. Acireale is shrouded in mythology with the story of Aci and Galatea at the core. I was thrilled to see this magnificent statue depicting their myth in person for the first time! Galatea…
-
The Light Of The World In Cefalù Cathedral
Santissimo Salvatore della Trasfigurazione (also known as Christ Pantocrator) anchors the apse of the UNESCO recognized cathedral, or duomo, of Cefalù. Boasting a remarkable Byzantine-style mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (pictured), the cathedral was commissioned in 1131 by the visionary Norman King Roger II after his ship found refuge on this spot during a harrowing storm.…