Experience Sicily

Category: Art, Ceramics, Music

  • Three Irresistible Sisters In Ancient Sicily

    Years ago, when I first saw a photo of this terracotta Gorgon, I thought it was Mayan! But no, it’s ancient Greek-Sicilian, from the 6th century BC, and it was found in Siracusa. Archaeologists know it was part of a relief–not much more is known about it; however, it gives me a chance to tell…

  • Persephone, The Goddess Of The Underworld, And Sicily

    Persephone is the daughter of the great goddess Demeter and the Goddess of the Underworld. Here she is as interpreted during the 2019 Arches of Easter in San Biagio Platani (Agrigento). (Yes, this art is made with beans and other natural elements!) During these last weeks of summer, she is preparing for her annual return…

  • Borgo Parrini, A Slice Of Barcelona In Sicily

    This summer Sicilians have been discovering Sicily in their effort to stay safe and close to home. With that in mind, many are enjoying the eclectic creativity of Borgo Parrini, a tiny neighborhood of the town of Partinico, which you’ll find a few miles west of Palermo. Originally developed in the 16th century by the…

  • Symbols Are Everywhere In Sicily

    Pomegranates and grapes are carved into the detail work of the Duomo of Cefalù. Both are coming into season now. Both represent fertility and abundance.

  • The Faces Of Power In Ragusa

    The faces decorating Ragusa’s Palazzo Bertini send a message. The palace, built in the late 18th century in the style of the Late Sicilian Baroque, sits on Corso Italia leading to the old, aristocratic Ragusa Ibla from the new, up-and-coming city of Ragusa–in other words, the avenue between old money and new. The three faces…

  • The Significance Of Pine Cone Ceramics In Sicily

    You’ll see majolica pine cones like this one I photographed in the ceramic center, Caltagirone, all over Sicily and southern Italy. It’s a significant symbol. As a botanical, the pine cone is a reproductive organ. Female pine cones hold seeds. Male pine cones hold pollen. From ancient Greek times, the pine cone recalls the Greek…

  • Ancient Roman Barbecue In Sicily

    This mosaic scene from the Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina features hunters at an altar for the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, moon, and childbirth, i.e. the Roman Diana or Greek Artemis. The Roman Villa, a UNESCO site, is better described as an ancient plantation. Scholars believe that the original owner was…

  • Inspired By Siculiana Marina’s Beach In Sicily

    How does one describe one of the most beautiful beaches in Sicily? Words aren’t always sufficient. If it’s any indication of just how magnificent Siculiana Marina is, Sicilian guitarist Francesco Buzzurro composed an entire album of songs inspired by it called Il Quinto Elemento (The Fifth Element). When I heard him perform pieces from it…

  • Icarus, Daedalus And Sicily

    Icarus got carried away with the ability to fly. His father Daedalus, an inventor, craftsman, and artist, created two sets of wings for Icarus and himself to escape imprisonment in Crete. Daedalus instructed Icarus not to fly too high and not to fly too low: The heat of the sun would melt the wax holding…