Category: Fashion, Traditional Dress
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Bagherese Cart Drivers’ Songs
The singer on this cart is performing a traditional cart driver’s song (for a contemporary celebration). This photo was taken in Santa Flavia, near Bagheria. Bagheria is not only renowned for its tradition of building intricately decorated carts, but also for the tradition of virtuosic singing employed by the cart drivers. The drivers’ songs…
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Beautiful Tarantella Dancer
This marble depiction of a tarantella dancer takes my breath away. It’s housed behind velvet ropes (that didn’t stop me!) in the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, and that’s really all I know about it. She exudes beauty and emotion.
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Fit for a Queen
Perhaps more famous than she is, the crown worn by Constance of Aragon (1179-1222) is housed in the treasury at Palermo’s cathedral. It is a fascinating example of uniquely Sicilian jewelry-design, exploiting Byzantine, Norman, and Arab influences. It is donned with precious stones like sapphires and rubies, in addition to pearls, gold, and other intricate…
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The Trinacria: Even on a Handbag
Sicily’s ancient Greek symbol, the Trinacria, shows up in many places, such as on this handbag of a woman I met yesterday. When on the island, it’s everywhere, including on Sicily’s flag. The three bent legs are attributed to the triangular shape of the island, which in Greek times was called Trinacria. Originally, at the…
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What She Wore in the Conca d’Oro
A 19th century peasant’s dress from the Conca d’Oro area. The Conca d’Oro is the name of a region once rich with citrus groves. “Oro,” for “golden” with oranges and lemons and “Conca,” like crescent, as in the shape of the region along the north coast of Sicily. The Conca d’Oro includes the city of…