Happy International Women’s Day! I offer this statuette of the goddess Cybele, the ancient mother goddess from Anatolia, as homage to all of the mothers and women in leadership and caretaking positions. Your power is profound and inspirational. You all have goddesses within! This marble piece is Roman from 1st-2nd century AD, based on a…
Category: History
Don’t Mess With Etna
On March 8, 1669, Etna began erupting. The citizens of Catania thought they could challenge the volcano. Unfortunately, they were wrong. The population of the city watched from the shores of the Ionian Sea as towns north and west of them were destroyed. Thinking their city walls would be a match Mother Nature’s wrath, they…
Me and Vincenzo Bellini
Celebrity Selfie Alert! Well, sort of. While in Catania in January, I took the opportunity to take a photo with the composer Bellini at the (You guessed it.) Giardino Bellini. Catania and Sicily are very proud of their “son,” the opera composer, Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). Bellini was born into a family of musicians in Catania…
In Palermo, You May Say, I Want My Mummy!
Not one of my favorite things, yet for some, it is their absolute favorite thing in Palermo (Tell us your thoughts in the comments!)–is a visit to the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, or Capuchin Catacombs. This series of underground corridors houses approximately 8,000 mummified bodies and skeletons of Palermitani of all ages who died between the…
A Diamond In The Mishmash of Palermo’s Cathedral
When you visit Palermo’s Cathedral, be sure to go around to the north side of it, pictured. To me, the back side posesses the most beautiful architectural elements of the mishmash of styles that make up this temple dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. The inlaid lava stone designs (AKA intarsias) are from the…
Valentine’s Dinner In New York City
Experience Sicily is hosting a very exclusive event on February 16, 2019 to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sicilian Style, in New York City! We’ve rented a private kitchen and are so excited to have two outstanding chefs to cook dinner for you: Giuseppe Sciurca, from Termini Imerese, Sicily, and Antonino Elia, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Music duo…
Trekking Amongst The Tombs In Sicily
I was blessed again today with the guidance of Nanni Di Falco, who led me through a small part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site know as the Pantelica Necropolis, a gorge cut into limestone by the Anapo and Cave Grande rivers that is dotted with hundreds of tombs from the 13th century BCE. It…
A Walk Through Thousands Of Years Of Human History In Sicily
Always on the move, today I took a hike in Sicily with Nanni, a nature and walking guide, through the Cava D’Ispica reserve, a deep gorge that follows a now, usually dried up river. Fresh, young, and emerald green Acanthus mollis plants (known in English as bear’s breeches) covered our trail, and scores of caves…
Embracing The Longest Night
As we observe the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, I recall how beautiful the UNESCO site Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily is at night, when the the monuments, like this, the Temple of Concordia, are lit. Even in ancient times (Concordia was erected between 440 and 430 B.C.E.), it was…
Packed With Punch in Cefalù
Some of the most extraordinary treasures can be found in tiny museums in Sicily, so don’t overlook them! An example is this crater featuring an illustration of a tuna fisherman/fishmonger from 370 to 380 A.D., found in the Mandralisca museum in Cefalù.