Castles exist all over Sicily. And on our final day of Experience Sicily’s October 2020 Sicily tour, you’ll have time to ascend the stairs of this one at Castellammare del Golfo after we’ll have taken a boat excursion on the magnificent Tyrrhenian Sea. Inside is an outstanding ethnographic museum. When you cross what once was…
Category: History
Sicily Shook On January 11, 1693
After a magnitude (hypothetical) 6.2 foreshock on January 9, 1693, at 9PM on January 11, 1693 the earth shook in southeastern Sicily for what historians say was four minutes. Etna erupted, and a tsunami struck the Ionian coasts of eastern Sicily and the Strait of Messina. We don’t know the exact scope of the earthquake’s…
The Cloisters Of Monreale
Norman King William II, “The Good” (1153-1189), commissioned Monreale Cathedral in the late 12th century. The cloisters were built in the Arab Norman style in the early 13th century by Venetian artisans. Today, the cathedral is part of the UNESCO site that features nine Arab Norman monuments. Its cloister boasts 128 columns, all possessing different…
Be Awe-Inspired By Harmony In Agrigento, Sicily
The Temple of Concordia is one of seven ancient Greek houses of worship you can discover at Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. It was named for a Latin inscription that was found on a dedication marker unearthed in the vicinity of the archaeological site–i.e., a marker not associated with the temple; however, spirited archaeologists…
Antique Pasta Shop in Sicily
I ate fresh cavatelli pasta made at the “pastaru” (Sicilian for pasta maker or pasta seller) during last year’s Presepe Vivente in Licodia Eubea. Le signore hosting this scene were working hard to feed us hungry guests as we walked through the recreation of their ancient village. You’ll learn how to make fresh cavatelli pasta…
The Old Fashioned Barber In Sicily
Locals acting out how things were done at the old fashioned barber shop during last year’s Presepe Vivente (live nativity scene) presented by the proloco (community board) of Licodia Eubea. The townspeople of Licodia Eubea turned the ancient, abandoned quarter of their village into a living diorama. It’s a fascinating combination of art, theater, and…
Live Nativity Scenes In Sicily
Today is Saint Stephen’s Day, a national holiday in Italy. Sicilians and Italians spend the day with family and friends visiting presepi di Natale, or nativity scenes, like this Presepe Vivente that I visited last year in Licodia Eubea in Catania province, where I’ll be hosting our Life in A Remote Sicilian Town tour in…
Sicily’s Roman Villa Illustrates Life
Fisherman are hard at work getting the fresh catch for all of your feasting the next couple of days! This image from the Roman Villa of Casale in Piazza Armerina, Sicily, a 4th century AD estate that boasts 43,055 square feet of mosaic tile floors, shows us how they did it in ancient Roman times….
The Alleys Of Ortigia
The alleyways of Ortigia Island in Siracusa are purposefully designed as a type of labyrinth, and there is a good reason for it. Strategically speaking, if you are planning to defend your village from invaders (The island of Ortigia was invaded many times, most egregiously by the Arabs in 877-878.), curved streets not in a…
Start October Here In Taormina
Join me here in October 2020! Enchanting Taormina’s ancient amphitheater was built in phases, starting in the 3rd century BC by the Greek inhabitants of Mount Tauro, who added to the structure significantly in the 2nd century AD. The Romans then added their ingenuity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, transforming it from a…