Experience Sicily

Category: History

  • 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…

  • Inhale and Exhale In Cefalù

    Roger II, my favorite Norman king, fell in love with Cefalù when he took shelter here in a harrowing storm in the early 12th century. As a reward for the citizens’ kindness and hospitality, he commissioned the town’s stirring Arab-Norman cathedral, intending it to be his final resting place. He knew what was good! Take…

  • The Goddess Demeter To Santa Lucia

    Join us for a party for La Festa di Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy)! This 3rd century BCE bust was found in Siracusa at the site of what was the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore (Persephone). Do you know the myth of the goddess Demeter and her maiden daughter? This Sunday, December 8 at Cacio e…

  • The Castle At Aci Castello, Sicily

    The imposing castle at Aci Castello was constructed out of volcanic rock on top of La Rocca by the Normans starting in the late 11th century. Prior to that time, the promontory hosted both an Arab and Byzantine fortification. The castle was somewhat destroyed in a siege at the turn of the 13th century when…

  • From Ancient Coins To Shop Small

    These 4th century BCE coins (some featuring the nymph Aretusa) that were found in the Neapolis city of Siracusa are a reminder of our best offer of the year! Shop small! Save an additional $175 off your small-group Experience Sicily tour when you confirm your reservation by tonight, Monday, Dec. 2, 2019 at 11:59PM and…

  • Be Amazed By The Baroque During October in Sicily

    Right off of Quattro Canti in the historic center of Palermo is the stunning Church of Saint Joseph of the Theatines. Initially built by the austere, yet aristocratic Catholic order between 1612 and 1645, over the 17th century the interior decor grew to reflect the era”s popular Baroque art and design style, one that was…

  • Ancient Sicily That Sings

    This lekythos with a woman lute player depicted on it was found in a tomb at Selinunte. Lekythoi (plural) were vases used to store oils for use in the gymnasium or bath or for funerary functions. Note the red-figure. This was an Athenian-style technique specific to the 5th century BCE.