Meanwhile, while walking down the Corso Umberto I in Bagheria…. (Yes, this butcher shop is probably owned by a relation to Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore, who grew up in Bagheria. NB Bagheria has a lot of treasures hidden in plain sight!) Photo Credit: Filippo Buttitta
Category: Observations about Culture
La Vucciria Isn’t So Cacophonous Anymore
Oh, how much La Vucciria market in Palermo has changed over the last few years! It gets its name because it used to be a butchery (fish and meat) with vendors singing their sales at the top of their lungs from crowded stalls and carts. Not so much anymore (at least during the day). Now,…
A Peek In Palermo
Inside a Palermo pastry shop (from 2019)
On The Twelth Day Of Christmas
I was fortunate enough two years ago to experience the live nativity scenes presented by the townspeople of Licodia Eubea on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. Pictured here, the Three Wise Men (Magi, aka The Three Kings) present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the “newborn king,” the baby Jesus. They…
Giuseppe “Peppino” Impastato, Organized-Crime Fighter
January 5 is Giuseppe “Peppino” Impastato’s birthday. Impastato was a political activist who vociferously exposed and confronted the mafia in his hometown of Cinisi. After his uncle Cesare Manzella was brutally killed in a car bomb in 1963, when Impastato was 15 years old, his outlook on the Cosa Nostra, of which his father was…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 3
Buon Anno! Happy New Year! These past days I’ve focused on this clock since time–i.e., the changing of the year–has been on our minds. Now, with the start of a new trip around the sun, we turn to the cathedral side of Messina’s astronomical clock tower. We already saw the Perpetual Calendar, which shows the…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 2
Inaugurated in 1933, the complex astronomical clock of Messina, which possesses the entire bell tower, is thought to be the largest in the world. (Continued from yesterday…) Part 2: The lower “balcony” sports rotating biblical scenes that change according to the period of the year. This time of year, on display would be the nativity…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 1
When you visit Messina, be sure to be at the cathedral in front of its bell tower at noon sharp. That’s when, daily, the renowned astronomical clock puts on a show. Commissioned in 1930 by the Archbishop of Messina, Angelo Piano, the timepiece consists of a complex mechanism that governs the sound effects and movements…
Live Nativity Scenes In Sicily
Many towns in Sicily annually create elaborate live nativity scenes like this one I saw in 2019 in Custonaci (Trapani Province). These dioramas featuring townspeople acting out iconic moments and everyday activities from past times create a sense of wonder. Presepe Vivente are a reason to visit Sicily during Christmas. (In the future, when it’s…
Buccellati: Sicilian Christmas Cookies and Cake
Buccellati cookies and cake (pictured) are made with a filling of chopped dried figs, pumpkin jam, honey, raisins, almonds, orange rind, cinnamon, and Marsala wine. These goodies are synonymous with Christmas in Sicily. Look at the beautiful detail in the cake design!