Category: Traditional Dress
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Shoes and Song
The Museo Etno-Antropologico Annalisa Buccellato in Castellammare del Gulfo possesses a magnificent exhibit of items from past peasant-life in western Sicily. I can’t say enough about the glimpses it gives us into “the old days.” For example, this guitar, which of course, as a musician, attracted my attention. I’ll transcribe for you the explanation of…
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Lords, Swords, and Ladies
Annually on the fourth Sunday of May, the town of Casteltermini holds the Festa di Santa Croce e Sagra del Tataratà. During the feast, which dates back to medieval times, one of the traditions is a reenactment of a combat style utilized by the Arabs, who occupied Sicily from approximately 827 A.D. to 1091 A.D.…
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Sicilian Girl by Wilhelm Von Gloeden
This well-known photo by German photographer Wilhelm Von Gloeden (1856-1931) is not of a young Sicilian girl, but of a boy dressed as a Sicilian girl. It’s one example of more than 3000 photos Von Gloeden took in Sicily from the 1890s through to his death in 1931. Von Gloeden lived and worked in Taormina…
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They are Still Finding Stuff!
When grants support archaeological work, more excavations take place. This is true all over Italy. I was surprised this summer when I was at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples (during 3 different visits) and I learned that various parts of the UNESCO World Heritage site were still subjects of research projects. For example, this statue…
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Fill Them Up
A piece of kitsch depicting a Sicilian folk scene.
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Traditional Dress of a Sicilian Cart Driver
According to “Il costume popolare in Italia,” a book by Emma Calderini published in 1934, this is an illustration of what Sicilian cart drivers, or carrettiere, typically wore. So, if you need a last-minute Halloween costume idea, you might be able to pull this off! Just know that in addition to transporting goods–often through the…
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High Ho Folk Art!
The bridle gear and breastplates created for the horses that pull the Sicilian carts are elaborate extensions of the carts’ decorations. This detail gives you an idea of this other form of folk art.
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Bella Tarantella
Today, the tarantella (shown in this painting) is still alive and danced and played socially in many parts of southern Italy. In modern-day Sicily, however, it’s danced most often by organized folk music and dance ensembles at feasts and festivals. There remains a very strong folk music culture throughout the island, where you’ll find musicians…