Tag: ancient rome
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The Ancient Theater At Palazzolo Acreide
Above the modern city of Palazzolo Acreide, on top of a limestone platue, those who love ancient history will find the ancient Greek city of Akrai. This amphitheater, originally constructed in the late 3rd century BCE, seats about 600 people. During the spring, local school theater companies present performances here.
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Ancient Roman Barbecue In Sicily
This mosaic scene from the Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina features hunters at an altar for the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, moon, and childbirth, i.e. the Roman Diana or Greek Artemis. The Roman Villa, a UNESCO site, is better described as an ancient plantation. Scholars believe that the original owner was…
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They Looked For Love In Erice, Sicily
The town Erice (pronounced Èh-ree-chay) is named for Eryx (or Eros), the mythical son of the goddess Venus and her lover, King Bute of the ancient Elimi tribe (NB that makes the Greco-Roman hero Aeneas his half-brother.). Erice boasts a 12th century Norman castle (pictured), known as Il Castello di Venere or the Castle of…
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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…
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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.…
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One Ostrich, Two Ostrich
The corridor of the Ambulatory of the Big Game Hunt at the Roman Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina has been called a “map of the world,” by some scholars. Capped by two floor lunettes on either side, one representing Mauritania, a country in Africa, and the other India, the extraordinary mosaic scenes along the…
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Wheat
Wheat is one of the key elements to understanding Sicily. For millennia, wheat was Sicily’s main agricultural product and economic engine. The Greeks cultivated grain from the time they arrived on the island 700 years before the Common Era. Demeter, goddess of grain and the harvest, was central to eastern Sicilians’ religion because of her…
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Levanzo Wasn’t Always Lazy
The Egadi Islands, where we visited during day 3 of our Secret Sicily tour earlier this month, were the site of major battles between Carthage and Rome during the 3rd century BC. Levanzo, pictured, today, is a quiet, remote, sunny, sleepy island with gorgeous swimming spots. Back in 241 BC, however, for ancient Rome, it…
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Splurge in Agrigento
This is the view from our hotel room tonight. On your trip, this is where you splurge on a 5-star hotel … in Agrigento! Here’s what you are looking at: The Temple of Concordia is named for a Latin inscription that was found on a dedication marker unearthed in the vicinity of the archaeological site–i.e.,…