In yesterday’s La Repubblica Palermo newspaper, an article explained that at the site of the ancient Greek city of Himera, they have discovered the 6th Century B.C.E. remains of a caffetteria-style restaurant. Ovens, stoves, pots, pans, and plates have been excavated. I visited Himera and met the director of the site back in June with…
Tag: archaeology
Valentine’s Dinner In New York City
Experience Sicily is hosting a very exclusive event on February 16, 2019 to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sicilian Style, in New York City! We’ve rented a private kitchen and are so excited to have two outstanding chefs to cook dinner for you: Giuseppe Sciurca, from Termini Imerese, Sicily, and Antonino Elia, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Music duo…
Packed With Punch in Cefalù
Some of the most extraordinary treasures can be found in tiny museums in Sicily, so don’t overlook them! An example is this crater featuring an illustration of a tuna fisherman/fishmonger from 370 to 380 A.D., found in the Mandralisca museum in Cefalù.
Sicily And The Myth of Demeter and Kore
The leaf-less trees along my morning walks in the New York City area are a painful reminder that winter’s arrival is imminent. And so, I think of earth’s seasonal cycles, which for centuries were explained by the myth of Demeter and Kore: Hades, the God of the Underworld, abducted the maiden Kore while she was…
Ancient Sicilian Devotion
As we prepare for our annual Feast of Santa Lucia on Sunday, Dec. 9 in NYC at Cacio e Vino (Details and register at https://experiencesicily.com/events/festa-di-santa-lucia/), we must first start long before Lucia’s time, in the 7th century B.C.E. During this ancient Greek era, women devotees prayed to the goddesses Persephone and Demeter for healthful fertility…
Google (and We) Know What’s Awe-Inspiring
In just a few days, the exclusive summit for Google Camp will take place in Sicily. Their annual milestone dinner will be held at the foot of this temple, Temple E (archeologists believe it was for the ancient Greek goddess Hera), at the Archeological Park of Selinunte. This Doric-style temple was completed between 490 and…
Gone Fishing
The UNESCO recognized Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina reveals not only much to us about human life in ancient Rome, but also about the abundance of wildlife in the region 1600 years ago, when it was constructed. The mosaic tile floor in the semicircular, porticoed atrium, which was designed to catch rain water,…
Goldery Star
The nymph Arethusa (or Aretusa) and her myth are central to the ancient history and culture of Siracusa, Sicily. So much so, that her image, surrounded by dolphins, is featured on the ancient coins of the city–from 415-400 BCE! This coin, which I photographed through a magnifying glass, may be seen in the newly opened…
At Selinunte, I Feel Ghosts
Yesterday, Tony, Dominic, and I visited the magnificent ancient city of Selinunte with our guide Gianluca. I’m always taken aback by this site because it’s expansive. It’s strewn with ruins of massive temples and abandoned homes. To me it possesses ghosts everywhere, who continue to protect it. Selinunte was a Greek city built on the…
Sant’Angelo Muxaro’s Golden Bowl
This golden bowl is a patera (libation bowl) from the 6th century BC. This particular one is a copy of the original (now in the British Museum) that was found in a cave-tomb on the hillside of the mountain village of Sant’Angelo Muxaro, north of Agrigento. Discovered in the late 18th century, the bowl sports…