Experience Sicily

Tag: architecture

  • A Different Kind of Feast for the Eyes

    My highlight of today’s adventures in Palermo, in terms of sightseeing, was a visit to the private museum, Stanze al Genio, a collection of majolica ceramic floor tiles focused on designs from Naples and Sicily created from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Housed in the 17th-century Palazzo…

  • A Baroque Temple to Higher Learning

    Late baroque architecture graces the city of Catania’s via Etnea and Piazza Università, where this university building holds court at dusk.

  • The Jubilee of Mercy in Sicily

    Breaking with tradition, Pope Francis announced in November that from the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2015) through the Feast of Christ the King (November 20, 2016) it would be a special Jubilee Year. The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a Roman Catholic period of prayer to be celebrated around the world. It is a year…

  • The Green Man in Scicli

    Baroque face on balcony support, Scicli.

  • Can’t Take My Eyes Off of It

    This is one corner of the mind-blowing baroque church, Monumentale Chiesa Dell’Immacolata Concezione, constructed in 1612 in Palermo. … Wait, let me explain better: that’s not painted. The designs are inlaid marble of all different colors!

  • Ancient Acoustics

    From the top of Monte Barbaro, the seats of the amphitheater at Segesta face the sea and hills in the distance. The acoustics from the orchestra, where I’m standing, are outstanding, something I proved when I sang to everyone visiting the site with me that day!

  • Baroque in Scicli

    Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Late Baroque Towns of Val di Noto,” the town of Scicli boasts breathtaking Baroque architecture from the 17th century.

  • Dizzying Steps

    Norman king Roger II established the Cappella Palatina in 1130. The chapel, located inside Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, is in and of itself a treasure chest of extraordinary mosaics. This is one example, the dizzying, inlaid stone and marble floors.

  • Chiaramontan Style Architecture

    During the 14th century, the Chiaramonte family was the most powerful family in Sicily. Early in their ascent to power, they ruled Modica and Ragusa, and over subsequent generations, they had a mix of properties throughout Sicily under their authority. This palace pictured, known as Palazzo Chiaramonte or Palazzo Steri, is probably their most famous…