Southern Secret #3: Oh, Maccheroni

WRITTEN by GUEST BLOGGER, Danielle Oteri of Feast on History our co-host for Southern Secrets: Campania and Sicily’s Hidden Corners (June 29 – July 8, 2018) … Behind you are the mountains and the Cilento National Park where medieval villages persist and organic farms abound. This bountiful land is Chef Mario Stellato’s palette from which…

Holding Court in Siracusa

The Duomo of Siracusa represents layers of history. The foundation–both base and walls of the structure–is an ancient, Doric-style Temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BCE (Once inside, you can easily see the columns of the Greek temple!). During the Byzantine age in the 7th century CE, the temple was converted into a…

Even The Floor Is Dazzling

If the 68,000 square feet of mosaic tiles on the walls of Monreale Cathedral don’t mesmerize you, perhaps the floor-designs will! Created by Byzantine-Arab-Norman craftsmen in the late 12th century, William II’s temple offers endless inspiration. The red stone is called red porphyry. The ancient emperors associated it with power during the Roman Empire. It…