Experience Sicily

Tag: art

  • Salt to Taste 

    I love when art and utility meet. Here’s my salt holder, which is over my stove in New York City, made by Palermo ceramica artist, Nino Parrucca. Of course, it’s filled with sea salt from Trapani! Just lift the door, and salt to taste. 

  • Dressed to Impress 

    An intricately decorated, more colorful Sicilian cart was a way of showing off the owner’s wealth and success. So, just like if you are driving an elegant, luxury, name-brand car today, a Sicilian cart driver would pay a high price to the cart maker to make his cart more elaborate in order to illustrate his…

  • The Assumption: Celebrating the Virgin Mother’s Life

    August 15, a national holiday in Italy, marks the Feast of the Assumption, the day that the Virgin Mother ascended body and soul into Heaven. Thoughout Sicily it is celebrated in various ways, most often with processions, festivals, and gatherings with near and dear ones at the sea or in the mountains.  The Assumption is…

  • The Exotic Parrot Vendor 

    “Venditore di Pappagalli” (“Parrot Vendor”) detail from my father’s toy, hand-painted Sicilian cart. The cart was painted in Bagheria by Onofrio Ducato. It was given to my dad by his uncle Domenico in 1950. 

  • Sunny Days

    Ceramic artist Mirella Pipia of Bagheria will spend time with us on Day 10 of Savoring Sicily, Experience Sicily’s September 22-October 4 small-group tour. We’ll go to her studio where she’ll show us how she creates her inspired designs like this sunny one pictured.  Contact me at AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com to be inspired by our slow, boutique tour through…

  • In This Corner, An Unknown Man

    A couple of weeks ago, the day our group was in Cefalù, I wandered off on my own. (Hint: Stick with the tour guide, they know about the hidden corners!) The hidden corner I sought after was the Museo Mandralisca–a small collection of art and archeological works that is packed with punch. The punch here…

  • Starlight, Star bright

    The Star of Gibellina represents an entryway to the area of southwestern Sicily, the Valle del Belice, devastated by the 1968 earthquake. By contemporary artist Pietro Consagra, the brushed metal structure extends over the state road and is a sign of rebirth. We drove under this today, and then back again! The sculpture also marks…

  • Our May 2016 Sicily Tour, Day 12: Artisans Up Close

    These are the hands of ceramic artist Mirella Pipia in Bagheria. This is how I like to see Sicily: up close and personal and vibrant. On the final full day of our Experience Sicily with Chef Melissa Muller tour from May 19-31, 2016, we’ll get personal with some artisans in Bagheria, the town where my…

  • Beautiful Box

    Ceramic box by Bagheria’s Mirella Pipia.