Experience Sicily

Tag: Bagheria

  • She’s A Tuff Mountain

    Monte Catalfano hosted an important quarry, pictured, of a soft rock composed of volcanic materials such as ash, lava, and magma. This rock is known as Aspra tuff, or “tufa,” in Italian. Down the road from where this photo was taken, the villas of Bagheria such as Palagonia, Cattolica, Butera, Valguarnera, and Spedalotto were constructed…

  • A View To Be Thankful 

    When I see this view, where I was earlier today, I think of my grandfather who came from Porticello, a fishing village along this breathtaking coastline that is punctuated by Capo Zafferano. Each time, I can only be thankful, because it’s his hard work from years ago that makes it possible for me to have…

  • Orange Is In Season 

    An orange in my cousin’s garden. Eat up, it’s citrus season!

  • Your Bread Tells a Story

    Bread is a complex subject. Not only in Sicily, but around the world. But here, I’m just going to focus on Sicily. Along with my client Norman, when we traveled together for Enchanting Sicily 2015, we had a running commentary about the different style of breads from town to town within Sicily. The texture, the…

  • Chase Away the Dark

    Let the fantastic monsters from Villa Palagonia (replicated on a wall down the street from the villa in Bagheria) chase dark spirits into the ether of history in order to make space for the good spirits of the New Year.  For information about New Year’s traditions in Sicily, visit my 2013 post.   

  • Bagheria’s Renato Guttuso

    Yesterday in Bagheria at Villa Cattolica, they celebrated the re-opening of the Museo Guttuso which had been closed for renovation for a year and a half. On what would have been the 105th birthday of artist Renato Guttuso (1911-1987), a group of dignitaries including Bagheria Mayor Patrizio Cinque, Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando, and film maker…

  • Keeping It Simple for Christmas Eve

    Very different than our Italian-American tradition for Christmas Eve, which is to have a large, family meal often with fish, my cousins in Bagheria, Sicily have a simple meal for “La Vigilia.” Their tradition is to have sfincione Bagherese (pictured), pan-fried cardoon (artichoke thistle), and maybe a small serving of pasta. They reserve their large,…

  • It May Be Blustery, But Here Comes the Sun

    Ceramic artist Mirella Pipia of Bagheria demonstrated to us how she makes her beautiful designs. This sun is very simple in comparison to her other work. During our visit to her workshop in September she explained that she loves to listen to American R&B when she works. She studied art in Palermo, but really, she…

  • The Orange of Renato’s Eye 

    Renato Guttuso from Bagheria painted scenes of his homeland, Sicily, like this one of an orange orchard titled “Aranceto” from 1957.