Experience Sicily

Tag: baroque

  • 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.

  • Villa Palagonia: Castanets

    Statue of musician playing castanets, Villa Palagonia, 18th century. (NB, further to yesterday’s post… Castanets are often made with chestnut tree wood.)

  • Sicily’s Sistine Chapel

    The Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano in Trapani Province is a masterpiece. Originally built in the 1470s when commissioned by the Tagliavia family, the church gained spectacle status once artist Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana and his sons spent three years from 1577-1580 creating the stucco scene above the altar titled “Albero di Jesse,” or…

  • Corinthian Leaves

    These columns from the Baroque facade of the Duomo on Ortigia are in the Corinthian architectural style for a reason. The city of Siracusa, with Ortigia Island as its jewel, was founded in 734 BC as a colony of Corinth, Greece. Over the subsequent centuries, Siracusa became the most important city of Magna Grecia. Corinthian…

  • Balcony in Scicli

    Balcony of Palazzo Porcelli-Battaglia-Veneziano-Sgarlata, Scicli (18th Century); From the Val di Noto, Sicily late Baroque Towns UNESCO World Heritage site.

  • Enchanting Sicily, Day 7: Exquisite Ortigia

    LIVE from Sicily! | Despite the rain–we are having an unheard of amount of rain!–Ortigia is still beautiful! Here’s a look at the Piazza del Duomo today. | Experience Sicily’s Enchanting Sicily tour, Day 7.

  • Modica Bassa in the Morning Sun

    The city of Modica is divided into two parts: Modica Alta and Modica Bassa (pictured here). Modica Bassa is a shorter hillside division than Modica Alta (i.e., a taller hillside). These opposite hills, once dotted with cave dwellings, are now seas of ivory-colored, Baroque buildings. Outfitted with pedestrian staircases and alleyways, Modica is not automobile-friendly.…

  • Rooms with a View

    Baroque balconies, Caltagirone. 

  • A Lady in the Rough

    A pearl set in the midst of an ancient gorge, San Bartolomeo Church in Scicli is a sublime example of Sicilian late Baroque. The church’s dome sits proudly like an elegantly dressed woman donned for the ball in the midst of rugged cliffs and antique homes carved out of caves. Realized by Syracusean architect Salvatore…