Locals acting out how things were done at the old fashioned barber shop during last year’s Presepe Vivente (live nativity scene) presented by the proloco (community board) of Licodia Eubea. The townspeople of Licodia Eubea turned the ancient, abandoned quarter of their village into a living diorama. It’s a fascinating combination of art, theater, and…
Tag: catania
Live Nativity Scenes In Sicily
Today is Saint Stephen’s Day, a national holiday in Italy. Sicilians and Italians spend the day with family and friends visiting presepi di Natale, or nativity scenes, like this Presepe Vivente that I visited last year in Licodia Eubea in Catania province, where I’ll be hosting our Life in A Remote Sicilian Town tour in…
The Castle At Aci Castello, Sicily
The imposing castle at Aci Castello was constructed out of volcanic rock on top of La Rocca by the Normans starting in the late 11th century. Prior to that time, the promontory hosted both an Arab and Byzantine fortification. The castle was somewhat destroyed in a siege at the turn of the 13th century when…
The Power Of The Pomegranate
Pomegranates (melograni in Italian) are in season. Scholars believe that the fruit was brought to Sicily by both the Phoenicians and the Greeks, not only for food, but also for religious reasons. Pomegranate seeds represent fertility, prosperity, abundance, and generosity. And because of the Persephone myth–when the maiden daughter of the goddess Demeter eats the…
Dear Mamma Etna
Mount Etna, one year ago, from a pistachio farm in Bronte, the city of pistachios… The locals call her Mamma Etna.
You’ll Want To Kiss A Fisherman
When traveling to Sicily, I ask that you challenge your ideas about fish. Fish in North America, and certainly the canned and frozen kind, are not like the fresh fish you find in the markets and in restaurants in Sicily. In fact, they have many different kinds of fish that we never see on our…
Get The Glimmer In Sicily
The glimmer in my eyes comes from Sicily! You can have it too when you travel with me this year. We’ve got two spots left on our July tour, and September and October tours are waiting for your registration. Contact me at AllisonScola@ExperienceSicily.com to get the glimmer too! Photo Credit: Chiara Musumeci Fotografia
Purity And Sacrifice: Easter Lambs in Sicily
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua! The lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. In Christianity, it symbolizes purity and sacrifice – two qualities associated with Jesus Christ. The basic form of the lamb is created from marzipan (sweet almond paste) using a mold. Then the cook decorates the pastry according to his or…
360 Degrees Of Etna
Live from Sicily! The villages of Etna hosted our curiosities today. We started the morning eating sheep’s milk ricotta warm out of the cauldron along with honey drizzled doughnuts. When we visited the town of Zafferano Etnea, we learned some local mythology and about what it’s like to live on Europe’s most active volcano. This…
Orlando Inspired Us: The Opera Dei Pupi in Acireale, Sicily
Live from Sicily! We laughed, shouted, booed, and cried for Orlando during the opera dei pupi (marionette theater) last evening. The magnificent Opera di Pupi Turi Grasso theater company showed us the joys and craftsmanship of their multigenerational master work! We were all so inspired–us and the Grasso family too!