Tag: catania
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Magnificent Marzipan Fruit
Yesterday I spent the day in Catania with the magnificent Alessandro Marchese. Alessandro is an artist who specializes in making Frutta Martorana, or the marzipan (almond paste) sweets, shaped and designed to resemble fruit and vegetables. He sculpts each and every one by hand, and then he decorates them with the craftsmanship and skill of…
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Visit A Bronte Pistachio Farm
We’ve done so much the last two days, I don’t know where to begin! For me though, something totally new was our visit today to a pistacchio farm in Bronte, the capital of Sicilian pistachios, on Etna’s western slopes. It was so cool to be up close to these beautiful trees. Did you know that…
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Ascending Into A Different Realm
Today, walking up and down Caltagirone’s Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte felt magical. There is something ethereal about connecting the “upper and lower” parts of town via this 1609 staircase–here with spring flowers decorating it! It’s as if you are ascending into a different realm using the 142 steps that have unique, colorful majolica…
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When She Learned
The basilica cathedral of Maria S. S. Annunciata (the Blessed Virgin Mary) in Arcreale, Catania Province (built between the 17th and 18th centurires) … March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation.
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A Treasure Chest of Marzipan from Sicily
A colleague from Acireale, Sicily visited me this weekend and brought me a box of “paste di mandorla” from his local pasticceria, O. Condorelli … i.e., marzipan pastries from Sicily from a pastry chef that specializes in making marzipan. What you see here is only half of what was in this box on Sunday morning.…
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Carnevale, Valentine’s Day, Mythology, and Love in Sicily
Love is in the air! Today is Martedì Grasso–Fat Tuesday–the final day of Carnevale! It’s also the day before St. Valentine’s Day… mmm… considering the ancient practices of Carnevale, could it be related to how we interpret Valentine’s Day today? I’m not really sure, but I’ll venture to guess there is a relationship between the…
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Sicily’s Almond Nougat
Freshly made almond nougat is prevalent at street festivals like Carnevale in Acireale, Sicily. The craftsmen who make the sugar and almond sweet, called cubaita in many parts of Sicily, put on a show right in front of your eyes, mixing and forming the boiling-hot, teeth-cracking bars in seconds as it quickly cools on the…
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A Glimpse Of 2018 Carnevale
Experience Sicily’s Evelina Buttitta and Salvo Rubino are in Acireale, Sicily for Carnevale this weekend enjoying the festivities. Evelina sent me this photo of one of the floats to share with you. Enjoy!
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Where Are Your Carnevale Masks?
Hey, guys, where are your masks? For Carnevale, it has been tradition for centuries to dress in costume in order to hide one’s identity. … Let’s start from the beginning. So, “carne” means meat, but really, it means flesh. In this case, flesh is for body. In pre-Christian times, this period of CARNE-vale, before the…