Many towns in Sicily annually create elaborate live nativity scenes like this one I saw in 2019 in Custonaci (Trapani Province). These dioramas featuring townspeople acting out iconic moments and everyday activities from past times create a sense of wonder. Presepe Vivente are a reason to visit Sicily during Christmas. (In the future, when it’s…
Tag: cave
An Altar For Santa Rosalia
Normally on September 4, devotees of Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s patroness, recognize their protectress with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Mount Pellegrino. They pay homage to the maiden who died on this day in 1166, with prayers, solitude, and a trek up the mountain barefoot or on their knees. This year…
The Ear Of Dionysius, An Historic Cave In Sicily
The manmade Ear of Dionysius (Orecchio di Dionisio) is an enormous cave in the Neapolis (New City) archaeological park in Siracusa. It was a prison for centuries. Legend is that the ancient Greek tyrant Dionysius could hear prisoners’ whispers utilizing the former quarry’s acoustics.
The Other Vucciria in Sicily
This sea cave in Lo Zingaro Nature Preserve is called the Vucciria, just like the market in Palermo, because when the birds are hanging out here, they create a cacophony of sounds, much like those heard in the storied meat, fish, and vegetable market. Speaking of markets… Experience Sicily will be at the New York…
Cave In
On the way between Scicli and Modica you’ll find deep valleys flanked by steep stone cliffs. Among those cliffs, you’ll find caves carved into the rock. During times of bandits and foreign invasions, cave dwelling in southeastern Sicily was common, and as more modern construction techniques entered the scene, the cave became part of one’s…
Rosalia’s Cave
Palermo’s patron, Santa Rosalia, is recognized on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Palermo’s Mount Pellegrino. Pictured is the sanctuary’s chapel that is housed inside the cave where a hunter in 1624 had a vision of the little-known, medieval-era saint. In the vision,…