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…
Tag: grotto
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,…