Tag: lentini

  • Lentini, Sicily’s Feast for Sant’Alfio

    Attending the Feast of Sant’Alfio in Lentini last week during Photography in Sicily was very moving. The annual ritual they practice is called “I Nudi,” the nudes. Devotees are barefoot and only dressed in shorts (women wear shirts) carrying flowers in one hand and holding their other hand at their backs. In this posture, they…

  • The Bells Hung in the Distance

    This landscape is from the terrace at Borgo Nocchiara near Carlentini. The evening before this photo was taken, I sat on a stone wall of the agriturismo looking out at these olive groves and vineyards. While the sun set, I listened to the sounds of the sheep’s bells hanging in the distance as the flock…

  • Alfio Antico, Shepherd to Performing Artist

    Percussionist and composer Alfio Antico grew up as a shepherd in the mountains not far from Siracusa. As a child, he learned great respect for the Earth and was inherently connected to his flock of 600 sheep. These roots, along with the influence of his grandmother, created a deep wisdom that he now expresses through…

  • Alfio Antico is a percussionist, composer, and performing artist from Lentini in the province of Siracusa. He is a specialist in playing the tammorra, a large frame drum made with sheep or goat skin, adorned with or without jingles. It’s more accurate to say however, that Antico has revolutionized the technique of playing the tammorra.…