From when it opened in 1742 through the mid-19th century, the theater that is now known as Teatro Bellini, was the most important hall in Palermo. Originally, the small venue was called Santa Lucia. It was named for one of Sicily’s most famous sons, Vincenzo Bellini, in 1848. Bellini was born in Catania in 1801…
Tag: Martorana
“The Ascension” by Vincenzo da Pavia
“The Ascension” by Vincenzo da Pavia, dating from 1533, is the focal point of the Baroque alter of the Norman-Arab church fondly known as The Martorana.
August 15 The Assumption, An Image from Sicily
“Dormitio Virginis” or Death of the Virgin mosaic art from Palermo’s Martorana church. As we approach August 15, The Assumption, we recognize that this is not only Ferragosto, but also the feast day celebrating the day the Virgin Mother ascended into Heaven.
I Want to Eat Dinner with Roger II
After reading Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History by Sandra Benjamin, I became intrigued with Roger II, who was King of Sicily during the Norman period. The Normans, a people who descended from northern French, Norse, northern German, and Viking tribes, ruled Sicily for most of the 11th and 12th centuries. As Benjamin explains…