Last evening, in anticipation for today’s Feast of the Madonna, I made a pilgrimage to Tindari to see the procession of the Madonna Nera, the Black Madonna of Tindari. I’ve been devoted to this Madonna for many years, so to finally be able to attend the feast with other devotees was special for me. Tindari…
Tag: messina
The Basilica Of The Black Madonna del Tindari, Sicily
Ciao from Sicily! I’ve always had mixed feelings about the design of this basilica for the Black Madonna of Tindari, a most sacred place for those of us who are devotees of the dark mother/goddess archetype. Today, though, was different. Maybe because of this moment in my life when I’ve been strongly devoted to my…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 3
Buon Anno! Happy New Year! These past days I’ve focused on this clock since time–i.e., the changing of the year–has been on our minds. Now, with the start of a new trip around the sun, we turn to the cathedral side of Messina’s astronomical clock tower. We already saw the Perpetual Calendar, which shows the…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 2
Inaugurated in 1933, the complex astronomical clock of Messina, which possesses the entire bell tower, is thought to be the largest in the world. (Continued from yesterday…) Part 2: The lower “balcony” sports rotating biblical scenes that change according to the period of the year. This time of year, on display would be the nativity…
Messina’s Clock Tower, Part 1
When you visit Messina, be sure to be at the cathedral in front of its bell tower at noon sharp. That’s when, daily, the renowned astronomical clock puts on a show. Commissioned in 1930 by the Archbishop of Messina, Angelo Piano, the timepiece consists of a complex mechanism that governs the sound effects and movements…
Commemorating Messina’s 1908 Earthquake
This calendar (and the astronomical clock on an adjacent wall, not shown) was built in 1933 on the renowned bell tower next to Messina’s Cathedral. The tower was rebuilt after the December 28, 1908 earthquake, from which approximately 75,000 people died in a metropolitan area of 160,000 people. Measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, the first…
People Watching In Taormina
Perhaps Taormina’s best piazza for people watching is Piazza IX Aprile. The Church of San Giuseppe (from where this photo was taken) with its double stairway has held court here since the 17th century, while the historic Wunderbar Caffè (at my right from where I am standing) has played host to the likes of Truman…
From Cybele To The Black Madonna Of Tindari
These later days of summer during the harvest time are when Sicilians celebrate the Madonna, or “our lady,” the mother, with great reverence — in other words, our planet, Mother Earth. The dark, fertile earth provides for us and gives us sustenance, and since ancient times, throughout the Mediterranean, the spirit of the giving goddess…
Sicily’s Beautiful Island
Isola Bella (which means Beautiful Island) and its nature reserve off of Taormina, Sicily’s Ionian Sea coast
The View At Tindari, Sicily
Punta Marinello beach at the Laghetti di Marinello nature reserve from the promontory of Tindari, Messina Province, Sicily