This scene from the UNESCO site Villa Romana del Casale is commonly known as the “Bikini Girls,” but did you know the official name for this palestra within the Roman Villa is the “Chamber of the Ten Maidens?” Learn this factoid and others like it tonight during Experience Sicily’s Trivia Happy Hour with Carla Gambescia,…
Tag: monreale
Sicily Trivia On Tuesday Night
I love getting up close and into the details about Sicily. Perhaps you do too! Join us for some fun on Tuesday for Sicily Trivia! Experience Sicily Trivia Happy Hour with Carla Gambescia, author of La Dolce Vita University. When: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 19:00 Eastern Time (US and Canada) Where: Zoom Register in advance…
On Sicily | Margaret Queen of Sicily With Jacqueline Alio
On Sicily Podcast presents Margaret Queen of Sicily. At 31 years old, Margaret of Navarre was the most powerful woman in Europe and the Mediterranean, and she successfully navigated the Kingdom of Sicily from 1166 to 1171, maintaining the progressive constitutional laws her father-in-law, Roger II, had established. Yet until now, historians barely mention her.
Magnificent Monreale Cathedral, Sicily
The cloisters of Sicily’s Monreale Cathedral were built in the Arab Norman style in the early 13th century by Venetian artisans. Part of the Palermo area UNESCO site that features nine Arab Norman monuments, the cloister boasts 128 columns, all possessing different mosaic designs and many with capitols that illustrate biblical stories and episodes in…
The Cloisters Of Monreale
Norman King William II, “The Good” (1153-1189), commissioned Monreale Cathedral in the late 12th century. The cloisters were built in the Arab Norman style in the early 13th century by Venetian artisans. Today, the cathedral is part of the UNESCO site that features nine Arab Norman monuments. Its cloister boasts 128 columns, all possessing different…
Surrounded By Saints On All Saints Day
The central apse of Monreale Cathedral features the benevolent Christ Almighty surrounded by saints. All Saints Day (Ognissanti… November 1) is a day to remember saints known and unknown. Pictured around Jesus are San Biagio, San Martino, Santo Stefano, San Pietro, San Clemente, San Giacomo, San Matteo, San Damiano, and many more that are featured…
Southern Secrets, Day 9: Charging Palermo
Live from Sicily! Southern Secrets, Day 9: Do you have what it takes to take on Palermo? We started our day at the splendid Monreale Cathedral walking through the storybook of stupendous mosaics that it is. Then on to Il Capo market to eat frittola, babbaluci, cazzilli, panelle, arancine, sfincione, sangue, and pane ca meusa……
Uncovering The Hidden Corners In Palermo
Live from Sicily! One of my favorite things is hearing the awe and wonder in my guests’ reactions once they see Monreale Cathedral Nad its cloister (pictured). You must see it! Palermo has so many hidden corners, like the Church of the Immaculate Conception, for example, that are not easily explored without a guide. Our…
Sicily’s Mountain Majesty
The mountains of Sicily are majestic. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are made of tufa, some are made of limestone, some are made of marble, some have hearts of salt. The sea is alluring, but the mountains of Sicily are wise. In July 2019, we are hosting Life in a Remote Sicilian…
Monreale Offers A Moment Of Peace
Whenever I visit the cloisters (chiostro) of Monreale Cathedral, I enjoy taking a moment at the fountain that anchors one of the corners of the garden. Its elegance and ancient beauty transport me to another era, somewhere far away. Somewhere peaceful. The cloisters were built by Sicilian and Venetian artisans in the early 13th century…