The Chamber Of The Ten Maidens

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,…

Innocent and Majestic

This scene of Original Sin, that is, Adam and Eve with the snake from the Old Testament, is one of dozens of scenes that cover the walls of the Cathedral at Monreale. The Byzantine-style mosaic designs tell Biblical stories without words; however with incredible majesty–using glass, semiprecious stones, and hundreds of gold leaf tiles. Such…

Show Me a Story

The magnificent Cathedral at Monreale possesses walls covered with colorful mosaics depicting stories from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. This image pictured demonstrates the story of Genesis 2:22, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”…

13th Century Laser Show

The spellbinding inlaid floor of the Cathedral at Monreale is a tremendous example of Arab and Norman architectural and decorative styles. Semi-precious stone and marble pieces create dizzying and spectacular mosaic designs. Imagine a world without video games and computer generated design… this is the 13th century version of a laser show!