Fishing For My Sicilian Heritage

Yesterday, I spent a heartwarming morning with Michelangelo Balistreri at the Museo dell’Acciuga di Aspra in Aspra (Palermo Province). It was a journey into my family history. Anyone with fisherman roots from Sicily’s north coast will appreciate a visit to this outstanding labor of love. Michelangelo and artist Francesco Maglio have created a beautiful tribute…

The Goddess Within

Happy International Women’s Day! I offer this statuette of the goddess Cybele, the ancient mother goddess from Anatolia, as homage to all of the mothers and women in leadership and caretaking positions. Your power is profound and inspirational. You all have goddesses within! This marble piece is Roman from 1st-2nd century AD, based on a…

Ancient Meets Contemporary

Quattro Canti, where the four ancient quarters of Palermo meet at the intersection of Via Maqueda and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, is also known as Teatro del Sole. As you can see from this photo by my cousin Filippo Buttitta, throughout each day and throughout each season, the sun lights up the statues on the four…

A Genius Feat 

If you are into art, architecture, and ceramics, Le Stanze al Genio (The Rooms to the Genius) is for you. This home-museum features a collection of majolica ceramic floor tiles sporting designs from Naples and Sicily that were produced from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century. You must…

Persephone’s Guidance 

As the seasons change where I live in the northeastern United States, and the days are darker longer, I turn to Persephone for assistance during the transition to winter. Part of the “Queen of the Underworld’s” responsibilities, once she descends into Hades each autumn, is the role of psychopomp–a guide for new souls crossing over;…

Sicily’s Modest Venus

Found in the Acradina quarter of Siracusa in 1804, the Venus Landolina is named for the archeologist, Saverio Landolina (1743-1814), who discovered the statue. Made from Greek marble in the 2nd century AD, the Roman era work is a copy of a Greek era work from the 2nd century BC. Because it is an unclothed…

Floor as Status Symbol

In January, when my cousin Giulia and I visited the private museum Stanze al Genio in Palermo, we learned that many of the majolica works of art that decorate churches and palazzi throughout Sicily are from Naples. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, for noble families and wealthy churches that could afford such decor, it…

Shoes and Song

The Museo Etno-Antropologico Annalisa Buccellato in Castellammare del Gulfo possesses a magnificent exhibit of items from past peasant-life in western Sicily. I can’t say enough about the glimpses it gives us into “the old days.” For example, this guitar, which of course, as a musician, attracted my attention. I’ll transcribe for you the explanation of…