Sicily is the stage for many myths and legends. Like this one pictured from Homer’s Odyssey, where the cyclopes Polyphemus is throwing lava boulders at Odysseus. During our October 2020 Stunning Sicily tour, these stories come to life–especially when you are standing on the slopes of Mount Etna looking at the coast from where Odysseus…
Tag: myth
Siracusa’s Myth of Aretusa
In May, during our tour Myths & Mysteries of Sicily: As Above/So Below, we’ll be staying right near this stunning Fontana di Diana in Ortigia, Siracusa that tells the story of the Nereid-water nymph Aretusa and her protector, the goddess Artemis/Diana. One day while hunting in the forest in Greece, Aretusa decided to take a…
Carnevale in Sicily Is Underway
Carnevale is underway in Italy, and in Sicily that means the towns of Acireale and Sciacca are throwing big parties. The main festivities are this coming weekend, leading up to next Tuesday’s finale. This photo is from 2017, when I was fortunate enough to be dancing in the streets with all of the other revelers….
Carnevale, Valentine’s Day, Mythology, and Love in Sicily
Love is in the air! Today is Martedì Grasso–Fat Tuesday–the final day of Carnevale! It’s also the day before St. Valentine’s Day… mmm… considering the ancient practices of Carnevale, could it be related to how we interpret Valentine’s Day today? I’m not really sure, but I’ll venture to guess there is a relationship between the…
Palermo’s Genius at Villa Giulia
Today I spent a glorious day in Palermo, which included a visit to Villa Giulia, a public garden that was commissioned in 1777 (More about that in a future post). In the midst of the park, I was so excited to see this version of The Genius of Palermo, the “Fontana del Genio a Villa…
The Genius of Palermo
This 16th century statue in Palermo’s Piazza Revoluzione is one of eight representations of a crowned man with a snake feeding on his breast that can be found throughout Sicily’s capital city. It is The Genius of Palermo, an ancient icon–so ancient that the mythological pre-Roman origins are uncertain. Il Genio di Palermo is considered…