Tag: painting

  • The 12th Day of Christmas 

    Happy Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas!  Painting hanging in a chapel of Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano (Trapani), “Circumcision of Jesus” (1580) by Simone de Wobreck (c. 1557 – c. 1587). 

  • Sicily’s Sulfur Mines, Part II

    “La Zolfara” is a striking painting by Sicilian artist Renato Guttuso. Created in 1953, it captures the inside of a sulfur mine and the men and children who worked in it. In yesterday’s post, I referred to sulfur as brimstone because I wanted to conjure images of “fire and brimstone,” the idea of which very…

  • The Orange of Renato’s Eye 

    Renato Guttuso from Bagheria painted scenes of his homeland, Sicily, like this one of an orange orchard titled “Aranceto” from 1957. 

  • Sicilian Fiat 500

    There are many treasures in Castelvetrano, and this Fiat 500, painted by Ceramiche Galfano in the style of the Sicilian carts, is one of them. Therefore, on your way to or from Selinunte archaeological park, be sure to leave some extra time to stop by to visit this masterpiece!  Galfano has ceramic miniatures for sale…

  • Savoring Sicily, Day 10: Connections and Fascinations

    During a planned surprise today (a surprise for our guests), Day 10 of Savoring Sicily, we were graciously hosted by Michele Ducato in his workshop. Michele is a fourth generation Sicilian cart painter from Bagheria, and he proudly showed us a cart he’s currently outfitting.  We all loved learning about the culture of the carts…

  • Serving Up My Smile

    Experience Sicily’s Evelina Buttitta was in Cefalù last evening for the street food festival, and she sent me this photo she took knowing that I would love this hand-painted food cart, decorated in the style of the traditional and historic Sicilian cargo-carting carts. 💙💛💚

  • The Madonna della Milicia 

    As you may have guessed, this first week in September in Sicily is bursting with feasts dedicated to the Madonna and the divine feminine. There’s a reason for this: It’s the end of the harvest season, and who do you want to recognize after a time of abundance, but Mother Earth for providing you with…

  • Dressed to Impress 

    An intricately decorated, more colorful Sicilian cart was a way of showing off the owner’s wealth and success. So, just like if you are driving an elegant, luxury, name-brand car today, a Sicilian cart driver would pay a high price to the cart maker to make his cart more elaborate in order to illustrate his…

  • There Will Be Jousting

    Speaking of Lords and Ladies, this weekend head to Piazza Armerina for the annual Medieval Festival featuring period music, dance, jousting, and a Palio (horse race)! The citizens of Piazza Armerina don’t fool around–from 12-14 August, the entire town recalls the 11th century, dressing, eating, entertaining, and sporting in the style of the citizens during…