Viva Santa Rosalia! Viva Palermo! Annually on July 15, devotees of Santa Rosalia, the patroness of Palermo, solemnly process her sacred relics through the city. The ritual is held in commemoration of the miracle that she performed in 1624 and 1625 when Sicily’s capital was under siege from a plague that mortally cursed more than…
Tag: Palermo
Sicily Travel Information Session on Tuesday
Join me for a Sicily travel Q&A Session on Tuesday! Sample question: Is it safe to fly now? Answer: Yes, it is. According to the CDC, when you are fully vaccinated, air-travel is safe. Importantly, because of the continuous air circulation and filtration on airplanes, viruses like COVID-19 do not spread easily such an environment….
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #43. Historic Opulent Villas
Goethe visited Villa Palagonia in 1787 and noted that it was remarkably unique, commenting that the statues were a menagerie of egos. Indeed, each statue seems to hold its own story or perhaps represents a caricature of someone you may know. You’ll have to visit to see for yourself.
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #35. Amazing Architecture
What exactly is it? Built in 1905, Stand Florio was constructed for the industrious Florio family as a daytime seaside resort for their friends and associates – – members of Palermo’s nouveau riche elite. On its grounds they played soccer/football and water sports and socialized. The complex was designed by Palermo architect Ernesto Basile, who…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #33. Human Super Heroes
The blast, which registered on earthquake monitors, was the masterwork of the Sicilian mafia. Falcone was targeted because of his life’s work: arresting, holding accountable, and imprisoning those involved in the plague of organized corruption that had crippled Sicily for decades. Falcone and his fellow prosecutor, Paolo Borsellino, were super heroes, having risked (and subsequently…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #25. East Meets West in Sicily
Sicily is a bridge where east meets west, especially in Palermo where north African and middle-eastern sensibilities blend with European ones, as illustrated by the Arab-Norman heritage of Palermo. The Arabs were in power in Sicily from roughly 827 to 1061, and many Sicilians will tell you they are proud of the cultural and technological…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #22. Strolls Through Public Gardens
Strolls through public gardens offer a different kind of exploring. Villa Giulia, an oasis of greenery in Palermo that was commissioned in 1777, presents you with a geometric layout accentuated with neoclassical band shells and allegorical statues. In the midst of the park, is the Villa Giulia version of the Genius of Palermo, or the…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #21. Castles and Their Stories
Castles and their stories pervade hilltop towns in Sicily. This castle pictured, Il Castello di Caccamo in Palermo Province, presents travelers an especially interesting glimpse into Europe’s medieval past. Scholars think the site has been home to some kind of fortress for millennia, meanwhile, this impenetrable iteration, the largest in Sicily, was built by the…