Experience Sicily

Tag: Palermo

  • The Light Of The World In Cefalù Cathedral

    Santissimo Salvatore della Trasfigurazione (also known as Christ Pantocrator) anchors the apse of the UNESCO recognized cathedral, or duomo, of Cefalù. Boasting a remarkable Byzantine-style mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (pictured), the cathedral was commissioned in 1131 by the visionary Norman King Roger II after his ship found refuge on this spot during a harrowing storm.…

  • Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi in Palermo

    Built between 1255 and 1277, the Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi has survived earthquakes and Allied bombings. Its facade, designed in 1302, sports a zigzag, Gothic design.

  • Liberty Style Architecture In Palermo

    You may be familiar with the term Art Nouveau, a freer architectural style that swept Europe and the Americas at the end of the 19th century into the early 20th century. Well, differently, in Palermo, Art Nouveau is known as “Liberty Style,” and it was championed by architects Giovan Battista, who designed Palermo’s Teatro Massimo…

  • In Palermo, You May Say, I Want My Mummy!

    Not one of my favorite things, yet for some, it is their absolute favorite thing in Palermo (Tell us your thoughts in the comments!)–is a visit to the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, or Capuchin Catacombs. This series of underground corridors houses approximately 8,000 mummified bodies and skeletons of Palermitani of all ages who died between the…

  • Palermo’s Santa Caterina’s Dizzying Baroque

    The dizzying rococo baroque decorations of the Church of Santa Caterina, built between 1580 and 1596 on Palermo’s Piazza Bellini, feature multicolored marble inlay. The altar, pictured, is lit by the sun through a window at midday.

  • A Diamond In The Mishmash of Palermo’s Cathedral

    When you visit Palermo’s Cathedral, be sure to go around to the north side of it, pictured. To me, the back side posesses the most beautiful architectural elements of the mishmash of styles that make up this temple dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. The inlaid lava stone designs (AKA intarsias) are from the…

  • Get Your Motor Runnin’ At The New York Times Travel Show This Weekend

    Experience Sicily will be in New York City at the Javits Center this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 26 and 27 for the New York Times Travel Show. Come visit Booth 462 to talk Sicily with us! Full details and be our guest with free passes at https://experiencesicily.com/ny-times-travel-show/ (Limited number left!). Dance the tarantella with me…

  • Pizza In Napoli And So Much More

    Join me, Allison Scola of Experience Sicily, and Danielle Oteri of Feast on History for 10 days of beyond-the-ordinary Italy that includes savoring authentic Neopolitan pizza in Napoli! During Southern Secrets: Campania and Sicily’s Hidden Corners, we’ll spend five days south of Naples in Campania and five days in Sicily sparking your senses and immersing…

  • Packed With Punch in Cefalù

    Some of the most extraordinary treasures can be found in tiny museums in Sicily, so don’t overlook them! An example is this crater featuring an illustration of a tuna fisherman/fishmonger from 370 to 380 A.D., found in the Mandralisca museum in Cefalù.