Tag: Palermo
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Presenting Him In Palermo: The Epiphany
Buona Epifania! Happy Epiphany! This magnificent depiction of the Nativity was commissioned by Palermo’s Oratorio of San Lorenzo in 1609. It illustrates the newborn baby Jesus with Saint Francis (top right) and Saint Lawrence (left) looking over the shoulder of the Virgin Mother. Painted by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)) in the chiaroscuro technique,…
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The Fourth Season In Palermo
In Palermo’s “Theater of the Sun,” the intersection better known as Quattro Canti, four fountains featuring women illustrate the four seasons. Not only the annual seasons, but those of life too. Pictured here is Winter. She’s an older, wiser woman holding a flaming lantern. Showing us the way through the darkest time of the year.…
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Covering Up At Monreale Cathedral
The 228 magnificent columns of the cloister of Montreale Cathedral outside of Palermo each tell a story. Illustrated here are Adam and Eve.
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A Special Doorway In Palermo
This is a special doorway. A lazy-Susan, really. Put your money down with your sweets order, spin it around, and the cloistered nuns turn it back to you with your pastries. No face to face contact, but they speak to you through their ancient recipes. In Palermo, visit the Cloister of Santa Caterina of Alessandria…
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Stunning Sicily October 2021, Day 10
Ciao from Stunning Sicily, Day 10! After an inspirational discussion about Santa Rosalia, our emotions were conjured. The will and faith of the people of Palermo touched our hearts — especially the stories about father Puglisi and his work supporting the young minds of the city, aiming to undermine the power of the Mafia. After…
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Stunning Sicily October 2021, Day 9
Ciao from Stunning Sicily, Day 9! After bidding farewell to our wonderful hosts in the Sicani mountains, we made our way to Bagheria to the fantastic Villa Palagonia. There our guide Giulia Scalia explained the curious Villa of the Monsters and its historic owner’s motivations for the mysterious statues that decorate it. The hall of…
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Getting High In Palermo
One view of Palermo’s skyline | Whenever possible, I suggest going up. If there is a steeple or spire or tower to climb, do it! The reward is feeling like a bird and gaining a new point of view.
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Palermo Next Level: Salinas Archeological Museum For Antiquities
Palermo’s Salinas archeological museum hosts many treasures from antiquity. Many of the findings from Selinunte are housed here, including these late-4th/mid-3rd century BCE terracotta statuettes, made in the style of those traditionally made in Tanagra, Greece north of Athens. They were found in a Punic grave site.
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Celebrating La Santuzza, Santa Rosalia, In Palermo
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…