Experience Sicily is hosting a very exclusive event on February 16, 2019 to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sicilian Style, in New York City! We’ve rented a private kitchen and are so excited to have two outstanding chefs to cook dinner for you: Giuseppe Sciurca, from Termini Imerese, Sicily, and Antonino Elia, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Music duo…
Tag: roman
Gone Fishing
The UNESCO recognized Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina reveals not only much to us about human life in ancient Rome, but also about the abundance of wildlife in the region 1600 years ago, when it was constructed. The mosaic tile floor in the semicircular, porticoed atrium, which was designed to catch rain water,…
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! May love rule!
One Ostrich, Two Ostrich
The corridor of the Ambulatory of the Big Game Hunt at the Roman Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina has been called a “map of the world,” by some scholars. Capped by two floor lunettes on either side, one representing Mauritania, a country in Africa, and the other India, the extraordinary mosaic scenes along the…
Romans and Elephants
Scholars think this elephant is pretty cool. Reason being is that it shows the elephant moving between two ships; in other words, the moving of African animals by Romans to Rome for gladiatorial games, through Sicily. We know this because this image, which we’ll see on Day 5 of our May 2018 Myths & Mysteries…
The Child Hunters of Ancient Rome
Yesterday, I posted the long view of this room in the Roman Villa of Casale in Piazza Armerina. The room is called the Cubical of the Child Hunters. Now, let’s get a bit closer: Note the boy hunting the hare with a spear (upper center), and in contrast, the boy being bitten by a weasle…
Life in Ancient Rome Documented in Sicily
Scholars of antiquities have learned a great deal from the remarkable mosaics depicting life in ancient Rome at the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina. It’s always hard to explain exactly what this UNESCO site offers. When I say that the floors of the estate are mosaics with themes that span everything from contemporary…
Sicily’s Modest Venus
Found in the Acradina quarter of Siracusa in 1804, the Venus Landolina is named for the archeologist, Saverio Landolina (1743-1814), who discovered the statue. Made from Greek marble in the 2nd century AD, the Roman era work is a copy of a Greek era work from the 2nd century BC. Because it is an unclothed…
Antelope Roam Here, sort of
The Villa Romana del Casale may not be as well-known as other UNESCO sites in Sicily, but once you’ve seen it for yourself its magnificence and historical significance will astound you. We’ll tour the sprawling estate on Day 5 of Experience Sicily’s Savoring Sicily tour (Sept. 22 to Oct. 4). I say, “sprawling” because so…
Today, Wear Comfortable Shoes
On Day 4 of Savoring Sicily, you’ll start the morning by greeting the gods at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. First stop, the 5th century B.C. Temple of Juno (or Hera, if you are Greek!). This magnificent monument is just one of seven in the UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans 2 kilometers. So wear…