Experience Sicily

Tag: statue

  • Giacomo’s Stucco

    The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Palermo houses sculptor Giacomo Serpotta’s (1656-1732) stucco statues, each depicting one of ten of the 16 Franciscan Virtues–Humility, Compassion, Prayer, Faithfulness, Peacemaking, Modesty, Theology, Charity, Truth, Hospitality. Using a technique called allustsratura, Serpotta sculpted the statues in 1723. Can you guess which Virtue this statue represents?

  • She was Immovable

    It was the dawn of the 4th century, and practicing Christianity in the Roman-ruled city of Siracusa was illegal. Already though, inspired by nearby Catania’s Patron Saint, Sant’Agatha, young and beautiful Lucia devoted herself to Christianity. She planned to give her dowry to the poor, yet her widowed and sick mother had already arranged Lucia…

  • An Offering to the Goddess

    This terracotta figure from Siracusa’s archaeological museum is one of hundreds of examples of statuettes found around the island of Ortigia that is attributed to the cult of Demeter and Kore (Persephone). I find this divine figure especially interesting because more recent images of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of Siracusa who is celebrated in…

  • Villa Palagonia: Guitarist

    Statue of musician with a Spanish Guitar, Villa Palagonia, 18th century.

  • The Youth of Motya (Mozia)

    The world-renowned “Youth of Motya” is a mid-5th century BC statue made of Parian marble. It was uncovered on the Island of Motya (or Mozia) in 1979 under a mound of dirt and rubble thought to have been created as a barricade during an ancient siege. It has finally returned to Motya after touring the…

  • It was 1624, and Palermo was Under Siege

    During the late spring and summer of 1624, Palermo was under siege, but it wasn’t another foreign invader that was the perpetrator. This time it was a plague that afflicted more than 10,000 inhabitants. Things were looking pretty bleak until in early July, when a lost hunter had a vision: Santa Rosalia appeared to him…

  • Summer at Palermo’s Quattro Canti

    At the center of Palermo, the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda is called Quattro Canti, or Four Corners. Quattro Canti is octagonal in shape, and it is flanked by four 18th century Baroque facades, each with a fountain and a series of statues. On the first level–the street level–are images representing the…

  • A Monster to Welcome You

    This is one of the two statues flanking the back entrance (now the main entrance and ticket booth) to Villa Palagonia in Bagheria. These are two of about 70 left from the original 600 or so that decorated the gardens and grounds of the Baroque “Villa of the Monsters,” built in the 18th century.

  • Villa Palagonia’s Strange Beautiful

    Statue, Villa Palagonia, Bagheria: Half-man-half-animal playing some kind of flute. 18th century Baroque.