Experience Sicily

Tag: stucco

  • Looking Like Lace In Erice

    The 19th-century stucco ceiling of the mother church of Erice resembles lace as a tribute to the women of the city, who since Medieval times were renowned for their lace making. So, when you visit the charming walled city during your tour of Sicily, be sure spend a few minutes under its neo-Gothic vaulted arches.

  • In Erice, Look Up

    The stucco ceiling of the mother church of Erice was designed to recall the revered lace and tadding craftsmanship created for centuries by the women of the walled, mountain-top city.

  • 52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #46. There’s Always Something Begging to be Discovered

    Considered by many to be the “Sistine Chaple of Sicily,” the Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano in western Sicily is an unspoiled spectacle. Originally built in the 1470s, artist Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana and his sons spent three years from 1577-1580 creating the stucco scene above the altar titled “Albero di Jesse,” or the…

  • Learning from San Sebastiano

    His story is a bit extreme, however, it’s a good reminder to me to keep the faith and get up again over and over. Although San Sebastiano lived and died in Rome, in Sicily on January 20, the early Christian martyr is celebrated with fervor in the towns of Acireale (Catania), Tortorici (Messina), and Barcellona…

  • The Assumption: Celebrating the Virgin Mother’s Life

    August 15, a national holiday in Italy, marks the Feast of the Assumption, the day that the Virgin Mother ascended body and soul into Heaven. Thoughout Sicily it is celebrated in various ways, most often with processions, festivals, and gatherings with near and dear ones at the sea or in the mountains.  The Assumption is…

  • Castelbuono Celebrates Sant’Anna

    The city of Castelbuono is currently celebrating its patroness Sant’Anna whose feast day is July 26. Each day since July 17, devotees have been processing a life-size statue of the saint through the alleys and thoroughfares of the walled-city–most in costumes illustrating the pride they have in their Medieval past. On July 25, in the…

  • Lace Up

    Yesterday, I discussed a church without a ceiling (Lo Spasimo in Palermo). Today, I show you a church with an unforgettable ceiling–the Chiesa Matrice, or Mother Church, of Erice. Outside, this Norman-era building that was first constructed starting in 1314 is modest, yet elegant. Inside, the vaulted, neo-Gothic ceiling that was reconstructed during the 19th…

  • Happy Name Day

    January 20 is Saint Sebastian’s Day. I’d like to wish my friends named Sebastian and Sebastiano,  “Buon Onomastico!” In Italy, your name day, i.e., the feast day of the saint for whom you are named, is as important as your birthday. So, if you have a friend named Sebastian, wish him “Auguri di buon onomastico…

  • Sicily’s Sistine Chapel

    The Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano in Trapani Province is a masterpiece. Originally built in the 1470s when commissioned by the Tagliavia family, the church gained spectacle status once artist Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana and his sons spent three years from 1577-1580 creating the stucco scene above the altar titled “Albero di Jesse,” or…