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…
Tag: syracuse
Pack Your Toga
In May 2016, during our Experience Sicily with Chef Melissa Muller tour, we’ll see a performance of an ancient Greek play at the 5th-century-BC Teatro Greco in Siracusa. This photo is from last summer’s performance of The Suppliants by Aeschylus. It was breathtaking!
Viva Santa Lucia!
Viva Santa Lucia! Today is the Feast of Santa Lucia. Devotees wearing green caps process her priceless silver statue and sacred relics through the streets of Oritgia, Sicily. Throughout the march, faithful sing a call-and-response in reverence to their patroness: Viva Santa Lucia! —Starting at 3 p.m. Today, Sunday!— Join us on Sunday, December 13…
Silver Girl
In the days leading up to the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13, many Sicilians refrain from eating pasta and only eat un-ground wheat grain, or “farro,” that is prepared as a dish called cuccìa. Devotees observe this ritual to remember the severe famine that struck Siracusa and Palermo in 1646. During that time of…
The Fountains of Ortigia
In the center of Siracusa’s Ortigia Island, in Piazza Archimede, is the Fountain of Diana. In 1906, Italian sculptor Giulio Moschetti (1847-1909) designed and constructed the modern, yet Baroque-feeling work featuring the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, moon, and childbirth, i.e. the Roman Diana or Greek Artemis. Also present in the sculpture scene is…
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…
Baroque Beauty
Blue skies and fresh wind kissed us today during our visit to Siracusa where the Duomo, once a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, presides over one of Italy’s most picturesque Baroque piazzas.
Siracusa’s Teatro Greco
The Greek Theater, or Teatro Greco, in Siracusa was constructed in the 5th century BC. On its stage, male casts performed the intellectually and emotionally provocative works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, to name a few. Even today, it hosts world-class performances.