Viva Santa Lucia!
Tag: wheat
Thanks To Cacio E Vino And Our Guests | Viva Santa Lucia
A few photos from our Experience Sicily Santa Lucia Feast in New York City. Thanks to Cacio e Vino for hosting us with the excellent food and service! Thanks to our guests who brought their beautiful spirits to share with each other! It was a joyful afternoon. Viva Santa Lucia!
A Dagger? Eyes On A Plate? What Intrigue!
A dagger? Eyes on a plate? What intrigue! (Continued from an earlier post…) Inspired by Sant’Agata of Catania before her, Lucia refused to participate in the activities of the brothel to which she was condemned. This of course, angered the madame, who called the Roman authorities to further punish the maiden. Somewhere in this mayhem,…
Let’s Light Up These Dark Days on Sunday With Santa Lucia
At the dawn of the 4th century, practicing Christianity in the Roman-ruled city of Siracusa was illegal. Already though, inspired by nearby Catania’s Patron Saint, Sant’Agata, who lived just a few decades before (from 231 AD – 251 AD), the young and beautiful Lucia devoted herself to Christianity. In fact, she was known to enter…
Let’s Have A Ball On Sunday
Sunday in NYC: Let’s eat rice balls!! Santa Lucia is the patron saint of grain, and as a result, arancine, or rice balls, are a significant element to celebrating the Feast of Santa Lucia. So much so, that in Palermo, her feast day is also the Sagra delle Arancine. Why rice balls (pictured)? To commemorate…
Castronovo Di Sicilia: The Golden Heart Of Sicily
In the heart of Sicily, Castronovo di Sicilia is tucked between the Platani River, Mount Kassar, and the Mount Carcaci Nature Preserve. Although in Palermo Province, it feels very much part of the Sicanian region that is to its south, probably because of the activity along the ancient thoroughfare — the Platani River — that…
Pine Cones, Palm Leaves, And Wheat
Live from Italy! Pine cones, palm leaves, and wheat–what do they mean? The past two days, I’ve been in Bari, a major city in the region of Puglia. While in Bari, I visited two of the major churches, the late 12th century Basilica of San Nicola and the late 13th century Cathedral of San Sabino….
Rice Balls, Glorious Rice Balls
Before I continue with the significance of the December 13 Feast for Santa Lucia, let’s talk about the really serious stuff! That is, that Palermitani celebrate the Saint by eating arancine. Arancine (as they are known in Palermo, pictured right; Arancini, if you’re from the east side of Sicily, pictured left), are rice balls filled…
Santa Lucia Lunch Sun., Dec. 9 in New York City
In Siracusa, Sicily last spring, I thanked Santa Lucia for guiding me through last winter–a particularly long and arduous one for me. Now, days from the winter solstice, I invite you to join me for our annual Experience Sicily luncheon celebrating the patroness of light, eyes, sight, and wheat on Sunday, Dec. 9 in New…
The Famine of 1646
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…