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Sicily

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the "toe" of Italy's "boot." Its rich history separated by the Stretto di Messina, (Straight of Messina) 2 1/2 miles wide from mainland Italy. May 7, 2019 I flew from San Diego to New York City to Rome to Palermo to begin a 2 week adventure getting to know Sicily. The island offers the full package of Italian travel experiences: evocative towns, compelling art, impressive architecture, ruins older than anything in Rome, and the most active volcano in Europe Mount Etna.

The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II.

Most everything you want to see is within walking distance of the Quattro Canti, where the Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda meet.

It has not always been like this in Palermo. The very fact that we were able to stroll through the city center is evidence of a sea change, a revival driven by steady but hard-won victories against organized crime and a refreshed urban landscape. What, a decade or so ago, would have been a hair-raising walk on a series of narrow, potholed footpaths amid roaring traffic and fumes is today a pleasant, pedestrianized amble, with many main streets now home to restored old buildings and intriguing new restaurants.

The Cuticchios are a notorious family of “pupari” in Palermo, keeping alive the tradition of Sicilian puppetry with love and artistic endurance.

Walking down the narrow alleys is the life blood of the old city.

Bicycle hung on the residential building for decoration.

Strolling down narrow alleys in the old town you never know what you might discover.

Pride of ownership in a single window in a large apartment building

Palermo’s Via Orologio, part of the recently pedestrianized centro storico; restaurant tables lining the streets in the evenings.

Around every corner a surprise awaits you just when you least expect it.

Strolling down this narrow alley in the day time you would never know that in the evenings some of the best restaurants in this area on on this walk alley. All have many tables and chairs set up outside in the walking areas under lights and the evening stars.

In the late sixteenth century the opening of the street was decided. It was conceived as an axis destined to cross the most ancient road of Palermo, the millennial Cassaro. The creation of the street addressed the need of a more sliding traffic and the requests of the nobility, eager to have new spaces for its buildings. The work was designed in 1577 and completed in 1599, during the period of the Viceroy Maqueda. On 24 July 1600 the street was inaugurated.. Today it is a walking street full of pedistrians during the day and packed in the evenings in good weather.

The street besides pedestrians has a bicycle path. As you can see it is very difficult not be run over when walking. On both sides of the street are many small cafes that sell the famous Deep Friend Rice Balls, a favorite in Sicily.

The Praetorian Fountain is a monumental fountain of Palermo. It is located in the heart of the historic center and represents the most important landmark of Piazza Pretoria. The fountain was built by Francesco Camilliani in the city of Florence in 1554, but was transferred to Palermo in 1574. The building behind was a convent and the building to the right City Hall.

Many of the statues are nude. Between 18th century and 19th century, the fountain was considered a sort of depiction of the corrupt municipality of Palermo. For this reason and because of the nudity of the statues, the square became known as "Piazza della Vergogna" (Square of Shame) and Fountain of Shame ..

Between 18th century and 19th century, the fountain was considered a sort of depiction of the corrupt municipality of Palermo. For this reason and because of the nudity of the statues, the square became known as "Piazza della Vergogna" (Square of Shame) and Fountain No Shame ..

The fountain was placed in front of a convent, the Sacra et Pretiosa now a Monastery. . .

Many of the statues face city hall The Peoples Palace.

Santa Maria dell' Ammiraglio Domed Norman-era church withe ornate baroque remodelling known for its landmark Byzantine mosaics.

Want a buggy ride with a sexy horse?

A building showing damage from WWII

Same building showing bombardment from WWII in 1943 in 39 days of bombing

I found this in a window of a business for sale. Michael Jackson being held in the arms of Statue of Liberty. dead

Side street in Palermo

Daily life in Palermo mid day

Buildings were bombed May 9, 1943. They have been left as a reminder of the damage left from WWII bombing.

Rear side l of the Cattedral di Palermo or The Cathedral of Monreale.

Our local guide was astounded to see a parking ticket on a car in Palermo parked on the sidewalk. She called it a "miracle"!

Interior of The Cathedral of Monreale (Italian: Duomo di Monreale). It is a church in Monreale, the Metropolitan City of Palermo

The church was erected in 1185 by Walter Ophamil , the Anglo-Norman archbishop of Palermo and King William II's minister, on the area of an earlier Byzantine basilica.

Blessed Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi was a Roman Catholic priest in the rough Palermo neighbourhood of Brancaccio. He openly challenged the Mafia who controlled the neighbourhood, and was killed by them on his 56th birthday.

He spoke out against the Mafia who controlled the area and opened a shelter for underprivileged children. Puglisi had been offered other parishes by the local curia, in less troublesome Palermo neighborhoods, but he opted for San Gaetano. On 15 September 1993—Puglisi's 56th birthday—he was killed outside his home by a single bullet shot at point-blank range. He was taken unconscious to a local hospital, where surgeons could not revive him. One of the hitmen who killed Puglisi, Salvatore Grigoli, later confessed and revealed the priest’s last words as his killers approached: "I've been expecting you."

Palermo's cathedral has suffered aesthetically from multiple reworkings over the centuries, but remains a prime example of Sicily's unique Arab-Norman architectural style. The interior, while impressive in scale, is essentially a marble shell

The Baroque small side cupolas by Ferdinando Fuga.

The famous portico by Domenico and Antonello Gagini.

Garden area in front of the main entrance

Notice the different style of architecture through the facade of the cathedral.

The oranges and Pomegranates are so sweet for juices at these local stands.

Time for relaxing and people watching

It almost looks like a frosted cake from the distance with the many facets of the building.

Through the years so many different style of Achitecture in the cathedral.

Opera dei pupi teatro Argento. The puppet theater, run by the same family since 1893, already five generations of puppeteers. The owners are of venerable age and the grandsons of the founder, their grandsons are the ones performing. Before the show, they explain the story and origins of the puppeteer tradition in Sicily; all the walls are decorated with pictures of the family and some old marionettes are also on display.

Explaining to us how the puppets function and the care for them over the years.

A son explaining what all the generations have brought forward in the puppet world for everyone to enjoy.

Father and son Puppeteers

The weight of each the puppets is very surprising

Examples of different puppets

Different examples of puppets for the shows.

Looking from the fruit juice stand back towards the Cathedral Palermo

View of more buildings damaged in 1943 shelling of Palermo during WWII bombings . in 1943

Life in the city as you walk through the narrow streets, alleys.

Graffiti Art on buildings

More Graffiti art on a building

Open market in the old part of town.

Lots of good looking food. These are rice balls famous in Sicily.

Here a local vendor is preparing some sandwiches for locals to purchase.

Cooking intestines for a sandwich which is a local favorite.

Here he is assembling the cooked intestines and bread for us to sample .

Since it is close to lunch time we have a chance to sample local street food. And here we are tasting the samples. It tasted pretty good. Definitely different.

Inspecting local fresh vegetables for sale. We have a chance to mingle with local Sicilians at the market..

You name it and this market was selling it fresh picked that morning early.

Sicily has a long tradition of open air street markets, which bear a striking similarity to Arab souks.

Fresh Fish anyone. Look at the sardines.

A great variety of local fish caught nearby.

Fresh tiny strawberries

If this does not make you hungry nothing will. All so good and locally grown.

Did someone say music?. Yep we have it here too while eating in the market. .

Check out the size of the tuna to the left of the photo. Great local fish.

This market has everything you could want to eat almost.

More fresh fruits

The farmers market spills out into the next street

Great plaza area just a block from the market and nearby everything.

The market is only a block from where we started at the Opera House. We have been in a large circle of the old town area covering blocks.. Great walking day into the afternoon. .

Local authorities talking over something important I am sure. .

This evening we were broken into smaller groups for a tour of Palermo by Moto-Ape vehicles... 3 wheel vehicles.. similar in some countries called tuk tuks.

Here are three members of our group seated behind the driver as we buzz across the neighborhoods. The reason I used the word "buzz' is that Ape in Italian translates to "bee" and we buzz through the streets of Palermo aboard these motorized three wheeled vehicles..

As we stopped at one of the neighborhoods in the city of Palermo we were treated to a strange cloud formation in the sky with the sun setting behind it.

Not one cloud formation but two. This one in the opposite direction of the first one we saw. No one could identify what was happening either.

It really looked like a flying saucer for a few minutes. OK folks.. you see it too. what was it?

Arriving at another location.

Here you find a Moto Ape line up of vehicles.

Peep a boo view of the harbor in Palermo through two buildings. Sailboats docked in the harbor.

After leaving our Moto Ape vehicles we are enjoying dinner in a local restaurant. After all our walking today I was hungry.. The food was worth waiting for.. Delizioso...Delicious!!

Everyone was enjoying dinner

Castelbuono is a medieval town in the Madonie Mountains outside of Palermo, Sicily. It is known for its castle from which its name derives, and around which the city developed in the 14th century.

Walking up the narrow streets of Castelbuono lets you know it is centuries old .

Walking down the main street

Entrance into the Castle in the distance through the Arch from the main street in the previous photo. .

The Museo Civico of Castelbuono is a municipal institution containing the historical and artistic heritage located in the Ventimiglia Castle. The entrance has many stairs to the main door. Construction of the Castle began in 1316, over the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro, high on the San Pietro hill. Hence its original name, Castello del buon aere , Castle of Good Air.

Looking back through the arch into the main street.

Court yard below

Small courtyard inside the Castle.

Beautiful statues on display

The Cappella Palatina, "Palace Chapel", was built in 1683 by the brothers Giuseppe and Giacomo Serpotta, with a great profusion of precious marble, stucco work, winged angels, and friezes that commemorate the most resplendent moments in the history of the House .

Words cannot describe what this Palace Chapel looks like in person. All the walls are covered the moments of history. .

The Masters who built the chapel decorations presents a riot of cherubs frolicking, fluttering draperies and many imaginary creatures, specimens of a bizarre and mysterious nature.

Giovanni explaining what we are seeing inside he Chapel

Overall look into the Chapel

View of the town of Castelbuono from a balcony at the Castle. Takes your break away.

More vistas of Castelbuono

This is so ornate and old at the same time too.

Azurite - compund of Copper and Malecite. Absolutely beautiful.

When we entered the Castle the courtyard below was empty. During the time we were inside a massive group of Vintage Vespa scooter riders from all over Europe filled the courtyard. This is their Sturgess for Harleys in America I guess. They came from everywhere.

Many of the Vespa Scooters we saw were vintage a few dating back to the original 1946 models. All well maintained.

For a number the riders had not seen each other since the last Vespa Scooter reunion.

The Vespa scooters were still arriving as we walked among the riders and spoke with them.

In the middle of it all we discovered a Smart Car which was the lead vehicle for many of the riders. which in Sicily looks like a large car. Remember those narrow alleys.

This is different than the normal flowers pots you find on the window balconies... bottles from the last couple of parties I imagine.

The Plaza Square before the Vespa Scotters invaded in a few minutes.

We met this friendly young lady, who just happened to be from Chicago, who married a local Sicilian, and resides now in Castelbuono. She was sharing samples of local candies and items made locally for us to purchase at a nearby shop. The items were very good too. We definitely helped the local economy.

Our Vespa Scooter friends liked it all too.

We had lunch in a unique restaurant today in Castelbuono.It was a restaurant that served only dishes prepared with mushrooms. The name is Nangalarruni.

This is the street just outside the entrance of the restaurant where we had lunch.

The menu cover with the correct spelling for me.. The food was delicious and different.

Next onto the town of Cefalu. It takes its name from the Greek work "Cape". What a beautiful location .

Cefalù is a coastal city in northern Sicily, Italy. It’s known for its Norman cathedral, a 12th-century fortress-like structure with elaborate Byzantine mosaics and soaring twin towers

The town, with its population of just under 14,000, is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. Despite its size, every year it attracts millions of tourists from all parts of Sicily and also, from all over Italy and Europe.

The Cathedral, begun in 1131, in a style of Norman architecture which would be more accurately called Sicilian Romanesque. The exterior is well preserved, and is largely decorated with interlacing pointed arches; the windows also are pointed. On each side of the façade is a massive tower of four stories. The Duomo or Cathedral dominates the town architecturally and spiritually, the vibrant Piazza Duomo below it is the hub of Cefalù‘s social life. Crowds gather here during the evening to engage in discussion over a drink.

There are a number of small outdoor restaurants to stop and have a bite to eat and relax

The small cove is impossibly picturesque even in the off season.The beautiful, crescent-shaped beach offers safe, warm swimming in the Tyrrhenian Sea well into October or November.

Spectacular views everywhere

Narrow streets.. most for walking

.Entirely built into the rock and active until not so long ago was the medieval wash house, accessible by an elegant staircase in lava stone, mouth of the river Cefalino that comes from 3,000 feet above and arrives at Cefalu after flowing underground for 7 1/2 miles,

In walking the narrow streets outside the Plaza we found an interesting store and an owner who does incredible woodcarvings.

I saw this sign, graffiti in English. I could not resist having my photo taken in front of it. It reads Never trust men with Sunglasses.

Cefalu from the highway above the city as we returned to Palermo for the evening.

Last look at the city of Cefalu.

Monreale is a town located on a hill above of Palermo, in Sicily, It is located on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called the Golden Shell, a production area of orange, olive and almond trees, the produce of which is exported in large quantities. The town, has a population of approximately 39,000.

The cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture. It was begun in 1174 by William II and completed four years later. In 1182 th

The cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture. It was begun in 1174 by William II and completed four years later. In 1182.

The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily.

The main internal feature is the large extent glass mosaics. With the exception of a high chair rails, made of marble slabs with bands of mosaic between them, the whole interior surface of the walls, including soffits and jambs of all the arches, is covered with minute mosaic-pictures in bright colors on a gold ground. The mosaic pictures, depicting stories from both the Old and New Testament, are arranged in tiers, divided by horizontal and vertical bands

The subjects in the nave begin with scenes from the Book of Genesis, illustrating the Old Testament types of Christ and His scheme of redemption, with figures of those who prophesied and prepared for His coming.

The half dome of the central apse has a colossal half-length figure of Christ, with a seated Virgin and Child below; the other apses have full-length figures of St Peter and St Paul.

The subjects in the nave begin with scenes from the Book of Genesis, illustrating the Old Testament types of Christ and His scheme of redemption, with figures of those who prophesied and prepared for His coming. Around the lower tier and the choir are subjects from the New Testament, chiefly representing Christ's miracles and suffering, with apostles, evangelists and other saints

Around the lower tier and the choir are subjects from the New Testament, chiefly representing Christ's miracles and suffering, with apostles, evangelists and other saints

The half dome of the central apse has a colossal half-length figure of Christ, with a seated Virgin and Child below; the other apses have full-length figures of St Peter and St Paul.

The plaza in Monreale

View of Palermo from Monreale

Another view of Palermo

View of Downtown Palermo from Monreale

Just around the corner from the Plaza we find a fsih market selling seafood. Check out this just caught Tuna.

That is one heck of a big tuna being carved up.

View of the plaza from the fish market.

All handmade pottery for sale.

Agriturismo Tenute Pipisa .- Segesta- is located in Calatafimi . A great location for lunch today. It is surrounded by vineyards with garden views, a fantastic restaurant, Inn and pool. Driving into the property on a dirt road in the distance you for the first time see the great Doric Temple . It was surreal in its presence and beauty.

At the top of a hill overlooking the Gulf of Castellammare, just outside the ruins of the ancient city of Segesta, is a wonderfully well preserved Doric temple. The old structure is thought to have been built around 420 BC by an architect from Athens and is regularly deemed the best surviving example of Doric architecture in Europe. This amazingly preserved Doric temple was abandoned before it was ever completed.

Walking from the restaurant back to the main road we viewed the magnificient temple in the distance and the wild red flowers growing close by the road.

The temple is also without an inner chamber, and it’s believed that the building was never given a roof. Even more, it appears that the temple was never given any painted or sculpted ornamentation, an altar, or any dedication to a particular deity.

The round circular holes are actually tunnels drilled underground for the highways.

In this photo you can see a number of roadway tunnels in the distance with agiculture above the tunnels.

Antonio our local guide is explaining the Norman Arc is the remains of the old Norman Castle built in 1073 and demolished in 1880 on a walking tour of the old part of the city. Mazara del Vallo is a town and comune in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily.

Old churches on every corner.

The Basil Cathedral of the Santissimo Salvatore is in front of another symbol of the city, the Piazza della Repubblica, which is surrounded like a crown by the most important buildings. In addition to the Cathedral, there are the magnificent Palazzo del Seminario with inside the Diocesan Museum that give the plaza its distinctive appearance, There is also the Town Hall and the Bishop’s Palace. The cathedral is a mixture of Romanesque, Baroque and Greek.

This guy on the tricycle had music blaring with the Nation anthem of Italy. Giovanni is with him. I think he could have been the official greeter from the Chamber of Commerce.

Every corner of the city seems to have a church or former church.

The current Mayor has been putting tile with art all over th eold part of the city.

More of the Mayor's work on tiles.

The Casbah, the old Arab quarter, is home to many houses in typical Arab style and it is crossed by an endless series of small tunnels. The neighborhood is inhabited by a large Tunisian community, which helps keeping intact the overall style of the neighborhood.

Art painted on roll up garage doors to businesses.

More art on Tile

The low arches in the Arab neighborhood helped to keep out invaders. It was impossible to ride in and invade with the low slung arches.

During the 9th and 10th century Maraza had the largest fishing fleet in all of Italy. Today fisherman still leave each morning for today's catches.

Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing centers of Italy; tussles about fishing rights, especially with the North-African countries, figure large in the town's recent history, boat sequestrations being a common event. Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats.

Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing centers of Italy; fights about fishing rights, especially with the North-African countries, figure large in the town's recent history, boat sequestrations being a common event. Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats.

The harbor is busy with repairs and maintenance on many ships.

Shrimping is big in the waters off of Mazara.

El Museo del Satiro is the resting place of the famous Satiro Damzante, Dancing Satyr, a mysterious Greek bronze statue brought up by local fishermen in 1998 after resting on the seabed for 2,000 years.

The torso was recovered from the sea floor at a depth of 1600 ft. off the southwestern coast of Sicily, on the night of March 4, 1998, by Captain Francesco Adragna and his crew, in the nets of the same fishing boat that had in the previous year recovered the sculpture's left leg.

$Though the satyr is missing both arms, one leg and its separately-cast tail its head and torso are remarkably well-preserved despite millennia spent at the bottom of the sea. The satyr is depicted in mid-leap, head thrown back ecstatically and back arched, his hair swinging with the movement of his head. The fracture is highly refined; the whites of his eyes are inlays of white alabaster.$

First, there was a leg a left leg, bent at the knee, made of bronze -- brought up from the sea in a fishing net lin June 1997. Francesco Adragna and his crew on the Capitan Ciccio went back to the same fishing grounds about 50 miles out to sea, they wondered what else lay on the bottom 1,600 feet below.

The body of the statue is larger than life, eyes wide open, hair flung back, shown halfway through an exuberant pirouette.

The statue is just over 6 feet .

Captain Fancesco Adragna who discovered the statue in the open ocean 50 miles off shore could have kept the statue for himself or sold it. Instead he made sure that it will remain in Mazara forever.

Captain Francesco Adragna and his grandson who found the Dancing Satyr.

We were very fortunate to meet Captain Fancesco Adragna while in Mazara during our visit. I remember reading about this find in the 1998 time period. Never did I think I would be able to meet the person that found it on the ocean floor.

Lunch with a host family in Mazara. The wife was one of the first woman to get a Captains license on a fishing boat.

Museo del Sale - Salt Museum located in an old wind mill building. Inside you learn about the age old Trapani tradition of salt production and refining.

The museum displays ancient work tools of the salt workers, black and white photos, and original finds such as tumbles , cathedrals , the wooden shovels of the mills , the spire to suck the water from the tank, the strips of wood to measure the salt, and a heavy mill.

The salt fields of water

The famous Salt Museum of Trapani is located in the middle of the Saline Nature Reserve of Trapani. It is a private business, run by the Culcasi family, situated along the route known as the Salt Road, a tourist and cultural project created with the intent of enhancing the coastal area of West Sicily, with its particular moist environment, salt pits and mills.

Thanks to a guided tour, visitors can discover the stages of processing salt as it has developed over the centuries and admire the exhibition of original artifacts, all accompanied by detailed data sheets and panels illustrating the different work cycle phases.

As we came out of the Museum of Salt the sky looked like it was ready to open up and blow. We were getting on a small boat to Mothya Island.

Approaching the private island of Mothya.

On the island of Motya , 2,700 years ago, the Phoenicians built a settlement. .The island of Mozia, as it is called today, is owned and operated by the Whitaker Foundation of Palermo,, famous for Marsala wines.

Looking across the bay at the city of Mazara.

The beautiful Motya Charioteer sculpture. It is a rare example of a victor of a chariot race who must have been very wealthy in order to commission such a work. It was found built into Phoenician works from 397 BC.

The foundation of the city probably dates from the eighth century BC, about a century after the foundation of Carthage in Tunisia. Here are cemetery markers, possible Tophet, a type of cemetery for cremated remains of children who were sacrifices..

The Whitaker house contains a small museum, and the well-preserved ruins of a crossroads of civilizations.

Mosaic floors dating back centuries.

Looking across the bay toward Mazara.

Looking out the back of the bus the construction of bridges in Sicily.

We visit the Valley of Temples just outside the city of Agrigento. The city was once the Greek city of Akragas, one of the most culturally advanced cities of the ancient world.

City of Agrigento in the distance

Close to the sea

Temple of Giunone. Placed spectacularly in the easternmost part of this magical hillside, it housed the cult of the goddess of fertility.

View of the sea from the Valley of Temples.

The Valley of the Temples is certainly the most important testimony of the ancient, classical culture of Sicily. It brings together the temples of gods goddesses as well as the area of the necropolis and sanctuaries outside the walls.

Children at the end of their school year get day trips from school.

Over the centuries the area was under Roman, Arab and Norman control, largely due to its strategic position overlooking Porto Empedocle and the Strait of Sicily. All left their mark at Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples shows evidence of all these civilizations. The city of Agrigento is built in the distance.

The Archaeological and Landscape Park of the Valley of the Temples is the largest archaeological site in the world with 3,212 acres. The remains of 8 Greek Temples are found within the park.

Fallen Bronze statue of Icarus in front of the Temple of Concordia

Due to its good state of preservation, the Temple of Concordia is ranked among the most notable edifices of the Greek civilization existing today.

Up close Temple of Concordia looking through the pillars.

Temple of Concordia with fallen Bronze statue Icarus in front

Rear facing side of the Temple of Concordia

Colini dei Templi

Temple of Zeus

Temple dei Dioscuri

While at a home hosted lunch we were treated to see original hand made Sicilian Carts made by the hosts Grandfather.

The detail was incredible

All hand painted designs

Photo of the Grandfather who created all of them.

Saying goodbye to our hostess who prepared our lunch for us. It was delicious.

A drawing of what the Villa Romana del Casale could have looked like

The Villa Romana del Casale is a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 1 1/2 miles from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Excavations have revealed one of the richest, largest, and varied collections of Roman mosaics in the world, The villa and artwork contained within date to the early 4th century AD. This area is the thermal baths.

The mosaic floors cover some 37,673 square feet and are unique in their excellent state of preservation due to the landslide and floods that covered the remains. for centuries

The villa was so large as to include multiple reception and state rooms which reflects the need to satisfy a number of different functions and to include spaces for the management of the estate as well as of the villa. This transformed the villa into a city in miniature.

This area would have been the garden decorated with a three-basin fountain, in the center of which decoration featuring fish swimming among the waves can be seen. In the open courtyard were fountains spurting from the mosaic pavement.

The villa was a single-story building, centred on the peristyle, around which almost all the main public and private rooms were organized.

The floors tell the story of daily life and heroic time periods.

The floors tell the story of life at this time.

The Hunt.. Another well-preserved mosaic shows a hunt, with hunters using dogs and capturing a variety of game.

Taking of animals from foreign lands to bring to the villa for display.

The Basilica this grand hall was an audience hall and the most formal room in the villa, accessed through a grand monumental entrance divided by two columns of pink Egyptian granite.

The complex remained inhabited for at least 150 years

While excavating in 1959-60, it was excavated a mosaic on the floor of the room dubbed the "Chamber of the Ten Maidens" it appears in a mosaic artwork which scholars named Coronation of the Winner. The young women perform sports including weight-lifting, discus throwing, running, and ball-games. A woman in a toga offers a crown and victor's palm frond to "the winner".

This photo shows the drainage system from 4 to 5 AD. It is still in use today.

A ship on the Great Hunt mosaic

Fresco - Semicircular atrium

Although less well-known, an extraordinary collection of frescoes covered not only the interior rooms, but also the exterior walls.

This floor in the main bedroom suite depicts sex at the time.

The villa was almost entirely forgotten, although some of the tallest parts of the remains were always visible above ground. The area was cultivated for crops. Early in the 19th century, pieces of mosaics and some columns were found. The first official archaeological excavations were carried out later in that century

View of the main hall what it could have looked like

Looking the opposite direction is what the great hall could have looked like

Caltagirone is an inland city near Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy, about 43 miles southwest of Catania

Santa Maria del Monte.

The main landmark of the city is the 142-step monumental Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, built from 1608 in the old part of the town. EAch step on the face of it has a different pattern of tile. Just beautiful.

The peculiarity is that each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramics, using styles and figures derived from the millennial tradition of pottery making. Once a year, on and around the day of the city's patron saint, St. James, 25 July, the staircase is illuminated with candles of different colors arranged in order to reconstruct an artistic drawing the length of the stairs..

The town is a production center of pottery, particularly maiolica and terra-cotta wares.

Nowadays, the production is more and more oriented to artistic production of ceramics and terra-cotta sculptures. Note the ceramic heads in the center. The next two photos tells the story of this couple.

The legend of the Moorish head goes back in the XI century,. One day, a beautiful and honorable young girl was taking care of plants and flowers in the balcony of her house Suddenly, a Moor merchant who was passing by, fell in love with the beautiful girl who immediately returned his love. They started having a love story until when she discovered he already had a wife and children waiting for him . She went suddenly crazy of jealousy and one night, while he was sleeping she thought of a way to make him stay with her forever! . She therefore cut off his head and cleverly decided to use it as a vase to grow her beautiful basil plant.

People walking by her balcony started looking at her flourishing plant of basil and became jealous of how bloomed her plants were, so they began to forge colorful clay heads pots wishing to have the same magic green thumb. Today there are several varieties of ceramic heads, but the traditional ones show a black man and a beautiful girl. Thus if you look at athe balconies you will see the head with basil or flowers coming out of the top of the head.

Clock on the city hall.. look at the detail

The flowers and the green plants are placed individually for design and color. Magnificent.

The bridge system in Sicily is really interesting to look at.

Throughout the city of Ragusa are signs like this telling where important places are to see. Also is the distance inminutes to see.

Throughout the world are plaques similar to this from the local Rotary Club telling what project they have proudly worked on for their community. I happen to be a Rotarian in the town I live Oceanside, CA.

Ragusa is a city in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with 73,288 inhabitants in 2016. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valleys, Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica.

In 1693 Ragusa was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, and many Baroque buildings from this time remain in the city. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in

The former district of Upper Ragusa, Ragusa Superiore, and the ancient city Lower Ragusa,. Ragusa Ibla, the two cities remained separated until 1926, when they were fused together to become a provincial capital in 1927 at the expense of Modica, the former capital and the most populous and important city in the region since 1296.

Views walking down the many hundreds of steps from upper Ragusa to Lower Ragusa.

After the earthquake of 1693 when everything was destroyed in many areas of Sicily a new form of decoration was born. Baroque Stone Carvings of heads under balconies supported by corbels of plaster and stone.

Balconies became the emblem of the baroque decoration of many of these buildings. In particular, facade balconies, supported by corbels made out of successive courses of stonework, or by large wooden or stone brackets, were ornate with facial masks.

This is the same building with the heads. These architectural decorations are used to “mask” and “disguise” the technical elements, and then to transform an object with structural function in an ornate form.

The Church of the Souls of Purgatory, one of the Baroque edifices built after the 1693 earthquake.

Decoration on the fence

Looking up the hill from Lower Ragusa Ibla in front of the Church of the Souls of Purgatory.

The church is dedicated to all saints and the souls in purgatory.

As if the alleys of Ragusa were almost impossible to drive a car through.

A mobile train with tourists came through and almost pinned me to the wall passing by..

Taking part in traditional festivals is a great way of really getting to know Sicilian culture and folklore, immersing yourself in a world of music, colors and entertainment. The Feast of San Giorgio and Holy Week are two particularly fascinating and spectacular occasions to experience at first hand and carried by hand through the streets. .

The 18th-century interior of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

The most solemn day of the Easter period is Good Friday, when the images of Our Lady of Sorrows and of Christ are carried on people’s shoulders in a procession.

Beautiful stained glass windows

View of a number of stained glass windows in the church

The interior has a Latin cross plan, delimited by columns with capitals richly sculpted by the master builder Carmelo Cultraro in 1731 and subsequently gilded.

The plaza in Ragusa

Church of San Giorgio also known as the Cathedral of John the Baptist. . Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when some statues of saints are moved into the Church of San Giorgio.

We were fortunate to be invited into a very old home in Ragusa Ibla. We were treated to his piano playing and then to all the antiques and Christmas Crèche within the house. A museum in itself. .

All of these Christmas Creche belonged in a museum. Beautiful.

. View of the plaza in Ragusa with the Cathedral San Giorgio. in the distance.

We were invited to visit a store in Ragusa where we learned how tile squares are painted. Yours truly was invited to participate. It was a lot of fun.

Modica is a city in southeast Sicily, Italy. It’s known for its Baroque buildings, like the Cathedral of St. George. Featuring a working lab, the Chocolate Museum explores the city's history of chocolate-making.

Modica is a city in southeast Sicily, Italy. It’s known for its Baroque buildings, like the Cathedral of St. George. Featuring a working lab, the Chocolate Museum explores the city's history of chocolate-making.

The owners of these vintage cars, Members of the Associazione Fiat 500 Modican Club, in the town of Modica, took all of us on thrill rides driving up and down the narrow alleys of Modica. Modica like Ragusa consists of two major sections of town. A lower Modica and an upper Modica.

What a thrill and a beautiful driver with her own car.

Church of San Giorgio

Lined up and ready to take off in front of the Church of San Giorgio

We had a brief explanation by one of the owners how the engine of the Fiat 500 runs...

Looking across the city of Modica from above. Very dense city. We drove up through he city from the bottom of the hills you see.

From the top of the hill looking down into another view of the old town of Modica.

A little to the right of center photo is our bus parked on the highway. There is no way to get a large vehicle like the bus into Modica.

The next few photos show how difficult it is race through these narrow streets within the city.

Narrow passages.. Look at all the scrapes on the walls on each side.

One way traffic.

Narrower and steeper.

We stopped in town and walked back to find the best home made chocolate.

In the town of Ragusa at the DE Steffano Palace Hotel I had a room the size of a closet.. but the deck as you can see wrapped around the corner with view in all directions.

Early morning view of the countryside from the deck.

We journey into the Sicilian countryside to experience A Day In the Life of a Sicilian Farm. Road to the farm house.

his was our greeting committee.. not really, but fun.

This was our Host Family that we were visiting. Each of us introduced ourselves and told a little about where we come from.

The wife's name is Concetta and the husbands first name is Ture. Their last name is Casterlluccio. Talk about typical Sicilian. They made us feel so warm immediately. You felt like family coming to visit. They recently had celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Here Concetta showed us how to make dough from a small piece left from the previous days dough.

In the center in the yellow is their daughter Margarita, and next to her is her childhood friend Graciela who came to help out today. .

Margarita and Graciela show us how to need the bread the Sicilian way.

Next we all get a chance to learn how we make bread. We have to earn our meal.

Everyone gets into the act.

Concetta takes branches from the farm's hills and puts it into the over and starts a fire to bake the bread.

Margarita giving us the "good job" sign.

You can see the roaring fire in the oven in the home ready for baking the bread we made.

Now we are getting the water hot to make cheese next.

Stir the milk to get the thicker parts out.

Straining the heavier parts out

The cheese is now beginning to form.

We are squeezing the liquid out. Next put the loose solid into containers to squeeze more liquids out.

We squeeze and squeeze the product into the strainer container to make the product eventually easy to remove.

We are adding seasoning, pepper, basil, thyme whatever we think would make this cheese tasty in the end product.

Ah ha.. done.... Finished ..

The finished product is ready to stand and mature. We have become experts in making cheese and bread from scratch. Bingo.. we are ready for a party!

While we are busy learning how to make the best cheese Graciela is cooking the chicken and sausage for our lunch. Boy was it tasty too.

Get ready we are just about ready to eat lunch

The bread is just about baked in the oven.

To think we made this bread and now it is ready to enjoy with lunch.. hot and steaming.

What great teachers we had today with lots of patience for us novices.

I am so ready to taste this bread. Graciela proudly showing it off.

What a feast they prepared for us. We made the bread and cheese for another day.

We all felt like we were family.. The Sicilian Family

Of course we had the chance to milk cows too. Why not?

In the morning we set off for Ortigia a small island which is the historical center of the city of Syracuse, 2,700 years old. . The island, and city are notable for its rich Greek history, Culture Architecture and Amphitheaters and the birthplace of the preeminent Mathematician and engineer Archimedes..

Archimedes of Syracuse BC. 287 – . 212 BC was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. in Siracusa/Ortigia areas.

the majestic ruins of the Greek Temple of Apollo. Archimendes is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Generally considered the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all.

Ortigia is located at the eastern end of Syracuse and is separated from it by a narrow channel. Two bridges connect the island to mainland Sicily. The island is an extremely popular place for tourism, shopping, entertainment and also a residential area.

The Fountain of Diana on Piazza Archimede in Ortigia is the work of the Italian sculptor Giulio Moschetti and was completed in 1907.

Church of John the Baptist - former Synagogue on Ortigia island, historical part of Syracuse, Sicily Island, Italy -

Interios with no roof and sand floors of the Church of John the Baptist.

The building, to the immediate right of the facade of the church, overlooking the square, is the house where the Syracuse painter Mario Minniti, a friend and follower of Caravaggio lived. Minniti was a fellow student and housemate of Michelangelo da Caravaggio (until 1600), at a time during which both were young painters seeking their fortunes in Rome.

Interiors with no roof and sand floors of the Church of John the Baptist.

Interior of an old courtyard nearby. IF those wall could only talk.

The narrow alleys are so much fun to walk through. Every turn has a surprise.

Walking in the Piazza del Duomo

This was the first of two wedding within minutes to see the Bride and Groom. This was a Civil Ceremony.

Close up of the Bride and Groom in the Piazza del Duomo in the pedestrian square that is the heart of Ortigia. .

The first Bride

Piazza Duomo with the Church of Santa Lucia in the distance. This baroque church features a painted ceramic floor & Caravaggio's "Burial of Saint Lucy."

Siracusa's Duomo is one of the town's most celebrated sights. The building records the many ages of the town. Once it was the Greek Temple of Athena, with a giant gold statue of the goddess on its roof. The massive Doric columns of the temple are still visible; rather wonky after earthquake damage.

Walking in the Siracusa Duomo, Church, is a second wedding taking place.

Another view of the second wedding in progress.

The Cathedral of Syaracusa, is formerly the Cattedrale Metropolitana del Nativita De Maria Santissima.

Looking in the opposite direction in the Piazza del Duomo..

The Fonte Aretusa is a fresh-water spring whose history goes back to the earliest Greek colonists. According to mythology, the spring is an embodiment of the nymph Arethusa, changed into a watercourse by her goddess Artemis/Diana in order to escape the attentions of unwanted suitor Alpheus (Alfeo). Since he too became a river in order for their waters to mingle, her ploy wasn't totally successful, though a local did descibe this to me as 'romantic'.

The second Bride and Groom strolling to the water front reception as I was having a leisurely lunch outside of a local restaurant.

A mega yacht docked in the harbor of Ortigia.

Other sailing yachts moored closed by

Welcome to the city of Catania and the Hotel Una Palace Hotel Catania dining room on the roof top area.

Roof top view of Catania. Catania is an ancient port city on Sicily's east coast. It sits at the foot of Mt. Etna, an active volcano with trails leading up to the summit.

The Roman Amphitheatre of Catania was an imposing structure built in the Roman Imperial period, probably in the 2nd century AD, on the northern edge of the ancient city at the base of the Montevergine hill. Only a small section of the structure is now visible, below ground level, to the north of Piazza Stesicoro.

Downtown Catania is perched on the edge of the Ionian Sea. The city was founded in the eight century BC and was once among Italy's most important cultural centers, particularly int he Renaissance period.

Animal faces found under the balconies for support and ward off stange spirits.

Catania Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Agatha, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania,

Interior of the church

Piazza del Duomo is huge to walk from one end to the other

Our local guide explaining to us the life and death of Saint Agatha.

Piazza del Duomo, Catania

Saint Agatha of Sicily she is the patron saint of Catania. Her memorial is on 5 February.

Agatha was put to death during the persecution of Decius 250–253 AD in Catania, Sicily, for her determined profession of faith.

Agatha, from a rich and noble family, made a vow of virginity and rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus, who thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and marry him. His persistent proposals were consistently spurned by Agatha,

He finally had her put in prison and had her tortured. She was stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts with pincers.

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The sweets are so good in Sicily.

Serving Gelato to customers

Soldiers watching over the square in Catania

Wild flowers oalong the road outside of Catania

Today we drove out of Catania to Biancavilla to visit Casa di Maria, a volunteer organization which is supported by Grand Circle Foundation. This is the son of founder of the organization.

We see a video of Casa di Maria which has helped many Nigerian refugees settle in to Sicily and Italy.

This family has opened their home to help these refugees get a new start at life in Europe after fleeing strife in Africa. This a view of their vineyards.

Crops growing to help sustain the ranch helping the refugees.

This is the base of Mount Etna buried in clouds this afternoon not far from the ranch.

A unique cactus plant alongside the home.

We take off early this morning heading up onto Mt. Etna.

Driving the narrow roads on the side of Mt Etna through a small village.

Continuing the narrow roadway on Mt. Etna.

Suddenly we reach an area that was destroyed by Earthquakes on December 26, 2018 just recently in Fleri Zafferana..

A quake triggered by Mount Etna's eruption jolted eastern Sicily before dawn Wednesday, Decemb er 26, 2018 injuring at least 10 people, damaging churches and houses on the volcano's slopes and prompting panicked villagers to flee their homes.

Town of Fleri Zafferana badly destroyed.

Debris still stands in front of the heavily damaged church.

In the town of Piano d'Api, firefighters removed cracked stucco from the bell tower of the damaged Santa Maria della Misericordia church

New life.. for baby Nicole, a cake for a newborn in the area prepared in the just opened bakery.

You can see wine barrels that once held wine for storage now destroyed from the earthquake.

Destruction in Fleri across the street from the Church of Maria.

A bakery restaurant just recently opened several days prior to our arrival is now open for busness after being destroyed by the December 26, 2018 earthquake.

The epicenter of the 4.8-magnitude quake that struck Sicily today December 26, 2018 was just north of the city of Catania.

Map shown to us of the many volcanic eruptions through the years.

Tile roof and building destroyed. This was the first volcanic eruption since 2009.

Beautiful landscape on the side of Mt. Etna

Wildflowers growing along the road up to Mt. Etna

Wild Mustard growing among previous lava flows.

Looking from MT. Etna across the Ionian sea is Calabria in southern Italy.

The southern Pennisulia of Italy Calabria.

Mt. Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Mt. Etna Sours to more than 10,000 feet. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Two day s prior to our arrival in this area it was covered with snow. It melted the day before.

Trekking on Mt. Etna taking in all its majesty and beauty. .

Volcanic Vents

Climbing up to the top of a volcanic hill with in Mt.. Etna.

We departed Catania Sicily on May 22, 2019 returning home. Just a few days later Mt. Etna erupted on May 30, 2019 spewing out ash and lava.

Made it to the top and was it windy too in this area. .

Made it to the top and was it windy too in this area. .

The view was spectacular from the plateau that we had climbed up on.

This is the volcanic hill that we had just climbed u on to see out across the landscape.

Mt Etna on a clear morning from the hotel roof top in Catania

Visit to the World War II Museum in Catania. This is a must see too. Very interesting this museum.

In my best translation Italian to English ..." Nothing is lost with Peace. Everything will be lost with War".

The museum is dedicated to the Allied landing on the Southern coast of Sicily.

This is a square in Catania prior to the bombing and occupation for 39 days.

These are photos of Palermo after the bombing

The Allied invasion of Sicily, code named Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II, in which the Allies took the island of Sicily from the Axis powers, the Kingdom of Italy and Nazi Germany. It began with a large amphibious and airborne operation, followed by a six-week land campaign, and initiated the Italian Campaign.

Information what part the Mafia played in all this.

Allied landings that freed Sicily from the occupation.

Bunkers what the enemy hid in which we saw while driving across Sicily. .

Victory with the allied troops

Re enactment of a radio man during the occupation of Sicily

Casualties during the war and occupation in 1943

Phil Stern A decorated World War II Army vet—he was one of the storied "Darby's Rangers" ,1st Ranger Battalion, who saw so much action in North Africa and Sicily in 1943—Phil Stern made some of the most memorable pictures to emerge from that war.

Driving the city streets in Catania

Life in Catania

Driving out of town to Taormina along the coast

Taormina built on the rock hillsides

Walking is an adventure in Taormina., the sweeping views of the sea below.

Taormina is a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily. It sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. The town is known for the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-Roman theater still used today. Near the theater, cliffs drop to the sea forming coves with sandy beaches. A narrow stretch of sand connects to Isola Bella, a tiny island and nature reserve.

If you like shopping this is your paradise.

The town of Taormina is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea. Besides the ancient Greek theatre, it has many old churches, lively bars, fine restaurants and antique shops. The Santuario Madonna della Rocca is one such church. Located on the slope above the town, it commands an impressive view of the coast and Mount Etna to the south, and is accessible on foot via the staired path, Salita Castello

Preparing Gelato for our group. It is good stuff.

Just left here after having lunch with several friends on the trip.

Lots of outdoor cafes.

Check out these bouganvilleas flowers

Just a few of your closest 10,000 friends in town for a few hours. Amazing

Views from the top are incredible. You can see for miles.

Piazza IX Aprile is Taormina's main square where tourists and locals congregate.

Every where you look are people

And they said it was just a normal day.. not really congested. yeh right!!!

Outdoor restaurants galore.

The name of the restaurant I had lunch.

Columns of the Ancient theater of Taormina

The Ancient theater of Taormina is built for the most part of brick, and is therefore probably of Roman date.

Though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theaters; it is believed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theater of the Greek period.

Besides the ancient Greek theater, it has many old churches, lively bars, fine restaurants and antique shops.

Settled on a hill of the Monte Tauro, Taormina dominates two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side, the top of Mount Etna, the European highest active volcano, often capped with snow, offering to the visitors a breathtaking, dramatic and memorable view over almost one hundred miles of Mediterranean sea.

And below the sweeping views of the hillside and bay areas below to the water.

Built right down to the water line from high above.

This theater is the second largest of its kind in Sicily, after that of Syracuse, it is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. The greater part of the original seats have disappeared,

Looking down the coast toward Messina.

View of the Taormina coast.

Sweeping ocean views

Nearby small village built along the top of the local hills.

A cable car connects the historic center of Taormina with its beach area of Mazzarò. The cable car goes every 15 minutes

The ancient Greeks loved to construct their buildings in beautiful scenic locations. Here they found the pairing of Etna and the bay of Naxos, with a wonderful view that when the air is clear can reach the coast of Calabria.

The niches that you can see behind housed the statues that to embellish it and for the same reason, the columns were added to the sides of the stage. This place underwent various adaptations in Roman times to become also an arena for gladiators.

We have met wonderful friends as we have traveled Sicily these past weeks. We have traveled Sicily from one end of this island to the other. We have had the opportunity to eat with families 4 times in their homes including a visit to a farm making cheese and home made bread from scratch. We learned to prepare an Italian dinner in a restaurant and survived our own cooking. We rode up and down hills and narrow alleyways in Vintage 500 Fiats in Modica. We learned the history first hand of Sicily visiting the important locations. We have sampled some of Sicily's finest wines . We walked the heights of Mt. Etena. This has been a very enjoyable trip.

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© 2025 Jim Schroder