What's on at the Teatro Massimo, or The Phoenicians called it Panormos

September 24-25, posted September 26, Paris CDG

Now called Palermo, is the capital of Sicily at the foot of Mt. Pelligrino. It's a vibrant city with the sounds and sights of a city under construction. The bad news is that renovation of these stone buildings is a long, dusty, noisy process. The good news is that once renovated, like the Opera House, the Teatro Massimo, is a wonder to behold.

Teatro Massimo--a neo- classical design of about 1850

And behold we did. As luck would have it, the last performance of "La Fille du Regiment" by Donizetti was playing on Wednesday evening. We got last minute tickets at half price, and we we're enthrall led with Desirée Rancatore who played Marie. She was loved by the demonstrative audience who didn't spare the shouts of "Brava". Not only the audience showed their appreciation, but also the cast of soldiers who drummed the floor of the stage with their rifle butts. Being there was magical, however, without air conditioning, we were brought back to reality. The Italian word for performance is most apt for our experience, a 'spettacolo'. It was spectacular! 

David and Virginia at the Teatro Massimo, Palermo

I had planned on seeing at least two places in Palermo: the Museo Archeologico and the Capella Palatina. Since we hadn't visited museums associated with the Greek sites we had visited, I thought we could make up for this omission by visiting the Palermo museum exhibits. But the gods were not with us; the Museo Archeologico was closed for renovation. We substituted the Palazzo Abatellis, a Catalan Gothic building that is the Galleria Regionale Della Sicilia. There are more paintings of the Madonna and Child and Christ in the cross than there are olives in Sicily. It didn't have the Greco-Roman artifacts that I had hoped for, but it was interesting to see that Sicilian artists were accomplished artists of the 13 to 17 th centuries.

Madonna and Child, Sicilian...about 13th century

The true gem of Palermo is the Cappella Palatina. It was founded in 1132 by Roger II, and has sparkling gold mosaics from the Arab/Norman period. Similar to Monreale, but more intimate. The walls are decorated with Biblical scenes, and is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The bacilica also has Islamic/geometric designed tiles. It would be easy to be mesmerized by these mosaics and to spend hours following the stories they tell (e.g. Adam and Eve, Jesus and the money lenders in the temple, etc.).

Christ Pantocrator, Palermo

Islamic designs at the Capella Palatina

We visited many other places in Palermo such as the Ballaro market, the Cathedral, San Giovanni degli Ermiti, and San Cataldo...take my word for it, they were all interesting to visit. A few more photos...

San Giovanni degli Eremite, Built in 1132 in the Arab-Norman style

San Cataldo, 12th century Arab-Norman architecture

The Trip to Paris and Sicily ends in about 15 minutes as we'll be boarding AF 026 bound for Washington, D.C. Thanks for tuning in!

Ciao, 

David

Mt. Etna and a long drive to Palermo

 September 23, posted September 25

A lot of snow melt from Mt. Etna has gone through the Alcantra Gorge since the last posting a few days ago. We know because we visited the gorge and had a picnic by the ice cold river.

But that was after our visit to Taormina--a hill-top town on Monte Tauro above the Ionian coast. After finding out the hard way that there is virtually no parking in the village, we went back to the lower level parking garage and took the free shuttle bus to the village. Taormina's claim to fame is that it was a stop on the grand tour, it has favorable climate, good views of the sea, and it has a reputation of the dolce vita. 

San Giuseppe on the Piazza IX Aprile

Lots of nice food shops in Taormina--but the suitcases are already bulging

We then drove to the north side of Mt. Etna--on the opposite side of the lava flows. At the Alcantra gorge, we stopped for lunch, but we had to earn it. We had to walk down 242 steps... And back up after lunch. 

Virginia couldn't resist a walk in the ice cold river.

Mt. Etna usually is giving off steam, but hasn't erupted since 2002, but the eruptions of 1381 and 1669 caused lava to flow to Catania, about 25 miles away. All around the Etna area, the most common building material seems to be volcanic rock. Black volcanic rock fences delineate the fields, and the soil is apparently rich as many crops grow on the slopes of the mountain. The peak, at 10,000 feet, was in our view for hours as we wound our way north towards Cefalù on the coast. 

Our brief visit to Cefalù was worthwhile. Narrow streets lead up to the Norman Cathedral built in the 12 th century by Roger II (Ruggero in Italian). The interior's gold mosaics are not as grand as those of the Monreale Cathedral, but since 12th century gold religious mosaics are rare, they were worthwhile to see.

Cefalù Cathedral--mosaic interior

The Sicilian Six minus one on the beach at Cefalù 

David and Virginia on a scenic beach of Cefalù 

Signing off...hoping to get in one last posting from Palermo. Ciao, David

What's on at the Greek Theater?

September 22

Well, not much in September, but in high season there are Classical Greek performances in Siracusa's 5th Century B.C. Greek Theater. The theater was built for an audience of 15,000, and some of Aeschylus' tragedies premiered here.

5th century Greek Theater, Siracusa

In the same archeological area is the Tomb of Archimedes, the Greek scientist, and a Roman amphitheater. And in Ortigia, the small island and original Greek settlement of Siracusa, is the temple of Apollo. There are only a few Doric columns still standing, but this 6th century B.C. Greek temple is the oldest in Europe.

The Duomo in Siracusa has been renovated recently, and is another Baroque era Cathedral. , at least the facade is Baroque. Inside are Greek Doric elements such as the outer columns and the fairly narrow nave; this is from the Greek Temple of Minerva.  So a Greek temple became a Christian church, then a mosque, and finally the current Sicilian Baroque Cathedral.  

The Duomo in Siracusa

We had lunch at a small salumeria/pescaria---that sells all manner of Sicilian food products, including bottarga. Don't spread the word; we only bought a few ounces.

This was my tagliere of seafood that included bottarga, tonno, spada. (Swordfish), and other fish. This was the best meal of all...Sicilian seafood. The little trattoria/salumeria, Fratelli Borgia, is a slow food place.

Fratelli Borgia at the Siracusa market

 Last night Virginia and I shared seafood couscous for dinner...another speciality and food from the Saracen influence in Sicily. 

We have an early start on Tuesday since we are visiting Taormina and Mt. Aetna today. My Italian has helped us get by, but I definitely have to hit the books and audio when we return to Washington, D.C. Hervé has a natural talent for languages, so his Italian has been irreplaceable for this trip.

Ciao, David 

Ragusa--more Baroque architecture--and more in Scicli

September 20-21

The drive from Caltagirone to Ragusa was quite mountainous, but new roads that are pillar supported for miles, makes them straighter and less hilly since they don't have to hug the countours of the land. There must be some EU funding for these raised superhighways. Lots of olives and grapes in what is a generally hot and dry climate.

Ragusa is a city in two parts--an upper city on the plateau of the Baroque period and the lower city of Ragusa-Ibla that has older buildings since it was less affected by the 1693 earthquake. 

         

The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Babtist) in Ragusa.

The lower part of the city, Ibla, also has hills, and the duomo is in the top if the central hill.

The Baroque Duomo of Ragusa-Ibla--the Basilica of San Giorgio. After the trek up the hill to the Duomo, we had lunch in the square in front of the church. 

           

Interior of the Duomo in Ragusa-Ibla.

The destination for September 20-21 was a small beach town, Cava d'Aliga, close to Scicli. Two nights here, with some beach and pool time. The Bed and Breskfast is excellent; modern , and with the same warm hospitality we've found throughout Sicily. Today was a record high...37 C or about 100 F. Both the Mediterranean and the pool were refreshing.

 

Our B and B for two nights near Scicli.

On both Saturday and Sunday evening we went to nearby Scicli for dinner. A small town nestled next to a mountain, and a beautiful UNESCO site, also boasts several Baroque churches. On Saturday night, it seemed as if the whole town was filling the streets and squares. We found out why: Miss Scicli was chosen and crowned this last day of summer. 

Tonight, Sunday, we had dinner in one of the town's piazzas. For the primi piatti we had linguini with bottarga; absolutely delicious! The mixed seafood grill was the secondi--swordfish, bass, calimari, and gamberi. We tried a new red wine with dinner--a frappato. It's a light Sicilian grape/wine; we all enjoyed it. We had discovered an excellent gelateria on Saturday evening, so we returned tonight for a cono con due gusti (two flavors): carob and ricotta with figs. Alas, no photos of the food.

         

This is the piazza where we had dinner on Sunday...next to this Baroque church.

Thus endeth today's blog.

Ciao, David 

Roman women in bikinis

   September 19--Roman mosaics and ceramics

  

The Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina is a 3rd -4th century A.D. Roman Villa with the most extensive and beautiful mosaics of any Roman archeological site. Each of the rooms, from the baths, to the palaestra (gym), to the room of the small hunt, the big hunt, the peristyle, the triclinium (dining room), and the bedrooms all have intricately designed mosaics. 

           

The baths....showing a chariot race

The big hunt with camels and tigers

The women gymnasts in bikinis

Many of the mosaics depict Greco-Roman myths such as the 12 labors of Hercules, the myth of Pan, the myth of Arion (he was saved by dolphins in the sea), and Ulysses blinding Polyphemus, the Cyclops.

In the afternoon we drove to Caltagirone, the ceramic capital of Sicily, and like many Sicilian cities, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We stayed near the church of San Francisco of Assisi, a 12 th century church rebuilt in the baroque style after the 1693 earthquake which killed 100,000 people. 

The church of San Francisco in Caltagirone. The city is built on a steep hill, so it's good exercise walking around the city. 

Evelyn, Hervé, Tam, Doug, Virginia, and David in Caltagirone. 

One of the unforgettable sights is the Santa Maria del Monte Stairway, with 142 steps (so say the locals; I didn't try to keep count as we mounted the stairway after dinner on Friday evening). The staircase is decorated with majolica tiles, as are most public and private places in Caltagirone. 

Ciao for now...hope to get caught up with our Sept. 20 visit to Ragusa.

David

Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

The drive from Selinunte to Agrigento took is through a range of landscapes from dry rugged mountains through green fertile valleys with olive groves, vineyards, and fields of artichokes. A hot, sunny day would have been welcomed, but since our tour of the archeological site of the Valle dei Templi started around 2:00 pm, we faced a wrathful sun where even the scant shade of a large rock or olive tree was like a gift of the gods. I must say that it was good to be in the company of Zeus, Hera, and Hercales among the 5th century B.C. Greek Temples. But I wondered just who the goddess of cold water on a hot day might be? 

Hiking up the hot and dusty trails to these magnificent stone temples was worth the travail; where ele in the world  can you visit such an ancient and sacred place and ponder the beliefs and culture that drove these Greek settlers to painstakingly build these monuments to their gods? It really is sacred ground suffused with archictural invention, genius, engineering prowess, and organization.

       The Temple of Concordia is one of best preserved Doric Greek temples in Agrigento, mainly because it was re-purposed as a Christian church in the 5thcentury AD; about a thousand years after it was built. 

The Temple dedicated to Hera...probably the second best preserved Greek Temple at the Valle dei Templi. Pictured are Doug, Tam , Herve, Virginia, and Evelyn (photographer not included). Both this temple and the Concordia still have some of the interior cella walls; a real bonus to see.

  The Temple Castor and Pollux. Only four columns remain, but still a timeless reminder of the ability to achieve elegance in tons of stone.

We've had some Internet problems, or more precisely, our Verizon account is not working for some reason. So although the visit to Agrigento was on Thursday, Sept. 18, the posting is on the 19th. Hopefully, I'll manage a posting of today's visit (the 19th)  to the Villa Romana Casale at Piazza Armerina on Saturday, Sept. 20. This Roman Villa's mosaics are unparalleled.

Ciao,

David

Noah builds the ark

          

It was dusk as we touched down in Palermo on Tuesday, and on the drive to Monreale, we saw steep mountain silhouettes in every direction. We all had traditional Sicilian dishes for dinner: caponata appetizers, swordfish, shellfish, sardines, and various pastas.

The Sicilian morning sun, warm and clear, foretold another beautiful day for sightseeing.

              Exterior of the apse

The Cathedral of Monreale, built in 1172, is the pinnacle of Arab-Norman archicture and magnificent interior gold mosaics. Although the mosaic of Noah building the ark isn't the most ornate, it gives you an idea of the myriad Biblical stories depicted.

            Noah building the ark. Apart from the Christ Pantocrator, there are depictions of Adam and Eve (several, including the creation, Eve's so-called sin of temptation of acquiring knowledge, and the expulsion).

             

            Christ Pantocrator

A Benedictine Monastery is next to the Cathedral with pointed Arab arches and geometric motifs. 

                

         The Benedictine Monastery

          

     David & Virginia in the cloisters

Next stop: Segesta, where a largely intact Doric order 5th century B. C. temple stands. 

            

       5th century B.C. Greek Temple 

                    at Segesta

Since we had bought everything needed for a picnic, we had our bread , cheese, salami, prosciutto, plums, & tomatoes in the shadow of the Greek temple (since it seems to have been a work in progress, it is not attributed to any god in the pantheon). The local bees invited themselves to our picnic lunch, and they seemed to favor the prosciutto and salami. What can you say? Sicilian bees have good taste.

Sicily was the bread basket of the Roman Empire, and although we saw wheat fields in the cultivated areas, olive groves and vineyards were in abundance. Our final site visit was at Selinunte, an arch rival of Segesta. Even though both were settled by Greeks in the 6th century B.C.,by around 400 B.C. these and other Greek settlements were defeated by the Carthiginians, then in 212 B.C., the Romans conquered all of Sicily.

Alas, the eight Doric temples, some dating to about 580 B.C ., are largely in ruins, partly due to an esrthquake in the 7th century A.D. These temples were dedicated to Apollo, Athena, Hercules, and  Leto. Several of the Selinunte temples are on an acropolis with a view of the sea.