{"id":2209,"date":"2013-11-13T18:51:34","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T17:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=2209"},"modified":"2016-07-05T21:44:04","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T19:44:04","slug":"visit-sicily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/visit-sicily\/","title":{"rendered":"Visit Sicily and Meet the Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cThen one of them asked me why those Italian volunteers were really coming to visit Sicily.\u00a0 \u2018They are coming to teach us good manners,\u2019 I replied in English.\u00a0 But they won\u2019t succeed, because we think we\u2019re gods.\u201d<\/i> \u2013Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"visit
The Temple to Apollo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Year\u2019s Eve 2011.\u00a0 We were in the city of Siracusa, enjoying a great winter vacation in this little Baroque corner of Sicily. \u00a0However, on the islet of Ortiga, it is the Greek influence that\u2019s felt most profoundly.\u00a0 We were standing in front of the Temple to Apollo, which was just a five minute walk from our hotel.\u00a0 A cute old woman in a threadbare overcoat shuffled up next to us, her interest elicited by our big camera and awkward tripod.<\/p>\n

After proper introductions, her curiosity got the best of her. \u201cSono venuti da Roma per vedere…\u201d she hesitated, searching for the word while gesturing towards the ancient ruins with a dismissive wave of her hand \u201c\u2026queste pietre?\u201d\u00a0 You came all the way from Rome to see\u2026 these rocks?<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"You
Our new friend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When she found out that I was American her interest piqued even more and she told us of an American soldier that she knew during the war.\u00a0 After a suitable period of formalities, she segued into more personal questions, still using the courtesy form, so common in the south.\u00a0 \u201cSono sposati?\u00a0 Hanno figli?\u201d\u00a0 Are you married?\u00a0 Do you have children?<\/i>\u00a0 But then finally, \u201cHanno visto il nostro duomo?\u201d\u00a0 Have seen our cathedral?<\/i><\/p>\n

In fact, we had made a reservation for our New Year\u2019s Eve meal, our \u201ccenone,<\/i>\u201d in a trattoria near the main square, just around the corner from the cathedral.\u00a0 We were early for dinner and the church was open later than normal because of the celebration in the square.\u00a0 We poked our heads inside and marveled at the incongruous mix of architectural styles. \u00a0A history lesson written in marble, ceramic, canvas, and wood.<\/p>\n

The present day church was built in the 7th century on top of an ancient Greek temple to Athena (who the Romans later worshiped as Minerva).\u00a0 Indeed, the original Greek columns are still very much visible in the modern structure.\u00a0 The Arabs used it as a Mosque for a few hundred years, adding some unique features to suit their Muslim traditions.\u00a0 The nave is from Norman times, and so are the mosaics in the apses.\u00a0 The roof was replaced by the Spanish rulers and the fa\u00e7ade was rebuilt in the 1700s.\u00a0 In other words, practically the entire history of the island can be witnessed in this one building.\u00a0 This is the essence of Sicily, the crossroads of the Mediterranean: invaded by many, occupied by a few, but conquered by nobody.\u00a0 Sicily and her people remain uniquely Sicilian\u2014which is to say a precise mix of all of these cultures.<\/p>\n

The architecture presents many examples of this Mediterranean stew, but it\u2019s certainly not the only place where one can experience this phenomenon when you visit Sicily.\u00a0 It\u2019s found in the music, in the language, in the food, and in the DNA of the Sicilians themselves.<\/p>\n

\"theAt midnight, the fireworks shot up over the Norman castle, Castello Maniace<\/i>, lighting up the entire square in red and green flares.\u00a0 We popped our bottle of Prosecco and toasted the New Year, blinking at the statue of Saint Lucy who had awakened, but seemed unimpressed with the festivities around her.\u00a0 She and her city had seen much more excitement than this over the centuries.\u00a0 For us, however, the moment was special, a New Year\u2019s Eve that we\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n

The Next Tuscany?<\/h2>\n

Fifteen years ago, Frances Mayes hypnotized us all with the bucolic allure of the Tuscan countryside and everything that we associated with that perfect dreamscape.\u00a0 Since then, it seems that every region in Italy has had its moment \u201cUnder the Tuscan Sun,\u201d so to speak.\u00a0 First Umbria was dubbed, \u201cThe next Tuscany,\u201d then a few years later it was Le Marche, and then Abruzzo, and most recently, everybody is singing the praises of Puglia.<\/p>\n

In 2014, it\u2019s Sicily\u2019s turn\u2014and it\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n

\"trinacria\"
Trinacria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Starting next year, Jessica and I are going to be leading tours around this fabled land of Gods and heroes, of poets and sea monsters, for anyone interested in the cultural experience of a lifetime.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be wandering amid myth and reality: across that ancient Trinacria sacred to Apollo, the god of the Sun; the Sicily of \u201cThe Leopard,\u201d battled over by occupiers and invaders; fertile ground for olive trees and prickly pears and ancient grapevines producing some of the best wine in the world. \u00a0\u00a0We invite you to join us as we explore this alluring island, which legend declares was born of a gem fallen from the crown of Our Lord and perched precariously on three pillars, one of which, now cracked, is sustained on the shoulders of a humble fisherman.<\/p>\n

If you visit Sicily with Jessica and me you will have the benefit of both expertise: the insider with local knowledge, and the seasoned American traveler who has learned how to optimize an itinerary and avoid the tourist traps. \u00a0You will never be the clueless vacationer twisting a map and trying to communicate with ape-like gestures. \u00a0We\u2019ll introduce you to not only the famous places, but to the daily life, too.<\/p>\n

\"visit<\/a>
The Ear of Dionysus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019ll learn how to make a proper cannolo<\/i> and how to recreate a chocolate recipe borrowed from the Aztec Indians. \u00a0 We’ll wind our way through ancient catacombs and whisper in the ear of Dionysus.\u00a0 Watch an artisan fashion a traditional \u201ccarretto<\/i>\u201d (donkey cart) and take a walk along Europe\u2019s angriest volcano. \u00a0All the usual sites, as well? \u00a0Yes, of course!<\/p>\n

Jessica and I will guide you through the region of Italy which remains the most unknown, the most mysterious, and the most ripe for discovery.\u00a0 It will change the way you see Italy.\u00a0 As Goethe famously stated, \u201cTo have seen Italy without having seen Sicily\u00a0is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.\u201d\u00a0 And after you see this incredible land for yourself, you\u2019ll know exactly what he meant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen one of them asked me why those Italian volunteers were really coming to visit Sicily.\u00a0 \u2018They are coming to teach us good manners,\u2019 I replied in English.\u00a0 But they won\u2019t succeed, because we think we\u2019re gods.\u201d \u2013Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard New Year\u2019s Eve 2011.\u00a0 We were in the city of Siracusa, enjoying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,94],"tags":[15,93,148,381,25,178],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}