Sicily And Malta

Palermo with its prestigious past evident in the magnificent architecture and its natural and cultural beauty, is surrounded by the rugged mountains and washed by the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea; it is the most attractive piece of the Paradise on our earth passed through various historical periods and dominated by various peoples. Palermo celebrated its splendid glories and cured its bleeding wounds. “Travelers come from everywhere, merchants and dealers from every city and metropolis, and all agree in praising it, and praise its splendid beauty, speak of its happy circumstances, its various advantages and the good things Sicily attracts from every other country of the world”, said Al Idrisi in the 12th century. The Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Carthaginian, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Spanish and even a bit Italian leave underpasses, signs and crypts to Palermo survivors in the magnificent Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel of the Norman Palace, the Capuchin Catacombs, Church of S. Maria dell’Ammiralgio or “Martonana” and the constant Christian devotion to Saint Rosalie appearing from in time to save the Palermitani. Palermo and the Cathedral of Monreale are designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site caracterized by the main internal feature, the largest glass mosaics, executed in Byzantine style

To be conquered by certain peoples is a real privilege. Among the most formidable conquerors Greeks play the most significant role in the history of Sicily, having transformed this island in the World Greatest Open-Air Museum. Old Greek constructions thrown down a gage to modern architecture. The Greek philosopher Empedocles praised old Akragas: “the people enjoy the trouble-free and bohemian life here as if it’s the last day in their existence; but they build up temples and palaces as if they never die.” Thanks to their grandeur and superiority the temples are still in Agrigento involving each single visitor. Genially projected temples are in a perfect state, the presence of colossal telamons, which used to support some structures, are decorative elements to remind us about the glorious past and the wounded present. The famous Phaeaces water system mentioned by Diodorus is a large hypogeum cave with underground passages to store the water in huge tanks and then to seep into it. Then, The Temple of Concord is the ideal Doric style construction, an inspiration for the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello who was dreaming: “The sea is real, yes, the mountain is real; but man? He is always masked, without wanting to be, without knowing it, appearing to be what he believes to be in good faith…”.  An idea… another earth creation, the fatigue of terra cotta and of the Sicilian sun is mosaic. The world biggest mosaic collection of the Roman Era is Piazza Armerina and its splendid monument The Roman Villa of Casale, a noble Roman estate composed of a small village and several mansions with perfectly preserved mosaic floors. The mosaic designs, made of African stone, represent chariot races in the Circus Maximum in Rome, four boats with cupids fishing, hunting scenes, the gymnasts practicing sports, love episodes and the unforgettable Cyclops Polyphemus with his famous prisoner Ulysses. The Roman luxurious tastes and whims are everlastingly commemorated in this place. Who was the owner of the villa: a nobleman, a rich adventurer, or the Emperor Maximianus? The answer stays in styles and fashions depictured on the mosaic floor. 

Taormina is a flourishing garden with figs, grapes, pomegranates, peaches, almond trees, purple anemones, hibiscus and salvia; it gives you the sense of the interaction between humanity and nature, feeling of wonder and of historical pain. Its historical roots are older than the Greeks’ arrival in Sicily. The present town is literally built on the ancient site, on a lofty hill which forms the projecting view to Etna and to the Ionian coast. The most remarkable monument preserved by Fortune is the Ancient Theatre that glorifies the monumental Greek and Roman architectural techniques.  There’s a poetic sense of mystery in any mountain, it’s the genetic instinct to reach its summit to stay closer to the One, to the Sky, to the Sun and to the Moon. The grandeur of the highest and the most active volcano in Europe fills as with awe, it’s seductive and fascinating, though worrying and frightening at the same time. It destroys and creates, it alludes to the endless cycle of life through a constant renewal, where the new is simply a transformation of the old. This process symbolizes the mystery of creation described in the primitive religions with the archaic vegetative myths about “the mother of all things”.  A visit to Catania is a most fascinating act of self-discovery, back down the old ways of time… the real enigma of this place is that it has been inhabited for 3000 years at the foot of Etna, despite earthquakes, eruptions, disasters, calamities and destructions. To live so close to the most active volcano in Europe is an expression of change and transformation, suggesting the process of self-renewal leading to fulfilment. Thus, Catania appears “flourishing from the rock in a mysterious arrogance”, carrying the knowledge of the past, the burden of mystery and preserving its brilliant smile