The “official thesis” is that couscous arrived in Sicily in the Middle Ages, with the Arab domination. But if this is true, why is it not present in the gastronomic tradition of Palermo, which was the magnificent capital of the Arab kingdom, a beautiful city competing with Cairo and Cordoba?
Author: Cristina Page 2 of 5
Although the calendar states that we are in spring, summer has definitely arrived and we all want to be outdoors, to go to the beach! But where? Here are five unmissable beaches in Sicily.
The Ear of Dionysius is one of the best-known places in the archaeological park of Syracuse. Tour guides always bring guests here and tell them how it got its name, referring to the ancient legend according to which, lurking at the top of the quarry, the tyrant Dionysius was able to hear even the whispers of the slaves who worked down below.
On the outside, Four Points looks exactly like what it is, a hotel. In front of the sea of Aci Castello, it has a pleasant and original architecture, on several levels with staggered wings, the result of the imagination of the architect Willi Ramstein. When you cross the glass sliding doors, though, it is clear that this is not a hotel like the others.
August 11, 1659. In the convent, it is the ninth hour, one of the seven moments of prayer marking the day of the cloistered nuns. Gathered in the chapel, they are getting ready for their prayers when they realize that one of them is missing.
Visiting a blooming citrus grove is an intoxicating experience. Few other blooming trees have such a sweet and intense scent, capable of overpowering even the smells of a city.
From Trapani to Modica, from the big city to the small town: female creativity knows no boundaries or even age. Today I’ll tell you about five Sicilian artisans and their creations.
The Ballarò market is within walking distance, as are the Cathedral, the Royal Palace, the church, and the convent of Casa Professa. It is easy to imagine how the Counts Federico in the past left their palace in a carriage to reach the Corso or the Marina, and the crowd of servants and postulants that must have been inside and outside the palace on any Palermo morning.
Woods, castles, rivers, railway lines, and crypts. Any place throughout the national territory, from the largest cities to the most remote countryside, can take part in the national competition Luoghi del Cuore (Places of the Heart) arranged every year by the FAI, Italian Environment Fund. Last year the competition crowned the “Railway of Wonders” between Cuneo, Ventimiglia and Nice and, as always, it offered an interesting starting point to get to know and enhance artistic or naturalistic sites. Here are the Sicilian participants.
Archaeological walks, cooking classes, birdwatching … All very pleasant activities, which in Sicily can be done in special settings. But if you want something different, here are five tips for a more unusual escape from everyday life.