Connie's trip to Siciliy in 2008

1. Sicilia Aprile 2008 Concetta Nicolosi

2. The Greeks called Sicily the “Land of Figs and Olives” The word “Sicily” derives from the Greek: syco – sici = fig + Ilia – ily = olive

3. Trinacria, Symbol of Sicily (Taormina):

4. The 'trinacria' of Sicily represents the fertility of the island and the three legs the extreme points of Sicily: Punta del Faro in the province of Messina Capo Passero near Siracusa Capo Lille west of Marsala

5. Trinacria in Ancient Greek (triskèles) means 'three promontories‘ or “shape of a trident.” It features a Gorgon's with a hair-do of snakes holding ears of wheat. According to Greek legend the Gorgon was a terrible creature made up, in part, of three daughters of the gods of the sea. The creature also possessed bronze hands, gold wings and wild boar's tusks. It lived at the ends of the earth (Sicily and the Isle of Man?) and could petrify a man with its glance, being also part Medusa. The symbol of a man's leg bent at the knee was popular with Spartan warriors and represented power or force.

6. It was only in February 2000 that the 'trinacria' was approved for the Sicilian flag. Flag of Sicily

7. Because of its strategic location, Sicily was invaded over the centuries by many armies. Evidence of human settlements, 10,000 BC Its original inhabitants were the Sicans (or Sicels), 8C BC Invaders and rulers: Phoenicians, Greeks 8 – 4C BC Carthaginians, 4C BC Romans, 3C BC - 5C AD Byzantines, 7C AD Arabs, 9C AD Normans, 11C AD Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Bourbons, 12C – 19C (Sicilian Vespers – 1282, revolt against the Angevins) 1860 – Garibaldi lands, leads attack against the Bourbons, Italy unified. Allied invasion 1943 Sicilia: Timeline of Invasions

8. Arabs introduced terracing and irrigation for farming; plus rice, cotton, sugar cane, pistachios, pomegranates, apricots, peaches, citrus, indigo, early forms of ice cream; roses and jasmine for perfume; mulberry trees for silk-worms, and goldsmithing . Jasmine

9. Palermo, via della Libert à , Aquila, il stemma di Palermo, durante il Periodo Medeovale

10. Duomo, Palermo, 1184, Norman, founded on site of Muslim mosque. Competed with Monreale Duomo for grandeur: “Battle of Two Cathedrals”

11. Duomo, Palermo

12. Duomo, Palermo

13. Duomo, Palermo

14. Duomo, Palermo

15. Duomo, Palermo

16. Duomo, Palermo

17. Duomo, Palermo

18. Duomo, Palermo

19. Duomo, Palermo

21. Duomo, Monreale, Built 1174

22. Duomo, Monreale

23. Duomo, Monreale, close-up of mosaic

24. Duomo, Monreale, Cristo, il Pantocratore “Ruler of All”

25. Madonna, Duomo, Monreale

26. Duomo, Monreale

27. Un carretto artificiale

28. Neighborhood street, Palermo

29. Ceramiche siciliane

30. Palermo, via della Libert à

31. Palermo, via della Libert à

32. Palermo, via della Libert à Francesco Crispi 1819-1901 Sicilian Patriot Fought with Garibaldi in Italian Unification, 1860

33. Palermo, via della Libert à

34. Palermo, la Chiesa di Santa Raffaella Maria

35. Palermo, il giardino inglese

36. Palermo, il giardino inglese Garibaldi

48. Palermo Hotel

52. Palermo, Mont Pellegrino

53. Grotto of St. Rosalia, (d. 1160). patron saint of Palermo. Saved it from the plague (1666). Reposing statue is of marble with gold overlay Top of Mont Pellegino, overlooking port of Palermo

54. Mondello

55. Mondello

56. Mondello

57. Mondello

58. Mondello

59. Agrakas (Agrigento) Valle dei Templi Founded 581 BC

60. Agrigento, Claudio, our guide, fluent in Latin, Greek, English, French, Italian!

61. Agrigento 800-year-old olive tree

62. Agrigento, 800-year-old olive tree

63. Agrigento, Olive Tree

64. Agrigento, Capperi (capers)

65. Agrigento, Almond Tree

66. Agrigento, Cocoa Tree

67. Broom

68. Agrigento, Acanthus (leaf design adapted by Romans for Corinthian capitals)

69. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

70. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

71. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

72. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

73. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

74. Agrigento, Tempio di Giunone (Juno)

75. Agrigento, Valle dei Tempi, Tempio di Concordia, 440-430 BC, best preserved temple

76. Agrigento, Tempio di Concordia

77. Agrigento, Tempio di Concordia, 440-430 BC, Valle dei Tempi

78. Agrigento, Tempio di Concordia

79. Agrigento, Tempio di Concordia

80. Agrigento, Catacombs

81. Agrigento, tracks made by wheels carting large stones

82. Agrigento, Tempio di Giove

83. Agrigento, Tempio di Giove

84. Agrigento

85. Agrigento

86. Agrigento

87. Agrigento, carretto siciliano, now only a tourist attraction

88. Carretto Siciliano, Painted carts of Sicily, introduced by the Greeks. Panel illustrations depicted the Crusades, chivalry and other important events in Catholic and European history.

89. “ Lapa”, 2003, the tradition continues in small, three-wheeled motorized vehicles, called lapa, often painted in the traditional way.

90. Town of Nicolosi… the gateway to Etna

91. Town of Nicolosi… They call Connie “nicolosi-ssima”

92. Nicolosi

93. Nicolosi

94. Nicolosi… “nicolosi-ssima”

95. Nicolosi

96. Etna

97. Monte Etna

98. Monte Etna

99. Monte Etna

100. Monte Etna

101. Jay and me on Monte Etna

104. Monte Etna, restaurant just below caldera

105. Shrine leaving Monte Etna

106. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

107. Taormina, roman amphitheater, Corinthian columns (based on acanthus leaf)

108. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

109. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

110. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

111. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

112. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

113. Taormina, centro storico, amphitheater

114. Taormina

115. Taormina

116. Taormina

117. Taormina

118. Taormina

119. Taormina

120. Taormina

121. Taormina, Alcantara Gorges

122. Taormina, Alcantara Gorges

123. Taormina, centro storico

124. Taormina

125. Taormina…organic, local

126. Taormina

127. Taormina

128. Taormina

129. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino, Audrey Hepburn

130. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino, Gregory Peck

131. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino, Fellini e Ingrid Bergman

132. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino, la Frutta (le nespole)

133. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino

134. Taormina, Ristorante da Nino

135. Giovanna (Jay) nella via Giovanni di Giovanni

136. Giardini-Naxos, Hotel Sant Alphio

137. Giardini-Naxos, Hotel Sant Alphio

138. Comune di Giardini-Naxos

140. Giardini-Naxos, Bottle-brush bush

141. , Hotel Sant Alphio

142. Giardini-Naxos, Hotel Sant Alphio, view from room

143. Giardini-Naxos, Hotel Sant Alphio, view from room

144. Siracusa

145. Siracusa, Greek theater, preparation for summer festivals, carved out of limestone hill

146. Siracusa, Greek theater, preparation for summer festivals

147. Siracusa, Greek theater

148. Siracusa, Roman amphitheater: “theater in the round” (two Greek theaters), made of brick

149. Siracusa

150. Siracusa, walkway from amphitheater

151. Siracusa, Dionysus’s ear, Tyrant of Siracusa, 404-3 BC, Garden of Paradise (Greek limestone quarry),

152. Siracusa, Dionysus’s ear, Garden of Paradise

153. Siracusa, Dionysus’s ear, inside looking out

154. Siracusa, Dionysus’s ear, inside looking out

155. Siracusa, Garden of Paradise, shell fossil in limestone

156. Siracusa, Papyrus

157. Siracusa, il venditore di sanguinello

158. Siracusa, squeezing blood oranges

159. Siracusa, sanguinello (blood orange juice)

160. Blood oranges

161. Marzipan

162. Cefalu

163. Duomo, Cefalu, begun 1131 by the Norman king, Roger II; completed 1240. Apse with mosaic of Cristo, il Pantocratore.

164. Ortigia (island in the city), off Siracusa

165. Ortigia “ Island in the City” off Siracusa, connected by a crosswalk

166. Ortigia, Greek Temple of Apollo

167. Ortigia, Cute Cop

168. Ortigia, Fountain of Diana

169. Ortigia

170. Ortigia, Jasmine

171. Ortigia, Trinacria

172. Ortigia, Duomo Originally Greek Temple of Athena, 5C BC

173. Ortigia, Duomo

174. Ortigia, Duomo

175. Ortigia, Duomo

176. Ortigia, Duomo

178. Ortigia, Duomo

179. Ortigia

180. Ortigia, “Wise Guys”

181. Ortigia

182. Reggio Calabria

183. Reggio Calabria, Tempio di Apollo, Secolo VI a.C.

184. View of Sicily (Messina from Ferry to Reggio Calabria)

185. Port of Messina, Madonna della Lettura, (20’ high) patron saint of sailors and ports.

186. Madonna of the Letter "Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus," "We bless you and your city." According to popular legend, the Virgin Mary presented a letter to Messina residents who visited her in Palestine in 42 AD, congratulating the city on their Christian conversion. The letter is said to be in safe keeping inside one of Messina's churches, and “… promising to you, and all your posterity, to assist you in the presence of My Son." Madonna della Lettura was unveiled in 1934 when Pope Pius XI who, using a remote control device created by Gugliemo Marconi, illuminated the statue from the Vatican City.

187. Messina

188. Messina

189. Messina

190. Messina

191. Messina

192. Messina

193. Reggio Calabria

194. Reggio Calabria

195. Reggio Calabria

196. Reggio Calabria

197. Salvatore Irace, Tour Director

198. Neptune, Guarding Port of Messina

199. Messina

200. Messina

201. On the way to Cefalu, looking down from bus

202. On the way to Cefalu

203. On the way to Cefalu

204. City Map

205. City Map - Raised Detail

206. Cefalu

207. Cefalu

208. Cefalu, il fruttivendolo

209. Cefalu, le nespole (loquat or medlar fruit)

210. Melanzane

211. Cefalu

212. Cefalu

213. Cefalu

214. Cefalu, Duomo, Cristo, il Pantocratore

215. Cefalu, Duomo, Cristo, il Pantocratore

216. Cefalu, Duomo, Madonna (marble & gold overlay)

217. Cefalu

218. Cefalu

219. Cefalu

220. Carciofi

221. Porri

222. Le ragazze alla classe a Cefalu