The Norman invasion of ....

 I know you're probably thinking, oh, she's going to talk about the infamous Norman invasion of England in 1066.  But no.  I am going to feature one of the architectural delights of Cefalu that is the result of the Norman invasion of Sicily in 1061.  This was when Roger de Hauteville crossed the strait of Messina and made his way into Sicily.  It took them around 30 years to conquer the Saracens who had had their turn at controlling the island.  King Roger (which always sounds so silly... a king named Roger? I mean, really), once everything settled down, decided that Cefalu was a prime spot.  And it is.  It had an imposing landscape and was perfectly situated, looking over the Tyrrhenian sea.

The cathedral was erected around 1131 and took almost 100 years to fully complete.  It is built in the Norman style.  Blocky, castellated, small windows, roman arches.

The staircase that leads up to it is without any kind of railing, which actually makes for an aesthetic that is very refined.

Built in a classic basilica style, there is a central nave with secondary aisles on either side.  It's cavernous and cool on a hot day.  The roof is wooden and coffered. 

There is this Norman baptismal font as well that is so cool.

Afterwards, lunch with some of my friends from the school.  I had pasta with butter and sage and a selection of grilled vegetables, onions, eggplant and zucchini.  So delicious.

Lastly, since the 4th has passed, I would like to leave you with this superb poem by Naomi Sahib Nye:

It is entitled "No Explosions"

To enjoy

fireworks

you would have

to have lived

a different kind

of life.

I get it.  Do you?

A quick tour of Cefalu

Cefalu was founded in the 4th century BC by the Greeks, who named it Cephaloedium.  The city sits at the base of an imposing outcrop, that looks like a big rock was just plunked here.  This gave the city a ready-made fortress look and of course those cultures who came him later, namely the Normans, the Spanish and the Arabs, all contributed architecturally and culturally to the city.  Here is a photo from the web so you can see the entire city:  

 With the school, we had a little walkabout.  It was interesting.  Of course, the city was once completely enclosed by a wall and there are ports at strategic and practical points.  It was a city of fishermen, and so here is the Porta Pescari:

There is also a wee outdoor museum that features old fashioned fishing gear.  Nets and floats and spears and things:

Many buildings from the Normans still exist.  The main church, which I'll visit soon, is known for its mosaics.

And here is a medieval laundry area that was used all the way up to the 70s!

The "bastion" is one of the palazzos on the tip of the peninsula.  From here you get a sweeping view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which I have been swimming in, by the way.  So marvelous!

Cramped but lovely, Cefalu's old town has some interesting alleys and vicoli:

Crossing Sicily to Cefalu!

 This morning my driver, Santino, picked me up at 10 and we began our driving trip across Sicily.  We drove east to Catalina, then turned west to Enna, then north toward Cefalu.  It took about 3 hours, during which Santino talked endlessly about history, archeology, culture, food, literature... etc. all in Italian, of which I understood (I'm happy to report) about 80% of it.

But what was fascinating is how diverse the landscape is.  The center is actually a very rich agricultural valley.  There are cows!  And there are hills and mountains.  Lots of interesting old cities that tourists don't know of.  We stopped at the Autogrill and he treated me to an espresso and a sfolgliatella, a delicious, crunchy pastry with almond cream. 

Villa Caterina is my home for the next 3 weeks.  School begins tomorrow!

Ciao!

Archeological park UNESCO!

 I took a taxi up into Siracusa this morning, after cooling off in the sea and having a lemon granita.  It is called the Neapolis Archeological park and it is a place you can see Greek, Roman, and early Christian ruins all in one spot.  After getting your ticket and audio guide, you will look like this:

You might be concerned because you are about to take a 1.5 hour long hike in the middle of the day in a place where there is no shade.  You have no hat.  No water.  But you're determined.

First you walk down into the Latomia del Paradiso.  This is the ancient rock quarry where "workers" spent their days chiseling out huge chunks of rock in different shapes and sizes.  It's called Paradise right now because somewhere along the line, someone decided to plant a lovely garden with lots of flowering trees.

 Down into the park you continue.  The quarry is massive.

There are chisel marks everywhere.  Apparently, the workers would chisel a line into a section of rock, add wooden pegs and then hammer those until the rock split along the line. 

There are so many caves that are off limits to tourists.  There's this one that is of particular interest.  According to legend, Saint Paul preached here in 64 AD?

Then you hike out of the quarry, up and up, until you get to a high mark on the hill where those clever Greeks built their theater.  It overlooks the bay, which is looking impressive from this perspective.  Later, Christians used this side of the hill for tombs.  And those are everywhere as well.

You walk down and stroll along the altar of Hieron.  It's 200 meters long and is thought to have been used as a massive sacrificial altar.  450 bulls.  Wha??  Huge barbeque afterwards.

Now make your way to the Roman amphitheater:

And as you head toward the exit, you have a few things to say about the need for a team with weedeaters: 

Hope you enjoyed all the videos.  I thought that was the best way to show you all these marvels.  Photos don't do it sometimes....

Palazzo and bomb shelter

 This morning I did my usual jaunt to the beach.  I started at 8am this time and found that it is warm enough and quiet enough that that is going to be my start time for the next two days.  I swam for an hour.  So wonderful.  Then went home, got ready, and walked to a little bar (café) and had the best pistachio granita and brioche ever in the history of the world.  And I'm not exaggerating:

There are two sites on my list today.  First to the Bellomo Palace gallery.  This noble mansion lived a life of nobility for around 300 years.  From the 15th to the 18th century, the family lived in the huge and splendid palazzo that is very close to my apartment and looks out over the sea.  Now it is a gallery filled with some of the family's collection as well as diverse medieval and Baroque art and artifacts.

First you enter into the standard internal courtyard.  Very elegant and light.

Then I just enjoyed walking and looking at things.  Didn't read many placards.  Just wanted to absorb the color and beauty.

These vestments and objects from the celebration of the mass are pretty gorgeous:

Look at these inlaid with coral:

After this I walked over to the Giudecca, which is the old Jewish quarter.  During the middle ages there was a thriving Jewish population here.  But it was decimated in the late 15th century as one of the crusades (pogroms) launched by Ferdinand II of Spain. Under this unassuming church, the church of San Filippo Apostolo, are fascinating layers of history.

You have to go with a guide because it's kind of dangerous.  So you walk down these very steep, chiseled steps into what was once the crypt of this church.  There are the old frescoes on the walls, a small altar, and places to prepare bodies for burial.  Because this was actually used as a crypt by the early Christians.

What they were actually using were miles of aqueducts that were carved out by the Greeks, about 2700 years ago.  These tunnels are a network under the city of Ortigia, and actually connect certain churches to each other.  During World War II, this was used as an air raid shelter.  It goes on and on. 

Here is some graffiti left by some people taking shelter:

And some other photos:

Digging down further they found that this structure had a Jewish life as well.  Involving a well.  This spiral staircase leading down to a well was used as a place for ritual bathing.

After all this, you have to climb back up and up and up......

The Duomo of Siracusa

 In one of the prettiest piazzas in all of Italy sits the Cathedral (Duomo) of Siracusa.  Looking splendid in its theatrical Baroque style, it is actually made of of several manifestations of architecture.  And the most amazing, really, is its beginning as a Greek temple honoring Athena, the goddess of war.  Dating from 480 B.C., the temple's original steps are visible along the base of the current structure:

And when you enter this glorious place, you can see evidence of the different cultural influences: from Greek to Byzantine, then Arab, then Norman, then Baroque in the 18th century.

The interior is massive, and the original monolithic columns are visible.  These are HUGE, and they were cut from ONE stone.  Later the Romans would make huge columns like this but they were pieces that were stacked and held together with pins, essentially.  These are huge.  So elegant.  So awe-inspiring. 

In December of 2014, the cathedral came into possession of sacred relic of Santa Lucia, who is the patron saint of Sicily and was originally from Siracusa, I believe.  I told her story of martyrdom last month so you can look that up if you want.  Here we have a piece of her left arm:

And I love this inlaid marble cartouche of her eyeballs:

The façade of the Duomo is in the Baroque style of the 18th century.  That is because much of the building crumbled in the big earthquake of the late 17th century.  So it was rebuilt in the style of the day.

And nearby, there is an Italian film underway.  When I shot this video I didn't know what was going on.  Later I discovered they are doing a remake of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).  This is based on Lampedusa's novel of the same name, and is largely autobiographical.  It is about the collapse of the aristocratic families who were descended from Spanish aristocracy dating back a couple hundred years.  With the Risorgimento of the 19th century, which led to the creation of Italy as a country, these old families and their lifestyle and privilege, just faded away.

Ciao!

Reason #105 why Italy is superior~ Public art quotes Ovid

 When public art quotes Ovid and all the locals are there nodding their heads in agreement and understanding, you know you're in a wonderful place.  Here is the Fountain of Arethusa. In Greek mythology, Arethusa was a nymph who gave her name to a spring here in Ortigia, that magically sprang from the ground as she received help from Artemis after the river god Alpheus fell in lust/love with her.  

In Metamorphoses, Ovid writes:

"What are you rushing for, Arethusa? Alpheus called from the waves. "Why are you rushing?" He called again to me, in a strident voice. Just as I was, I fled, without my clothes: so much the more fiercely he pursued and burned. And being naked, I seemed readier for him.

I cried out, help me! I will be taken! Diana, help the one who bore your weapons for you!

The goddess was moved, and raising an impenetrable cloud, threw it over me.  The river god circled the concealing fog, and in ignorance searched about the hollow mist.  Twice, without understanding, he rounded the place. He did not go far.  Cold sweat poured down my imprisoned limbs, and dark drops trickled from my whole body, and moisture dripped from my hair, and faster than I can now tell the tale, I turned to liquid. 

And indeed, the river god saw his love in the water, and putting off the shape of a man he had assumed, he changed back to his own watery form, and mingled with mine.

The Metamorphoses are stories of transformation, and they are absolutely brilliant, fantastical, moving, and so insightful.  It's my favorite work by Ovid.  Exquisite.