Most language students who study Italian at university level are familiar with Giovanni Verga as his short stories in the simple realist style are a perfect introduction to Italian Literature as they are easy for first-year students to follow. Verga’s short tale Cavalleria Rusticana was made into an opera libretto which together with the…
Continue reading ➞ Literary Islands: Giovanni Verga
Today's friday photos are dedicated to quirky Italian homes which look like doll houses: and Italian's flare for street names. Enjoy your weekend!
If I could take only one emblematic book with me from Sicily, I’d defiantly choose Salvatore Quasimodo’s complete poetical works. One of Sicily’s Primo Nobel’s in Literature, Quasimodo illustrates all the colours of his native island. His lifetime’s work, themes and forms span from sparse expressive poetry, experimental pieces, poems inspired by mythology, politically charged…
Continue reading ➞ Literary Islands: Salvatore Quasimodo
It’s become a tradition at this time of year to attend a series of Festa’s or celebrations dedicated to patron saints that are common to most towns here in Sicily, not out of any particular religious desire but simply to have a day out, rummage through the endless stalls and perhaps start buying those pesky…
Continue reading ➞ Festa time at Capo D’orlando, Messina.
A surprise discovery at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele, Messina an original mural depicting the myth of the half man half fish, Cola Pesce who dove under Sicily, painted by Renato Guttuso.
Well, I survived my latest translation job. I have to give it all a read through today and send it off tomorrow. With the aid of a translating program, I ran the science article through to literally translate it word for word and then spent the week going through it all. The pieces of the…
Continue reading ➞ Finding your bearings with language
Italy is a country with an abundance of water, where you find beautifully refreshing water fountains with drinkable water for everyone even in the biggest cities. The result is the beautiful art work that is used to celebrate the gift of water which we can see throughout Italy. The water fountain becomes an elaborate altar,…
Continue reading ➞ The humble water fountain
As you get older I think you begin to appreciate the smaller details of things. I once used to look at the big detailed elements of a work of art like a statue or a church to become absorbed in the whole. It’s easy to become mesmerised by the art work in such a historically…
Continue reading ➞ Beauty in the details
I recently looked over some old pictures I took one summer along the coastline in between Capo d’orlando and Brolo in the province of Messina, Sicily and I’ve suddenly had a yearning for the summer. Look and see if you don’t feel the same desire to dive into the waters of summer in Sicily.
It is very Sicilian to say someone is as good as bread.There is nothing better or pure and simple as freshly baked bread. Lui e’ buono come pane means he is as ‘good as gold’ as Australians say. Sicilians are less materialistic in their turn of phrase, history has made them humble and appreciate the gift…
Continue reading ➞ Buono come’ il pane : As good as bread
I’ve always loved Castles as a symbol of European history, grand monuments of emperors, popes, Kings and nobility. There aren’t any Castles in Australia as we are relatively young to European culture so we may have many grand ancient geological monuments and some modern architectural beauties and recent monstrosities but there are no real castles.…
Continue reading ➞ Castello Nelson di Maniace, Bronte
In amongst the many books I have read in my research during my time here in Sicily my all time favourite has to be the autobiographical A House in Sicily by Daphne Phelps. It is a wonderful love letter to Sicily that became Daphne’s home after inheriting a grand old house built and designed…
Continue reading ➞ A house in Sicily: Casa Cuseni, Taormina
Madonna statue and clock tower duomo Messina, Sicily.
Of all the major cities in Sicily, Messina is the one with which I have the most familiarity, simply because it is physically closer to Sinagra. But apart from this I find that Palermo is too decrepit and full of crime, Catania is just plain dirty and dangerous and the others are simply too difficult…
I've spent nearly a decade of my life living in Sicily in which I have gathered many experiences. Including some beautiful and ugly photographic portraits. I thought I'd share some of the best. I'll randomly post my photos as a way of celebrating my time here in my second home. Some summer landscapes of my…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Landscapes
You must be logged in to post a comment.