Catania Fish Market - Photo credits Italian Government Tourist Office North America

Why spending 48 hours in Catania, Sicily? Here is the answer from the Independent.

Next weekend, the Sicilian city of Catania stages one of southern Italy’s biggest and most dramatic festivals, the Festa di Sant’Agata. Passions hit fever pitch as up to one million people take to the streets to celebrate the city’s patron saint and watch as her relics are paraded around town by teams of white-shirted devotees.

Festivities apart, Catania is a delight, with a stately Baroque centre, terrific street markets, great food and a bubbly nightlife. And winter is a good time to visit: temperatures are mild, about 15C; there are very few tourists around; and Mount Etna provides some thrilling views, its snow-capped summit rising menacingly over the city’s rooftops.

Read more at www.independent.co.uk

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Van Dyck’s first biographer was the Italian Giovanni Pietro Bellori. According to Bellori, the painter sailed to Palermo in spring 1624 and, on arrival, painted the viceroy’s portrait, paid a visit to and painted Anguissola Sophonisba, the most famous female artist of the day, and made some religious images of St Rosalia, a patron of Palermo. But when a violent outbreak of plague struck the city he scuttled back to Genoa to complete his remaining Palermitan commissions in safety. He was in the city a mere four months.

More at ft.com

La Vucciria Market by Renato Guttoso

Ever since BBC broadcast Sicily Unpacked with Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli, an old post containing some information about La Vucciria Market by renowned Sicilian painter Renato Guttuso resuscitated. It looks like people are desperately searching for prints of this famous painting. If you have any information, please write to us. Thanks.

Stromboli

The Sicilian island of Stromboli is one of seven Aeolian Islands and among the most active volcanoes on the planet. Its dramatic black sands, lush vegetation, deep blue seas, breathtaking sunsets and volcanic rumblings offer an inspiring set for the exploration of literature and theatrical texts. Among the texts explored each year isMetamorphoses, which Ovid wrote largely in neighboring Sicily. The presence of the characters in those immortal stories inhabits this magical part of the world. The participants’ voices and the texts will resonate in Stromboli and its dramatically changing environment: a landscape of earth, wind, fire and water, evoking elemental metamorphosis.

Contacts

Website: www.stromboliproject.com
Alessandro Fabrizi: alessandrofabrizi@libero.it
Susan Main: smain@nyc.rr.com

He was born in Bagheria, near Palermo in Sicily, but from 1937 lived and worked largely in Rome. An anti-fascist, he joined the banned Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1940 and left Rome to become an active participant in the partisan struggle from 1943. He was also an opponent to the Mafia. In 1972 Guttuso was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize. In 1976 he was elected to the Italian Senate as a PCI representative for the Sicilian constituency of Sciacca.

Renato Guttuso’s father, Gioacchino Guttuso, was a land surveyor and there are many portraits of him in the collection donated to the mayor of Bagheria. The precocious capabilities of the artist are apparent from the very first paintings from 1925.

His bourgeois adolescence offered him plenty of stimuli. Guttuso lived close to a house amongst the Valguarnera villas and Palagonia, which he would soon represent in paintings inspired by the cliffs of Aspra.

In Palermo and in the same Bagheria he saw the complete ruin of the nobility of the splendid villas of the 18th century, abandoned to urban decay as a consequence of political infighting within the municipal chambers. At the same time, his family suffered a period of economic stress because of the hostility shown by Fascists and clergy towards his father.

He went to Palermo for high school studies, and then to the University, where his development was modelled on the European figurative trends of the day, from Courbet to Van Gogh and to Picasso. His works opened to doors for him in Milan and to further travel throughout Europe.

As his expressionism became stronger we notice scenes of nature in flower, the lemon trees, the saracen olive trees, all in an environment suspended between myth and island insularity, that, when sent to the Quadriennale expo of 1931, he joined a collective of six Siciilian painters, acclaimed by the critic Franco Grasso as a “disclosure, a Sicilian affirmation”.

Back in Palermo he opened a studio in Pisani street and together with the painter Lia Pasqualino and the sculptors Barbera and Nino Franchina, formed the Gruppo dei Quattro (“The Group of Four”).

He rejected every academic canon, putting free figures in space and searching for the pure sense of color. Guttuso joined the artistic movement “Corrente”, which stood for free and open attitudes, in opposition to the official culture, and chose a strong anti-fascist position in the thematic choices through the years of the Spanish Civil War.

During a stay of three years in Milan, where he entered the cultural circle of Corrente di Vita, Guttuso developed his “social” art, which highlighted a moral and political commitment visible in paintings like Fucilazione in Campagna (1938), dedicated to the writer García Lorca, and Escape from Etna.

Moving to Rome, he opened a study in Via Margutta where, because of his natural exhuberance, his friend Marino Mazzacurati nicknamed him “Unbridled”. He lived close by to the significative artists of the time: Mario Mafai, Corrado Cagli, Antonello Trombadori, keeping also in contact with the group from Milan of Giacomo Manzù and Aligi Sassu.

The controversial painting for which he is best remembered, at the time derided by the clergy and the fascists because it denounced the horrors of the war under a religious cover, is Crocifissione (“Crucifixion”). Guttuso wrote in his diary: “it is the symbol of all those who endure insults, jail, torture for their ideas”.

He did not stop working during the years of World War II, his work ranging from landscape glimpses of the Gulf of Palermo to a collection of drawings entitled Massacri (“Massacres”), that clandestinely denounced slaughters such as the Fosse Ardeatine.

In those years he met and married Mimise, who will become his confidant and faithful spouse, and model as well. After the liberation of Italy from Nazi-fascism he finished Muratori in riposo (“Workers resting”), china ink and watercolor of 1945, a symbol of rebirth of which Pier Paolo Pasolini wrote in 1962:

“The shapes of ten workers

emerge white over white masonry

the noon is that of the summer.

But the humiliated flesh

projects a shadow; is the disarranged order

of the white colors, that is faithfully followed

by the black ones. The noon is a peaceful one“.

Then he painted Peasant Who Hoe (1947) and Peasants of Sicily (1951) in which the pictorical language became clear and free of all superfluous elements. Guttuso wrote that those were preparatory sketches for Occupation of uncultivated lands of Sicily, exhibited in the Venice Biennale in 1950, asserting:

In 1950, Guttuso joined the project of the Verzocchi collection (in the civic Pinacoteca of Forlì), sending, a self-portrait, and the work “sicilian labourer”.

He succeeded in astonishing his audience, alternating between the luminous and full vision of color of Bagheria on the Gulf of Palermo to the Battle of the Bridge of the Admiral, in which he depicted his grandfather Ciro as a Garibaldine soldier. He painted also a series from live about the fights of peasants for the occupation of lands, the zolfatari, or glimpses of landscape between cactus and prickly pears, as well as portraits of men of culture like Nino Garajo and Bruno Caruso.

Fascinated by Dante’s model, in 1961 he made a series of color drawings, published in 1970, as Il Dante di Guttuso, depicting the characters of Hell as examples of human history, confirming the versatility of his talent.

In the late 1960s and 1970s he completed a suite of paintings devoted to the feminine figure, a motif that became as dominant in his painting as it was in his life: Donne stanze paesaggi, oggetti (1967) was followed by a series of portraits of Marta Marzotto, his preferred muse of many years.

His most famous “palermitano” painting is the Vucciria (the name of Palermo’s market), in which, with raw and bloody realism, he expressed one of the many spirits of the Sicilian city.

Guttuso died in Rome at the age of 75.

After the death of his wife, he reconciled with the Christian faith with which he had been critical and donated many of his works to his hometown Bagheria, now housed in the museum of the Villa Cattolica.

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Liberty Inn Bed & Breakfast is a brand new bed & breakfast situated in downtown Milazzo (ME). It belongs to a friend from high school. He manages it. I had the opportunity to see this place  last summer and I was pleasantly surprised by its decor. The facade maintained the classic liberty style – which is cleverly reflected in the name of the B&B, while the interiors have been totally restructured and refurbished with the latest modern comforts. The Mediterranean Sea is at walking distance. Rooms are quiet, even though this B&B is close to bars, restaurants and an extremely entertaining nightlife. If you are in Milazzo or boarding for the Aeolian Islands, Liberty Inn Bed & Breakfast is a nice hidden gem.

Address: Via umberto I  n°163
98057 Milazzo (ME)-Italy
Tel: +39-389/4596390
Web site: www.libertyinn-bb.com

But this is an artistic as well as culinary journey, so the boys have a look at the saucy Roman mosaic of the so-called “bikini girls” in the Villa Romana del Casale and help with a little bit of restoration. 

It’s all rather lovely, and after yet another stop at yet another restaurant where the Michelin-starred chef makes a very witty tuna burger (really, it’s clever), Andrew and Giorgio agree that they’ve had a lovely time as their three-episode exploration ends.

Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean

The breathtaking sights, unique and mouth-watering smells of Sicily abound in John Keahey’s narrative. His adventures through this historic island will awaken your senses and capture your imagination. Famous for its distinct identity and heritage, as well as its notorious mafia ties, Sicily is the Mediterranean’s largest, and most conquered, island.

I had the chance to meet Mr. Keahey in person in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. He read a few pages of this book in front of an audience of 50 people or so and gained their attention with his gentle and refined manners. When I got the chance to talk to him directly, I was surprised to learn how much he grasped of the Sicilian culture and its real essence during his visit. I am always fascinated by the stories I hear about Sicily when outsiders report them. Mr. Keahey a meticulous observer and writer.

Cars waiting to fill in their tank in Sicily - Photo credits Franca Calderone

The movimento dei forconi – which I translated with pitchforks into English – is weakening the already feeble Sicilian economy. According to the AGI (Agenzia Giornalistica Italia), companies in Sicily were allowed to continue their protests by 5 more days, until January 25. “We were granted an extension until January 25 “, said the head of Sicily haulage companies’ association AIAS, Giuseppe Richichi, who is leading a protest, staged alongside fishermen and the self-styled Pitchfork Movement of farmers, which has brought traffic on the island to a standstill for days. The protest was originally scheduled to end at midnight on Friday, but police authorities allowed organisers to continue their action by 5 more days. The move is aimed at keeping the ‘Forza d’urto’ movement united, given that farmers and fishermen already announced they would continue their protest indefinitely, although in a softer form.

Is it the right way to protests in these times when everybody is called o big sacrifices? Why are the Sicilians reacting as the Greeks? Is it the Greek blood? Who is behind this movement? It looks like that parties from the extreme right have leadership positions in the movement. The name they picked for themselves “pitchforks” says to me that they are not so peaceful. Tourism will temporarily suffer from this. Please call local authorities or check with friends and relatives in the island if you are traveling during those dates.

This eco-friendly Christmas tree was set up by a team of enthusiastic youngsters led by Vincenzo Cusumano, the creator and art director.

6,000 plastic bottles were used to build this 7 meter (23 ft.) tree.

The effect is spectacular, indeed, especially in the evening when the lights create a special effect.

“This is” says Vincenzo, “a message to the citizens and to everyone. We must all be concerned about the future of our environment. Recycling costs us little efforts, but these efforts will be efficient and highly rewarding if we all co-operate.”

Happy New Year!

Maria Lina Bommarito

Oil on Canvas - Umanità by Giovanni Iudice

Giovanni Viola

Pastel on paper - Il mare dalla spiaggetta di Lipari

Isola delle Femmine - Photo credits Maria Lina Bommarito

The stretch of road between Cinisi and Palermo astonishes travelers with beautiful sight of the azure Mediterranean sea. The coast is an alternation of sandy beaches and reefs that offer a spectacular view. Just off the coast you can admire the Isola delle Femmine (women’s island), a small beautiful island that gives its name to the town ashore.

Many legends have been inspired by the name of this small island Isola delle Femmine, inhabited solely by birds and rabbits. The ruins of an ancient tower recalls a fairy tale-scenery where imprisoned princesses await to be freed by brave knights.The first legend recalls that the island was a prison for just women in the past. However, no references have been found to prove this first supposition. Another ancient legend says that thirteen Turkish women accused of immoral behavior, were abandoned on the island by their husbands. After seven years, the husbands regretted having abandoned them and returned to save them.

Etymological studies explain that the word femmine – in dialect fimmini – has nothing to do with women. The word instead derives from the Arab word fim which means mouth or entrance and is referred to the canal between the island and the mainland. The island is uninhabited today. Because of its naturalistic importance, the Sicilian Region with the cooperation of LIPU (Italian Society for the Protection of Birds) institued The Oriented Nature Reserve Isola delle Femmine in 1997. In 2002 the coastline from Capo Gallo (near Mondello) to Isola delle Femmine was declared “Protected Marina Reserve”. The Nature Reserve has favored the preservation of a rich flora that includes 144 species of geo-botanic importance, several of which are in danger of extinction. The birdlife present on the island is particularly important: the Blue rock Thrush, the Mediterranean Herring Gull, the Crested Lark, the Stone-chat, the Buzzard and the Hoopoe all nest here, while migratory birds are regular visitors. The European Wild Rabbit, the field lizard, the Whip Snake and different species of butterflies also find their natural habitat on the small island. The marine flora and fauna are equally important. The variety of marine environments with meadows of Oceanic Posidonia indicate the sea waters are clean and unpolluted. Sandy and rocky seabeds are the ideal habitat for species as Octopi, Nudibranches, Snakelock Anemones, Groupers, Lobsters and Seafans.

The Nature Reserve is open all year round and guided nature walks are organized upon reservation.
For further information or reservations: riserva.isolafemmine@lipu.it

By Maria Lina Bommarito

Map

Dear Maria