THE MAGIC OF THE CRIB

This craft workshop is a school where every piece is prepared with care.

As a child Angela watched the nativity scene that her father patiently prepared and was fascinated by that miniature world made of streets and characters in which she imagined getting lost. When she grew up, it was the sight of the nativity scene displayed in a glass case that rekindled her passion for this world and for sculpture. With many sacrifices and enthusiasm he began to give life to his workshop and his terracotta and fabric statues.

Over the years his passion has been transformed into a workshop where master craftsmen create unique pieces every day that are exhibited all over the world. This is a tradition that lives on through the teaching of a woman who has made her workshop a unique school in the city of Palermo.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

TASTING ALLEYS

We choose the raw materials together in the streets of Catania’s market based on seasonal produce and then prepare traditional recipes in an exclusive space.

Certain places reveal the essence of a city; they are like matryoshka dolls that preserve centuries of history, influences and changes. Exploring the market in Catania means knowing the history and culture of food in Sicily, the five senses will guide you and it will be fascinating to lose yourself in the sounds, smells, colors, materials and flavors.

Catania’s market has always gathered the best of Sicilian production: fish, cheeses, dried fruit, meat. During the trip, you’ll hear the abbanniate*, you’ll experience various aromas and you’ll be able to taste the best of Sicilian produce: the calia, mustards, fine cheeses, salami and its streetfood. The story of a tradition and a story that is both cultural and mythological.

“ The kitchen becomes a place for the family; an opportunity to rediscover the importance of doing things together. ” Cooking together is a way to get to know and experience the recipes that have made Sicily an excellence in the gastronomic sector. At the premises of the exclusive Asmundo of Gisara Art hotel, dishes are prepared with raw materials from the market. Cooking and tasting takes place in a friendly environment: fresh pasta, the best of streetfood, meat rolls or caci puddata tuna.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

Palermo

JEWEL OF ARABIC-NORMAN CULTURE

There are places that have marked and built the image of Sicily, mythical areas that never cease to arouse interest.

If you think you knew the city, think again. Each district and alley is the beginning of a story that Marcella recounts with passion. Palermo shines of its own light with its thousand shades that blind and amaze, with its contrasts that surprise and that cultural syncretism that determine its soul.

History and traditions are combined with a contemporary look, because a city like Palermo today is synonymous with change. The points of interest can be as varied as puppet theatre to the secret gardens, or the craft shops and historical markets. A trip to the Capo is an opportunity to learn about the history of Arianna, a reference point for street food. For over 25 years it has upheld the tradition of street food in one of the most fascinating places in the city.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

museum house

WUNDERKAMMER

A house can be a journey through time, its items are able to tell its untold past that deserves to be discovered.

Walking through these rooms is like walking through a museum room, the story of the apparently disordered collections is told by the maestro’s voice who re-creates the story of each item. Maestro Salvatore Appiano opens the doors of his house-museum; an intimate place made of memories and a precious collection capable of telling an eclectic and unique story.

Paintings, sculptures, antiques, rare books, items that if put together trace centuries and centuries of history. After playing with great musicians and also having accompanied Maria Callas on the piano, nowadays in his home, maestro Salvatore gives piano lessons and performs private concerts for small groups where he performs in his compositions.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

THE VALLEY

THE THOUSAND STORIES OF THE VALLEY

There are places that have marked and built the image of Sicily, mythical areas that never cease to arouse interest.

Those same places contain within them a knowledge that can be told starting from different viewpoints making them special, unique in their own way. From an early age, Lorenzo strolling in the Via dei Templi, listened to stories of oral tradition, collecting knowledge about the valley that he shares daily with those who decide to spend time with him.

The viewpoints multiply and the ensemble of historical and archaeological knowledge is but one of the many chapters of this walk that never ceases to surprise and ends in the shade, in the Kolymbethra garden. In this corner, the experience of history merges with nature with ancient olive trees and the scent of citrus fruits.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

Ortigia

ortigia

URBAN STRATIFICATIONS

To know it, you have to imagine and let yourself be transported by the thousands of stories that Ortigia has to offer.

Reading a city’s signage allows us to interpret its stratifications, know its history, and understand the chronological periods and the populations that have lived there over the centuries. Syracuse is an open book and to travel through it accompanied by the competence, passion and enthusiasm of those who can reveal every secret is a unique experience.

A walk through the streets of the center is a way to discover the history of the Jewish presence in the city, starting from the present symbols and those that are long gone, imagining what those places were like where the Jews, repurposing the medieval structures, gave life their synagogue, to the baths where women cleansed themselves, or to the cluster of shops that animated the streets. It is a cultured and exciting story at the same time that sheds light on one of the most interesting pages in the history of Ortigia.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

Puppets

the last of the puppeteers

The puppets’ facial expressions, sculpted and shaped, also come to life through interpretation: voice modulation is part of the staging.

Puppets come alive and the dialogues and sets lead viewers back in time to retrace the history of the Paladins of France.When the doors of Franco Cuticchio’s workshop-theater are opened, many stories come to life. Among these, the family’s story, linked to a craft that has been handed down from father to son and that today reaches the fourth generation;

the artisan tradition, the care and attention with which every single Sicilian puppet is crafted and all its components: the armors, decorations and symbols; and last but not least, the narrative universe of France’s Paladins; 365 episodes that were staged every evening in Palermo’s theaters.There are also memories, those related to the artisan workshop and life on stage, when the puppets are moved by hands and arms that know how to support them and accompany them on stage. Every item and corner of this place speaks and comes alive through the work of one of the greatest Sicilian masters.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.

Rosso Cinabro

ROSSO CINABRO

In the center of Ragusa Ibla there is a place where a tradition that seemed to have disappeared has been brought back to life.

There is a workshop-laboratory in the heart of Ragusa Ibla that takes its name from a color, here the artists Biagio and Damiano carry on the art of Sicilian cart painting following the oral tradition learned from the old master cart painters.

Just like in the past, the two young artists dress in traditional clothes and between a restoration job and meeting a new client, they tell their story and training that arises above all from a knowledge that has been handed down. The passion for art, craftsmanship and tradition come together in this laboratory where pigments are ground and traditional pictorial techniques are used. The walls are full of signs, every detail and every splash of color is the pretext for knowing the different cultural stratififications that the Sicilian cart brings. Precision, study, passion and balance are the elements that characterize the work of these last master cart painters. A tradition that continues to exist and is now tainted by contemporary languages.

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Life is a journey and those who travel live twice. Omar Khayyam.