SAN GIUSEPPE’S RITUAL

San Giuseppe’s ritual

It’s March 19 , in the small town of Palazzo Adriano religion and food bring people together.

The elders of the village meet at Circolo Unione as usual, anything but usual is what will happen in a few hours through the streets of Palazzo Adriano. The only sounds that are heard in the air are the gentle gushes of the fountain and the bells of the Roman Catholic and orthodox Byzantine churches calling the faithful to participate in both rituals. Slowly the square begins to fill up with people of all ages; There are those who come from the countryside with precious loot, bunches of asparagus or daffodils, people who bring baskets of sweets, some children laugh and run, the industrious Basilian nuns silently emerge from their rooms and cross the square to take part in the morning liturgy which precedes the main celebration.

It’s the celebration of San Giuseppe , and the entire community of this small town in the Sicilian hinterland, particularly devoted to the saint, is at work to celebrate him. The celebration, organised and sustained for many years by the San Giuseppe association foresees that sumptuous tables full of all kinds of food are set up. What cannot be missing is the blessed bread, which on this day takes precise forms: symbols of San Giuseppe‘s work tools , but also, first spring fruits, oranges and fennel, and the typical sweets of the festival: sfince, pignolata. In the town’s square the circle of San Giuseppe and the Basiliane nuns set up these tables for the community, keeping the tradition alive. Many people also set up smaller tables at home, with the intention of asking for graces to the saint, like Signora Ninuccia, who has been striving for 30 years to create her own small table, like an altar in the main room of her little house. Tradition wants that this banquet is offered to the less well-off, who take part in the table; a group of men and women joins the Circle of San Giuseppe and gathers in the internal courtyard of the congregation of daughters of Saint Macrina, and prepares huge pots of traditional pasta; At 12 o’clock the bells of the Santa Maria del Lume and Maria Santissima Assunta churches ring; the liturgy is over and all the people take part in the tables. The entire community is brought together, collaborating , eating and sharing food. A religious rite that strengthens the social and generational bond.

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

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.

Family Lunch

family lunch

In the streets of Burgio there is a slow flow of simple things and traditions that are handed down.

While an old lady looks out from her balcony and a group of children improvise a soccer match, the scent of fried eggplants and fresh tomato sauce invades the streets of Burgio. A group of men play cards in the village circle and the church bell punctuates the day. To enter the slow pace of the daily life of this Sicilian country means getting to know its deepest soul.

The itinerary first leads to the Mother Church and then on to discover the ancient tradition of ceramics and bells.The Caravella workshop reminds us that know-how is transmitted as experience from father to son, a workshop that still retains an ancient charm, and where the ancient art of Burgio ceramics continues to thrive. Leisureliness and tradition also are what accompanies a visit to the bell foundry, one of the oldest in Italy. Here the bells are made as in the past, starting from the “soul”, the inner part made with bricks and clay. To get to know the true identity of a place you need to sit at the table and discover the pleasure of a family lunch, the good dishes alternating with conversation that mix together memories and daily life.

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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.

fisherman

CASTING THE NETS

There are professions that become forms of life, bonds that are built and become indissoluble.

The relationship with the sea lasts a lifetime, it is not consumed. Using their hands and body they cast the nets while the sun does not stop tanning their skin, then they wait. This profession comes with waiting, the sound and the scent of the sea as well as skills and intangible knowledge that can only be learned by listening.

It requires experience, seen in the proud eyes that alone tell the love for the sea, for fishing. Finally it requires passion, obtained by getting on this boat, observing the gestures that are repeated every day while the fisherman waits for the sea to bear its fruit.

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

SLOW TIME

To be part of the small community of Sant’Angelo Muxaro is to live an unforgettable human and relational experience.

There are countries where time flows slowly, where we must stop and listen to understand its richness. Relationships arise spontaneously as well as conversations that reveal the life of a community and its daily routines.

Sant’Angelo Muxaro, a small village on the Sicilian mountains in a rugged and picturesque area, is famous for the monumental tombs dug into the sides of the hill on which stands the town. From the central square of the village through the alleys and courtyards you can become acquainted with the life of this small village and be part of this family. Signora Maria, an English speaker, kneads and sells bread to the small community every day and between one chat and another reveals the secrets of this bakery and the ancient art of bread making. Entering the homes instead means getting to know the traditions, such as foraging, the art of knowing how to recognize and pick edible spontaneous herbs that grow in nature, or the culinary heritage made up of simple and genuine dishes. A visit to Sant’Angelo Muxaro is an experience in which history, archaeology and adventure embrace the relational and above all the human dimension.

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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.

FAMIATA

The kitchen unites, creates relationship, light-heartedness, treasured moments shared with friends.

Sicily has a wealth of traditions and memories related to food that still continue to exist and there are words that go beyond their literal meaning to describe a situation. The “famiata” is literally the moment when a fire is lit in a wood oven.

The word encompasses the practice of meeting together around the wood-burning oven, kneading the specialties of the Sicilian tradition and chatting like family. In this old farmhouse, everything has remained as in the most ancient traditions; all you have to do is put your hands into the dough to forget about everything and let yourself go in the pleasure of company and good food.

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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.