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FESTIVALS AND CULTURE IN SICILYAn island with such a complex historic and cultural background as Sicily, has a great variety of cultural events and local festivals. Whatever the season and no matter the destination, there is always something going on. Every town and village has its patron saint that is appropriately celebrated with processions through the streets, giant fireworks and tremendous devotional food and drink. Book our holiday homes in the city in Sicily to witness these memorable events. The most spectacular traditional festivals are in Palermo and Catania, where Santa Rosalia and Santa Agata are remembered with enormous celebrations. The masked procession on Good Friday before Easter is definitely one of the most moving expressions of the Sicilian religious culture, and can be seen in almost every town all over Sicily. The “Misteri” of Trapani is a procession of 20 huge scenes telling the story of Christ's Passion. The scenes are decorated with flowers and are carried through the town. The successful harvest in the countryside is celebrated with earnest devotion. Most of the farmers and shop owners in small towns and villages in the inner regions spend a few days every year to celebrate the fruits of their labor. They dress up elegantly and participate in religious processions, horse races and watch the puppet theaters.These festivals offer an excellent opportunity to visit locations that you might otherwise neglect during your Sicily holiday. Book our quality apartments in Sicily for a comfortable stay on the island.
If most Sicilian towns have a patron saint or a gastronomic specialty others prefer to celebrate their uniqueness in more original ways. Piazza Armerina best known for the fascinating Roman Villa, celebrates its treasured historical heritage with a Norman-Arab battle tournament. Caltagiorne illuminates the 142 ceramic-tiled steps of the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte every year and Sciacca launches itself into an old pagan carnival with decorated floats and colorful costumes. You can join in these special events renting our villas in Sicily. The scenic town of Noto invites artists to cover its streets with petals during a unique festival in May called Infiorata. The exposition is made from many individual works spread out on a street. On Friday the artists start to work on their creations so they can be admired over the weekend. On Monday children are allowed to run through the flowers, destroying the works. This theme remembers the concept of creation by the old forces and destruction by the young so that renewal can take place. Sicily has always been a melting pot of cultures. The rich legacy of architecture and arts shines on every corner of this land. The Hellenistic age is most visible in the Doric temples at Syracuse and Agrigento. The Romans left theaters, aqueducts and the amazing Roman villa outside Piazza Armerina. Normans enriched Sicily with strongholds, castles, cathedrals and palaces. The Italian Renaissance made the medieval style popular again and the Baroque was settled after the earthquake in 1693 when many towns were re-built in this style. Today the decorative ceramics trade continues to flourish and important folk art traditions are kept alive. Donkey carts are painted with intricate scenes from the Norman romantic poems and the same stories are told in traditional puppet theaters which involve handmade wooden marionettes. |
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