Palermo's puppets put on a show

Marionettes are ready to take the stage at the Museo internazionale
delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino in Palermo.

Pinocchio and his fellow puppets are an important part of the Italian culture that I am happy to explore during my stay in Sicily. Palermo is home to the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum.

Each puppet at the Museo internazionale delle marionette
Antonio Pasqualino in Palermo has distinct features.

Knights in armor figure are prominent at Palermo's Museo internazionale
delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino.

The museum was founded in 1975 by Antonio Pasqualino, a surgeon, anthropologist, and expert on Sicilian history and popular traditions, who died in 1995. Along with other members of the Association for the Conservation of Popular Traditions, Pasqualino dedicated much of his life to saving, collecting, and honoring puppets from Sicily and around the world.

An exhibit at the Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino
in Palermo features puppets made from ordinary household objects.

Performances of marionettes from Vietnam take place over water. These are on
display at Palermo's Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino.

A display of circus-act puppets are on display at the Museo internazionale
delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino in Palermo.

For a doll collector like me, a visit to this museum is a real treat. As you can see by this small sampling of the many photos I have taken here, I am enchanted by the thousands of marionettes on display.

Puppets grace the stage at the Museo internazionale delle marionette
Antonio Pasqualino in Palermo.

A large princess puppet is on display at Palermo's Museo
internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino.

Multi-cultural puppets hang around at Palermo's Museo
internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino.

The museum offers daily puppet shows if there are enough reservations, but we visited another theater in Palermo to see the marionettes in action.

Audiences can peruse the puppets before the show at Teatro dei Pupi
famiglia Argento in Palermo.

On a narrow alleyway across from the Palermo Cathedral, we find Teatro dei Pupi famiglia Argento, housed in Palazzo Asmundo. Run by the same family since 1893, the puppets and sets were all made by members of this Palermitan puppet master family.

The show at Palermo's Teatro dei Pupi famiglia Argento features
daring knights and a few decapitations.

The theater was founded by Vincenzo "Cece" Argento and his four sons, who ran a traveling puppet show throughout Palermo and Agrigento provinces. The last of his sons, Giuseppe Argento, who had learned the art marionette-making and performing at age 10, acquired the family business in 1948. His son, Vincenzo, took over in 1993 and it is he who meets us at the door when we arrive at Opera dei Pupi.

Master puppeteer Vincenzo Argento talks to the audience after the show
at Teatro dei Pupi famiglia Argento in Palermo.

It's a small audience this evening, that thankfully includes a half-dozen children. We give the families the first two rows and take seats on a bench behind them. Their reaction to the show, which is full of knights doing battle, enhances our enjoyment, if not our understanding of the intricacies of the plot and dialog, which is, of course, in Italian. The kids in the front row are French, but there seems to be no language barrier for them. After the show, Vincenzo joins the audience and spends time showing the children how the marionettes work and gives them a peek back stage.

I hope you're enjoying my series of posts about Sicily. Next (and last), I focus on food and freebies.

Seaside and mountain villages of Sicily

Hanging flower pots catch my eye in Taormina, a favorite tourist destination in Sicily.

Despite spending a full month in Sicily, we visit only a few of the legendary villages on the island. But what a few they are! I've chosen three to describe in this blog post: Cefalù, Noto, and Taormina.

Cefalù

No one knows why the two towers of Cefalù's cathedral don't match.
The basilica is one of Sicily's most famous Norman structures. 

Sheltered between a high rocky crag and the Mediterranean Sea on Sicily's northern coast is the beautiful village of Cefalù. In addition to finding the island's third most significant Norman cathedral here, we are enchanted by the narrow winding streets and breathtaking ocean views.

We arrive mid-morning by train from Palermo, about an hour and 20 minutes away. After a stroll down the hill from the station, we stop for a coffee in Piazza Duomo before visiting the cathedral, a structure that dominates the small village. It was built between 1131 and 1240 by order of King Roger II.

The ruins of a castle, probably Byzantine, sits atop a cliff overlooking Cefalù.

We consider walking to the top of La Rocca to visit the prehistoric sanctuary known as Tempio di Diana. (It isn't really a temple of Diana, but misnomers such as this tend to stick here.) We climb high enough to enjoy the view, but our growling stomachs urge us back to town in search of lunch.

Built over the River Cefalino, this Lavatotio served as Cefalù's
laundry wash house from medieval times into the 20th century.

After popping inside Lavatoio, a medieval wash house where people washed clothes in a river allegedly formed by the tears of a mourning nymph*, we enjoy a fine lunch at a restaurant on Via Vittorio Emanuele, the street that runs along the seafront.

*Thanks to Atlas Obscura for its poetic description of Lavatoio Medievale in Cefalù.

Taormina

From a plaza in Taormina, we pause to admire the Ionian Sea. 

Among the famous writers who have fallen in love with Taormina are Guy de Maupassant, Ernest Hemingway, Edmondo De Amicis, D. H. Lawrence, and Oscar Wilde. It isn't hard to see why, nor is it difficult to understand why this magnificent cliff-side village on Sicily's northeastern coast is the island's most popular — and romantic — destination.

The bus ride up the mountain to Taormina includes gaspingly beautiful views over the sparkling sea and scary switchbacks along a road dotted with grand villas. One could opt to take the train here, but the station is at sea level and requires either a hardy hike up the mountain or a ride on the cable car.

You don't need to be a beautiful celebrity, but expect to
spend a pretty penny at the Caffè Wunderbar in Taormina.

The town's main street, Corso Umberto I, runs between two ancient gates, the Porta Messina and the Porta Catania. The street is lined with churches, souvenir shops, and pricey bars, cafes, and restaurants, the most famous of which is the Caffè Wunderbar, once the watering hole for celebrities including Greta Garbo, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Tennesse Williams, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton.

Mount Etna can be seen over Ken's left shoulder (your right) in Taormina.

We find a nice sandwich shop on a side street near the Greek Theatre and enjoy our lunch all'perto. (Don't use the term al fresco in Italy; here it usually refers to spending time in jail.). The Teatro Greco is one of the world's most famous Sicilian landmarks. Described by Johann Wolfgang Goethe as "a stupendous work of Art and Nature," the massive theater is, to this day, a venue for large concerts and performances.

The beautiful garden Villa Communale in Taormina contains several
pagoda-style structures, built for bird-watching.

My favorite spot in Taormina is Villa Comunale, a public garden that was given to Taormina by Florence Trevelyan, an English aristocrat. From here we can can look out on Mount Etna and walk beneath shady tropical trees.

Ken and I take a break in Taromina's Villa Communale garden.

Noto

Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi in Noto is one of around 20 churches here.

The area of southeast Sicily called Val di Noto contains some of the most beautiful Baroque architecture in the world. The area was destroyed in a 1693 earthquake and villages were rebuilt in a unique manner, as described by Joseph Farrell in "Sicily: A Cultural History":

"This Baroque "island," whatever internal variations there are, was created after a natural disaster and is the product of one culture, one spirit, one set of circumstances, and one historical age, so the planning has a harmony, unity, coherence, uniqueness, and beauty not found anywhere else in Sicily, or indeed anywhere." 

Our tour guide tells us the history of the town of Noto, as we stroll along the wide streets lined with pale yellow stone churches and palaces. The town, along with seven other villages in the area, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Balconies of the mansions in Noto reflect the grandiose tastes of those that lived here.

Prancing horses support a balcony on the Palazzo Nicolaci in Noto.

The rich men who built palaces in Noto sometimes adorned
the balconies with likenesses of themselves and their friends.

I'll include one last photo — a postscript since I didn't take it in one of the towns I've written about here. It's the view of Palermo from Monreale: Not our favorite village, but mamma mia, what a view!

This view of Palermo is from Monreale. The 11-kilometer trip between
Palermo and Monreale takes about 25 minutes by car or 90 minutes by bus. 

Visiting Christ and other Sicilian sites

Cathedral of Saint Agatha in Catania contains the tomb of opera composer
Vincenzo Bellini, the city's most celebrated native son.

It doesn't take us long to become "church weary" when visiting a region such as Sicily. I thought that France and Spain had a lot of churches, but other countries seem to pale by comparison. Even an entire month here is not enough time to check out every major house of worship. I'd rather not pay admission to visit them, however, we are truly awed by some of the cathedrals and churches we encounter in Sicily.

This Christ is located in Cefalù's cathedral, one of Sicily's major Norman monuments.

This Christ is located in the Cathedral of Monreale, considered to be a pinnacle
of Arab-Norman art. 

This Christ is located on the ceiling of Cappella Palatina, another jewel of
Arab-Norman art. The basilica is located at the Royal Palace in Palermo.

Prophets and biblical kings adorn the arches of Cappella Palatina in Palermo.

This Christ is part of an exhibit at Palermo's Royal Palace that features
a detail of the mosaic in Cappella Palatina. 

This Christ is located in Taormina's cathedral.

Palermo's cathedral is located just a couple of blocks from our apartment. It's
free to visit, although one must pay to visit the tomb area, crypt, and roofs.

San Domenico in Palermo belongs to the Dominican monastery. It's been
rebuilt and remodeled many times over the past six centuries.

We also visit a number of museums, although the fair weather encourages us to stay outside and enjoy the sunshine. Our second day in Palermo is the first Sunday of the month, and we take advantage of free museum admission as we figure out how to find our way around the city.

The large medieval fresco 'The Triumph of Death' (artist unknown)
is the centerpiece of the Palazzo Abatellis gallery in Palermo. 

Palazzo Abatellis was in 1490-95 for Palermo's harbour-master and magistrate.
The mansion was taken over by the Benedictine order, then the regional government.
It was damaged in the 1943 bombings, restored, and is now an art museum.

When it isn't the first Sunday, admission to most of the Palermo museums costs around 6 euros. Sometimes, this is a bargain, such as for the surprising Palazzo Mirto. For other sites, such as the Riso Contemporary Art Museum, not so much. 

We are pleasantly surprised by Palazzo Mirto, an 18th-century mansion
in Palermo that has preserved its original furnishings.

A fancy Rococo fountain at Palazzo Mirto is one of the highlights
of the elegant museum in Palermo.

We are not impressed by the Riso. When we visit Palermo's
contemporary art museum, the galleries are nearly empty,
except for one artist, whose paintings depress us.

A couple of pricier sites on which we splurge include visits to the Palazzo dei Normanni (the Royal Palace) and a tour of Teatro Massimo. We choose the 30-minute tour of the opera house, but more lavish backstage and rooftop tours are available. The Neo-Classical style building is famous for, among other things, being featured in "The Godfather 3." (Michael Corleone watches a performance from the Royal Box, and his daughter is killed on the front steps.)

Palermo's Palazzo dei Normanni was originally an Arab stronghold.
It became the royal palace in Norman times and is now the seat of
the Sicilian Regional Assembly.

We start our short tour of Palermo's Teatro Massimo at this model. The opera
house is the largest in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe. The
backstage area is huge, allowing for lavish productions.

Teatro Massimo's beautiful frescoed ceiling can be opened for ventilation during
Palermo's hot summers.

I'm pretty clever at finding free sites too, and I'll include those in an upcoming post.

Exploring 'Greater Greece' in Sicily

Almond blossoms frame Temple of Concord in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento.

Sicily has long been a prize for the powerful: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hohenstafens, Angevins, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons all had their time ruling Sicily before the country was finally unified with Italy in the last half of the 19th century. Throughout Sicily, one can find remnants of ancient cultures, but its Greek ruins are perhaps its most precious artifacts. In fact, there are more Greek archaeological sites in Sicily than in Greece.

Temple of Concord in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

On one particularly beautiful day during our second week here, we take an early morning train to Agrigento, on the south coast of Sicily. It's an easy bus ride from the train station to the Valle dei Templi, where we spend the day exploring the incredible remains of a Greek colony.

Porta V in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Temple of Castor and Pollux in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Temple of Olympian Zeus in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Founded in 581 BC by settlers from Gela, the town of Akragas ballooned to a population of 200,000 within 100 years. Here we find the remnants of temples dedicated to Hercules, Olympian Zeus (Jupiter), Demeter, Hera (Juno), Concord, Vulcan, Aesculapius, and Castor and Pollux.

Temple of Hera in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Temple of Hera in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

The largest and most magnificent structure in the Valley is Temple of Concord. According to Joseph Farrell in the guidebook, "Sicily: A Cultural History," the name Concord is a misnomer, having been taken from an inscription found nearby the site. However the Doric-style temple is one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere in the world.

Temple of Concord in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Early Christian cemetery and kilns in Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

The following week, we join an all-day tour out of Catania that includes a stop at the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis in Siracusa (Syracuse). The site contains a large number of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins. The Greek Theater is the main attraction. Its 59 rows of seats could accommodate up to 15,000. Greek tragedies are performed here during an annual festival from mid-May through June.

Greek Theater in the Archaeological Park of Syracuse

The park also contains remnants of a massive Roman amphitheater, limestone caves, and a beautiful garden, once a quarry, called Latomie of Paradise. Here, we find the entrance to "The Whispering Cave," also called Ear of Dionysius, which is pitch-black inside. It was in this cave that Athenian prisoners were brought, tortured, taunted, and, if they lived for 10 weeks, were sold as slaves.

Latomie of Paradise in the Archaeological Park of Syracuse

Roman Amphitheater in the Archaeological Park of Syracuse

Our last stop on this tour is Ortygia (Ortigia), an island that is Syracuse's historical center. We pause at the Tempio di Apollo, located just over the short bridge that joins Ortygia to Siracusa. The remains are of the oldest Doric temple in Magna Graecia, the region that includes Sicily and southern Italy.

Tempio di Apollo, Ortygia

Tempio di Apollo, Ortygia