Super Sicily
Jan Migenda
— 0 people follow the author
In 2017, my university in Germany did a study tour to Sicily ... I will give you lots of history and photos from this intercultural place!
Blog posts
-
![Italy]()
Solunt 2
Under the blue sky, we had a great view over the whole lagoon! In the ancient city site, there were some remains of colourfully painted walls! The best surviving artwork was this elaborate floor mosaic with Greek patterns! Again, a temple played an important role in...
-
![Italy]()
Iaitas
Coming from the highway, we went on to see Iaitas, a city which was a centre of Muslim resistance to emperor Frederic II in the 13th century and was destroyed by him in 1246. On the plain, you could see smoke rising up in many places ... intentional fires to burn...
-
![Italy]()
Iaitas 2
From the hills, we could see the whole valley including the highway ... The patches of land were dried out in the summer heat ... The theatre of Iaitas remains as a cultural site in a destroyed city. Down below, we could see a modern village, built in a strictly...
-
![Italy]()
Himera
The next day, Himera awaited us with this sign near the parking lot where our bus stopped. Looks like the mafia is still active in some regions ... The museum showed us the true colours of ancient temples: Yellow, blue and red among the white of the marble stone. Only...
-
![Italy]()
Cefalù
Moving on under clear blue sky, we saw castles built on hills ... and castles built into the sea (this one reminded me of Ireland) ... and a nice view from below an olive tree ... Finally, we arrived at Cefalù (Kephaloidion). Again, the cathedral had Norman...
-
![Italy]()
Patti
As we were driving along the shore, we saw these craggy cliffs ... they reminded me of Ireland. Marina di Patti is the wonderful beach of the village Patti ... look at all the tourists besides the historical buildings! We passed another ruin on a small peninsula ......
-
![Italy]()
Messina: Castello Milazzo
Messina has a long history which is basically the same as the rest of Sicily's: Early Greek colonisation, Carthaginian and Roman assaults, Goths and Byzantines, Arab and Norman conquests, Swabians, Aragonese, Habsburg, Bourbons, Garibaldi and lots of destruction in...
-
![Italy]()
Tindari
Tinadri greeted us with this colourful mural ... Italians know their country and their arts! The famous cathedral looks very modern and fake with its shiny facade ... indeed, it was rebuilt, yet I think it's still beautiful! Inside, they keep a black Madonna statue on...
-
![Italy]()
Scylla
Driving by bus, our view was always nice: Wide landscapes like this bay opened up before us in the sunshine! Passing by a village, we saw the beach ... ... and we arrived at the castle (again of Norman origin). Now for the main attraction: In the sea around this...
-
![Italy]()
Crotone
After passing the Capo Colonna, we arrived at Crotone, where we saw the Archeological Museum. Here you can see early ceramics with animals such as goats drawn unto them. This black-figure vase showed war scenes (maybe about the Trojan War as so often). This...
-
![Italy]()
Crotone 2
In the next part of the museum, we saw this terracotta dragon's head. This is a gravestone for a beloved woman: It reads D<3M Fabia Sperata Sallustis; the rest is not legible anymore. Apparently, they had also invented leetspeak back then ... just kidding. This is...
-
![Italy]()
Crotone 3 - Bronze Age
The third part of the museum showed us parts from the Bronze Age, for example this spear. These bronze swords are typical of these times with their ornamental handle. Paintings like these reconstructions of Bronze Age people help visualize the times. Entering the...
-
![Italy]()
Crotone 4 - Classical and Roman Age
From the Archaic and Classical Period, we can see these meandering patterns which were used on walls for decoration. This Roman mosaic shows a bear hunt with dogs - dangerous! On this red-figure vase, you can (again) see a man chasing a woman ... ah, these...
-
![Taormina]()
Taormina - Goethe was here!
The next day, we went to see Taormina where Goethe famously was for a bit. The entrance gate greeted us in red and with some columns in front of it. We actually have a picture of this in our living room, and only now I realised what it really was! Behind the blooming...
-
![Taormina]()
Taormina and the Bay of Naxos
Here's another view of the bay of Naxos ... you can see the beach! This picture also shows some ships in a lagoon ... dolce vita! Here is the theatre again, but with a wider view of the hills in the background ... On this peninsula, there seems to be a white villa...
-
![Taormina]()
Taormina City
In the colourful city of Taormina, we saw these crafty porcellaine heads ... the style clearly shows oriental influence, although the artwork in itself remains European heritage. The massive facade of the cathedral was rounded and blank ... a pretty common style in...
-
![Taormina]()
Naxos
Passing this island in the sea (a good place for a castle?), we went to the bay of Naxos. At home, we have some dried rose leafs from there ... it would be a promising place! The idyllic villages in the hills watch over the bay while a great ship rushes into the...
-
![Catania]()
Catania
The second last day, we finally arrived at Catania, the island's second largest city. Since 2002, the historical part of the town is UNESCO world heritage alongside with other cities of Val di Noto. Poets like Ibykos whose sensual poems were received by Schiller and...
-
![Catania]()
Catania Museum / Castello Ursino
In a museum close to the theatre, we saw this marble sarcophagus decorated with city scenes and flowery motives. Renaissance art in the form of still lives with fruit were a nice change ... ... this one also had a fountain in the background. The Norman castle...
-
![Catania]()
Castello Ursino Museum
In the next parts of the museum, we saw this marble shrine with divine beings and heroes on it ... it must be valuable! This red-figure vase shows a rich banquet ... people back then knew how to party! On this Greek inscription, you can read "Phlabios" which is...
