La Residenza

Sicilian Horse Carts

by isolina_it

The cart creator's art is almost a lost one, kept alive by the diligence and dedication of just a few talented craftsmen --at once carpenters, ironsmiths and artists.

In the carts paintings, Sicilian kings and knights stride alongside legends like Roland --the Italians' Orlando. Normans fight Moors and Sicilians combat Angevins.

In centuries past, these works of art were everywhere in Sicily. The few that remain, and the few which are created each year, seem to represent more than another era. They symbolise a way of life, and the fact that Sicily's unique medieval history has never been far from the popular mind. A few antique carts can be seen, and new ones purchased, in the Sicilian Cart Museum behind the apse of Palermo Cathedral.

- For a whole history of the sicilian cart you can follow the link below, enjoy it, you will discover something very unexpected! -

c\da Badiazza



In the...

by isolina_it

c\da Badiazza



In the surroundings of Messina, in a valley at the feet of Peloritani Mountains, we find the wonderful medieval church of ' S. Maria della Valle o della Scala' ( St. Mary of the Valley or of Stairs); the church was born nearby an important communication road, which, through

long stairs climbing up the Peloritani,connected the eastern valley to the Tyrrhenian zone and to Milazzo plains. Its foundation goes back to the XI century, and was realized by Benedictine nuns, who, near the Abbey, possessed also a Monastery, whose remains are scarce. From its foundation, Badiazza had a great prestige, collecting many royal privileges ( beginning with that of William II d'Hauteville, in 1168), that were reconfirmed by all medieval sovereigns. About its foundation, a legend exists. Once, in the interior, there was a picture of the Virgin, who had stairs nearby. According to the legend, a ship, with merchants coming from Syria, landed to Messina and, after discharging goods, prepared to leave, hiding the Virgin's picture, stolen in the East. After many attempts, merchants realized they were holded by a supernatural force, and so decided to declare the possession of that precious picture. They went to the Archbishop and, in front of King Frederick II Hohenstaufen, declared their theft. So, it was decided to disembark the picture and the ship was able to sail; in the meantime, the picture was loaded on a cart pulled by oxen, and it was let free, until it stopped in the place where now the church lies. In 1282, during the Vespers' war, French soldiers, who were besieging the city, after pillaging the church, set it on fire.
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It was rebuilt and enlarged by Frederick II of Aragon and was later abandoned, because of the great pestilence, in 1348, when Virgin's image was brought in procession to the city, to avoid the pestilence. After it came to an end, nuns decided to move to a new Monastery, built inside the city, and used to return to the old one only in summer. Its decline, anyway, growed, because of torrents' overflowings and earthquakes. From 1982 it underwent a new restoration. The church is a fine example of medieval art and puts together many aspects of Sicilian architecture of that time. The Latin cross church is divided into three aisles; the cupola, which collapsed in the XIX century ( but we can see it in some printings), was hemispherical, maybe influenced by Arab architecture. Later, gothic-like forms were added, as we can see in its characteristic ogival elements: apses' shrines, cross-vaults ( with mixed material of limestone and lava) and the portals. Aisles are divided by powerful pillars, surmounted by fine capitals with vegetable motives ( with hooked leaves and crosses). We do not possess almost anything of church's artistic patrimony. Apses were covered with fine Byzantine-style mosaics, made in the Swabian period: of them, only a little fragment remains, which represents St. Peter's head (now in the Regional Museum). In the Regional Museum, we also find a wonderful 'tondo' ( circle), in majolica, of the 'Madonna della frutta' or 'Madonna col bambino' ( Virgin of the fruit or Virgin with the child), attributed to the Florentine Luca della Robbia, of the XV century. The painting of the ' Madonna della Scala' ( Virgin of the Stairs), moved to the new Monastery in Messina, has been lost because of 1908's earthquake. The exterior of the church, in the entire perimeter, is characterized by a battlement, recently restored.

The Aquarium

by isolina_it

The aquarium of Messina was built in the late 50's by the Istituto Talassografico of the CNR in the interior of the Mazzini Villa.
In 1986 it was donated to the City Hall. In houses many different varietes of fish and Invertibrates among the guest are the "diafona ciona" part of the Tunicatus family, the condrosie that are sponges of various color.
On the Antozoi family are the brown sea anemones and the red sea tomato, also there are some species of Horny Coral that form species tree-like columns. The marine Anellidi are represented by the spirograph, and by the sabella pavonina, among the Echinodermata, are the starfish and the sea urchins.
In addition to the species above, the aquarium is also home to the cat fish, that live entirely under the sand, electric eels, octopus, the pacific shark, that feeds on small prey, dursky perch, sea-bass, perch, au from tropical seas.
Very numerous in the family on the Labridi among which the olive green tordo, the zingarelle of various colors, depending on the sex, the donzella pavonina from the Red Sea area, and San Pietro fish. One of the most curious guests is the pappagallo fish, the only Scaride present in the mediterranean.
On the whole, the museum houses 60 ittiche species that are fed fish, crustaceans, molluscs. They are housed in 22 mediterranean tanks and 8 aquarium that reproduce aquatic environments, of the worl, lit by natural light and alternated by artificial light.

Messina, Sicilia

by seagoingJLW

"20th Century City"

Although, Sicily was founded by the Greeks in the 8th century BC as animportant cultural center, it became the "breadbasket" of the Roman Empire. Until 1860 when it became part of Italy, Sicily was occupied by Arabs, Normans, Germans, Spanish and French.

There was a major earthquake in Messina in 1908, and the city was repeatedly bombed during World War II. Thus, when you visit you see a 20th century city.

The photo shows us coming into the harbor at Messina.

Messina's Cathedral, Santa Maria degli Alemanni Church while largely destroyed by the earthquake, has been rebuilt along the original 13th century lines. The Bell
tower has an astronomical clock.

There is an original Crusader's church constructed in the 12th century., the Annunziata dei Catalani Church. Supposedly Richard the Lionhearted attended this church.

Messina is connected to the mainland by a ferry service.

Alcantara Gorges ("Gole dell

by isolina_it

If you want to explore this charming site, once you get the free-parking area there are two ways to go down. You can take the lift and pay a cheap fee or you can go down by the free flight of steps. You will arrive on the gravel bed of Alcantara river, surrounded by the stately size of the dark-basalt walls, engraved up to 30metres by the water. So you'll admire the wonderful coloumn-shaped structures, cracking the vulcanic rock in numberless prisms.
Better have long boots you can hire on the place, the water gets colder as you go up the river!