Category: Travel

Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Where Plato tested and failed tyrant-taming

postcardsfromsanantonio2 Comments

Above: Caves created by ancient Greek quarries, including the notorious Ear of Dionysius, line a bluff in the Archaeological Park of Neapolis

Long ago, Siracusa became an important outpost of the Grecian Empire. For strategic reasons, the ancient city first developed on the small island of Ortigia.

A major vestige of this are the ruins of the Temple of Apollo in the heart of the city adjacent to the island’s bustling outdoor market. Forty-two monolithic columns once framed the sixth-century-BC Doric temple dedicated to the sun god. These remnants of the temple incorporated into several private homes and 16th-century military barracks occupying the site were “rediscovered” in the 1890s.

Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Where Plato tested and failed tyrant-taming” →

Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Water indeed creates a ‘strange island’

postcardsfromsanantonio3 Comments

Normally, I fail to designate states in my headlines and opt for the country alone. Poor identification in geo-political terms, but being proper would demand even more cumbersome headlines for my travel posts. In this case, I’m breaking with tradition and am ignoring Italy because Sicily seems almost another country.

Sicily hangs close to the toe of Italy’s boot as though a ball kicked off the mainland, floating amid the waters of the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas and the rest of the Mediterranean. Through the centuries, the island often fell under the rule of other powers than that of the mainland.

Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Water indeed creates a ‘strange island’” →

Postcard from Queretaro, Mexico: Strolling around an outdoor gallery and historic center

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Above: “Aurora Reyes Flores, First Woman Muralist of Mexico,” by Itandewi and Raquel Estrada

In commemoration of International Women’s Day in March, 100 women spent a weekend applying their designs to 100 screens mounted on the perimeter fence of Alameda Hidalgo. Organized by Santiago de Queretaro’s Secretary of Culture and Nueve Arte Urbano, “Exposicion Colectiva M100” paid tribute to historical figures who had contributed to the struggle for equal rights for women in Mexico. We were fortunate to stumble across the exhibition saluting impressive women as portrayed by talented young artists during our short March visit there.

Continue reading “Postcard from Queretaro, Mexico: Strolling around an outdoor gallery and historic center” →