Loved staying on and ambling around the streets of Siracusa’s island of Ortigia. Hear are some parting shots.
Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Reflections upon departing”Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Reflections upon departing
Category: Travel
Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Palatial birthplace of ‘Queen’ of Two Sicilies
Eighteenth-century gowns in Palazzo Borgia del Casale
From noble lineage of two families, Giuseppe Maria Borgia Impellizzeri built an elegant palace on the edge of Piazza Duomo on Siracusa’s isle of Ortigia in 1760. Rococo fashions stationed throughout the main floor, open to the public, help spark the imagination to time-travel back to the times when grand balls were the norm for nobility.
Duchess Lucia Maria Migliaccio (1770-1826) was born within these halls. Widowed in 1812, she attracted the interest of a widower, King Ferdinand I of Naples (1751-1825). At the time, his Kingdom of Two Sicilies was besieged by both the British and the French, so he and Lucia married in secret in Palermo. Regaining his kingdom in 1816, Ferdinand was able to send for his wife to join him in Naples.
Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Palatial birthplace of ‘Queen’ of Two Sicilies”Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: From the Baroque to a modern landmark
Above: Chiesa del Carmine
Offering a quick glimpse of a few more churches in Siracusa.
There is a fairly consistent pattern in the history of the majority of these churches. They were built centuries ago; suffered substantial damage in the 1493 earthquake; and were rebuilt in Baroque style.
Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: From the Baroque to a modern landmark”
Postcards from Barton Springs 