Tag: palermo

Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Zisa Palace bears Moorish imprint

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Above: Marble sepulcher marker of Anna, died in 1148, inscribed in Jewish, Latin, Greek and Arabic

The fourth-born son of a king rarely grows up preparing to ascend to the throne. Yet, the deaths of the eldest three sons of Roger II (1095-1154), King of Sicily and Africa, all preceded their father’s. Ready or not, William I of Sicily (1121-1166) inherited the crown.

Of course, that makes things sound simpler than they were. Naturally, he faced challenges, quickly losing Africa to the Moors. Then there problems with popes, Byzantines, Romans, Greeks, scheming relatives and revolting barons. King William managed to stay in power, while refusing Sicilian nobles the participation in government they coveted. While his father was known as Roger the Great, William was dubbed the Bad or the Wicked. Perhaps this was unfair, but the history of his reign was penned by a nobleman with a definite chip on his shoulder.

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Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Marionettes and mummies

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Above: Museo Antonio Pasqualino Internazionale delle Marionette

Opera dei Pupi, a traditional form of Sicilian puppet theater originally focused on tales of the Crusades and French knights, was on the verge of disappearing when it attracted the interest of surgeon Antonio Pasqualino. He set about collecting everything he could related to the art and sparked the interest of others with the 1965 founding of the Association for the Conservation of Folk Traditions. A decade later, the association established the International Puppet Museum, naming it in memory of Pasqualino following his 1995 death.

The collection has become international in scope and is far from stagnant. The museum fosters cultural exchanges by hosting an international festival annually, nurturing contemporary artists and staging performances for all ages. We were surprised to witness a group of 11- and 12-year-olds howling at every punchline delivered in a dated traditional show.

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Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Artists color bombed-out and new walls

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Sadly, World War II bombers left a wake of damaged buildings behind them in Palermo, many still not renovated. Blank walls, even crumbling ones, are magnets for street art.

Some of these photos from our explorations are authorized works; some are enormous murals attempting to humanize housing projects; and others are found in random spots within the city’s labyrinth of narrow streets.

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