Bas-relief is a sculptural technique that gives life to splendid masterpieces. Figures are depicted on stone, marble, bronze or ivory surfaces, from which they protrude with a slight relief....

In Greek and Roman mythology satyrs were creatures that lived in the woods, immersed in nature and surrounded by nymphs. The Greeks imagined them as having a human form, but with ears, a tail and sometimes horse hooves and called them the "demons of the forest". They were considered demigods and...

The courtyard, or castle atrium, and Via Porta della Terra are where the mustard and prickly pear festival takes place in October. Numerous stalls offer the chance to taste and buy typical products from the surrounding countryside. The scent of mustard spreads through the streets, tickling the n...

At the beginning of the 17th century Francesco Branciforte and his wife Lady Joanna of Austria had an impressive library built next to their palace, containing thousands of volumes, artwork, world maps and other curious objects. It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and never rebuilt, so all tr...

The precious Nativity from the church of Santa Maria della Stella la Vetere (St. Mary of the Star), on the outskirts of the town of Militello, remained intact after the great earthquake. Commissioned in 1487 by the Lord of Militello Antonio Pietro Barresi, created by the Florentine workshop of And...

The term necropolis in archaeology refers to a group of tombs from periods before Christianity (for Christian tombs the word cemetery is used). Literally meaning "city of the dead", in ancient civilisations necropolises were fundamental places due to the importance of worshipping the dead and beli...

Giovanni Tuccari, the painter who frescoed the church vault, was named "fulmine della pittura" (lightning-fast painter) for his speed. It took him very little time to paint such a large surface, because he used the same technique as some 18th-century artists who had similar requirements. From a dis...

The term allegory in painting refers to the representation of abstract concepts or words using a veritable image, such as human figures....

The term polychrome is used in reference to an object with multiple colours that create a decorative effect....

St. Benedict was probably born in 480 AD, shortly after the fall of the Western Empire in 476 AD when Italy was invaded by the Goths, a barbarian population that plundered and devastated many ancient Italian cities. It was St. Benedict's idea to found two monasteries, Subiaco and Montecassino, to br...