A trip to the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica is like a journey through time.
The landscape is dominated by limestone rock in a labyrinth of caves, caverns, ravines and canyons containing more than five thousand tombs.
Even today it is still possible to access the inside of the necropolis and touch ...
The cathedral’s superb façade, between chiaroscuro and contrast
In the extreme exuberance of its shapes and the richness of its decorations, the façade of the Cathedral of Syracuse offers itself up as a poem of curves and volutes. Its dramatic architectural style is dominated by playfulness and the fluidity of lines, and produces the typical feeling of the "joi...
The ancient shepherds’ music: the “marranzanu”, or Sicilian mouth harp
One of the instruments of ancient Sicilian shepherds, the "marranzanu", or mouth harp, was used to accompany the flute.
In Sicily, the term marranzanu is used to refer to night crickets.
Therefore, it's likely that the instrument was named using onomatopoeia because of its sound and monotone hum. ...
On the days when the city's patron saint, St. Lucy, is celebrated, a table in Syracuse is not complete without the cuccìa: a typical Sicilian dessert made with boiled wheat and sheep's milk ricotta or white or chocolate cream.
These ingredients are combined with candied fruit, cinnamon, chocolate ...
In ancient times, Greek temples did not only have the pale marble and the surface of terracotta that we see today, a result of the passing of centuries.
These buildings were originally decorated with bright colours obtained with cinnabar, ochre or mercury sulphide, and many other colours already kn...
Kashrut (which in Hebrew literally means "fit", i.e. for consumption) indicates, in the common sense, the suitability of a food to be consumed according to the dietary rules of the Jewish religion established in the Torah.
Food that meets the requirements of kashrut is said to be kosher. The Torah ...
Near the northern Necropolis, there is the Grotta dei Pipistrelli (Bat Cave), the largest natural grotto in Pantalica.
Those who enter this place no longer have daylight to guide them and must rely on their sense of hearing only. Its silence is interrupted by large drops of water falling from the s...
Within the familiae managed by "ludisti", the gladiators followed the gladiatoria sagina: a satisfactory diet, evidently aimed at improving their physical performance.
This diet included many plants such as legumes, grains, onions, garlic, fennel seeds, fruit and dried figs, and was poor in meat bu...
"Giuggiulena" is a dialectal term used by Sicilians to refer to the white stone of Syracuse: a sedimentary rock typical of the quarries of the Hyblaean Mountains.
This type of stone was formed in the Miocene (a geological era that began around 20 million years ago).
Its colour is defined by severa...
The peaceful ponds of Pantalica are invaded by fragrant water mint, a very aromatic plant. It is the oldest of all the numerous species of mint.
The Romans had already discovered it and would put sprigs of mint in sacks of grain.
The smell of mint would in fact bother mice which otherwise would ha...
MiC – Ministero della Cultura
Legge 77/2006 - Misure Speciali di Tutela e Fruizione dei Siti Italiani di Interesse Culturale, Paesaggistico e Ambientale, inseriti nella “Lista Del Patrimonio Mondiale”, posti sotto la Tutela dell’ UNESCO Regione Siciliana.
Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana.
Parco archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento.
touch 
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