Santa Rosalia ‘ celebration

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Santa Rosalia’ s celebration is going to start!!
Palermo and its citizens are going to celebrate their Patron Saint,Rosalia ,who saved the city from the plague on 1624… And since then …every year Palermo turns to be the most popular scene of devotion and tradition!
A huge parade with thousands of people will be following the big charriot where Rosalia statue will be standing blessing Palermo and its citizens!!
Singing,praying,shouting aloud “Viva A Santuzza,Viva Santa Rosalia”
Take part of it!
Share with me such strong emotions!!

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Palermo tour

Enjoy A day tour in Palermo city!
Make such an exciting experience to feel the atmosphere of different cultures,people and flavors which make Palermo city unique!
I ll guide you around to let you enjoy and appreciate such an interesting city rich of history and monuments which reveal a glorious past!
Contact me!
We’ll share such an emotion!
Raffaella
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Catacombs and BBC in Palermo!

imageToday it has been a great experience!
Shooting an interview to me in the Catacombs of Palermo city!
The BBC program is for children from 6 to 12 years old and the visit to the Catacombs such as my explanations about it were tailored made to this age!
It has been very exciting to perform the rule in such a kind of joke to make the visit funny and not so serious!!!
The two actors were fabulous ,they knew how to make the subject amusing and interesting to catch children’ attention!
This special place,the Catacombs,is full of emotions ’cause these embalmed bodies were true persons and they are mirror of their age and habit of the past centuries.It’s rather impressive to see men,women,children embalmed and put into niches like mummies…they are mummies!
So, another opportunity to share my great experience with you!
Come and visit the Catacombs guided by me!
Raffaella

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Palermo Street Art,Pop Art and Writers

Walking through the old Palermo city,fascinated by the baroque churches with the rich marble decoration,attracted by the red cupolas of the Norman Age churches enriched by the golden mosaics…suddenly…you will be surprised to discover another side of Palermo Art:
the Street Art and the Writers!
Colourful graffiti ,faces,strange figures ,mirror of an hidden culture which is becoming more and more popular!
Street Art characterizes the old quarters of the city, walking in the streets among the old buildings …. a fantastic graffiti comes out on the wall and it speaks to you whispering the existence of a Newpalermo_street_art Art who denounces an alternative way to express the inner thoughts and idea of a way of living.
Come to discover the other side of Palermo Art!

…guided by me!
Raffaella

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Symposium on Islamic Art in Palermo ,9-11 November 2013

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In Palermo,few days ago  took place a very interesting symposium on Islamic Art  sponsored by Virginia Commnwealth University(USA),VCU Qatar,Qatar Fondation and Hamad bin Khalifa University.

The matter was ” Light in Islamic Art and Culture ”

The experience, to attend the symposium based on such high level of studies about this subject ,was very exciting to me and I had the great opportunity to meet many people very knowledgable about Islamic Art and Culture.

In a sort of way,it was the chance to  share our different but, at the same time, very similar culture and art ,guiding them to visit Palermo heritage of arabic style such as Cappella Palatina,San Giovanni Eremiti, Zisa ..

I had a great emotion to see  strong feelings in their eyes gazing at the details of the  wonderful monuments of islamic art of Palermo.

The closing of symposium took place at Butera Palace ,a beautiful baroc palace,where I explained the story about the owner family and about the artist who enriched the palace…and to me, to speak to   such an important audiance…that  it was an experience!!

Raffaella,your guide in Palermo

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Salt pans in Sicily

imageSitting in front of  the Salt pans of Marsala,enjoying the beauty of a such incredible miracle of nature…salt in the seawater  harvested and collected making  a pyramid of salt!

The landscape is almost unreal…cones of white salt and windmills characterize the skyline of this side of Sicily…Stagnone Sea…is closed by  small islands  among them Mozia is the most important  archeological Phoenician site .

It’s very pleasant  to  feel  the  breeze of the sea which moves the windmills and the scent of wild nature  and the dust of the ancient stones of a glorious past…

Sitting and wondering how Dionysios I ,the Greek,  could have destroyed such a fortified island and defeated such an intelligent Phoenician people…

Waves and waves passed over  their  glory and the salt covered any traces of their past…

Sitting ,wondering and enjoying such a beautiful place!

Come and share with me such a feeling!

your guide…Raffaella

 

 

 

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Palermo,why not?

Settembre e ottobre 2012 038Palermo is a fascinating city,between the GoldenValley Mountains and the big golf,it ‘s a phoenician site founded in VIII c. B.C,Palermo is a perfect setting to enjoy your summer vacations.

The breeze of the Thyrrenian Sea  blows through the narrow medieval streets,through the amazing dancing  halls of the rich Baroque Palaces,through the charming  maiolica terraces on the bay,shaking the Palm trees and spreading the scent of the Zagara flower all over …making Palermo city magic and  unique!

The beautiful sandy beach ,the impressive monuments,mirror of a glorious past,the baroque fountains,the large avenues  of the liberty style side of the city where  you can stroll and enjoy  the everyday life

Palermo,why not?

Come to Palermo and let’s discover such an exciting city,guided by me!..your private licenced guide!

RaffaellaPalermo Why Not?

 

 

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Palermo and the Gay Pride

Palermo and gay pridePalermo always surprises me!!!. It’s a city where narrow streets,fascinating monuments,rich old palaces are the mirrow of a  such glorius past, powerfull and important city in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

On the contrary,sometimes, I fell like nothing will change in this city…but suddenly I find out an unexpected side of the city itself..something that I would have never imaged..about it…Palermo is going to be the  Italian Capital for the Gay Pride on 22sd June 2013!!

I’m very proud of it but I’m even more surprised  by learning that ,in Palermo city there is the first ,in Italy, public surgery, in Civico Hospital ,for the transexuals …

and I found out that  Cosimo Scordato ,an open minded priest, takes  a meeting with gays,lesbos and Transexuals  in his church,San Saverio church ,every Wednesday in order to read and to study the Bible to find out any references to omosexual world…and moreover… the first Arci Gay Club of Italy  was born in 1980 in Palermo city..!!

Well..everybody has realised that something new was in the air…since when the new President of Sicily  has been  elected ,Rosario Crocetta ,openly gay declared,..and that the winner of  Mister Gay of Italy is a guy from Palermo…

So,wellcome Gay Pride in Palermo city…a city gay friendly..!!

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Aida in Palermo

What an exciting experience  enjoy Aida  ,Giuseppe Verdi ‘s lyric,in Palermo Opera House which is dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi!

Aida ,Giuseppe Verdi’s opera wrote in 1870 and first performed in 1871 in Al Cairo  Opera  House  for which, Verdi wrote the opera itself, it is one of the most amazing and impressive italian lyric.

The majesty and the elegance which characterize the  liberty style  decorations inside  Palermo  Opera House match so well with the fabolous scenery of the opera Aida.

Since 12th till 18th April 2013 in Palermo

Come and enjoy the experience of a such wonderful   opera and  let ‘s  discover the treasures of Palermo city with me!  Your  private guide!

Raffaella

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Broccoli and Fava Beans

This  morning,strolling through tha faboulous and colourfull market, I bought a beautiful broccolo and some fava beans.

Sicilians love Broccolo which is a  local production from Sicily,and it ‘s green colour ,despite of the white italian’s one

Winter is Broccoli,Fava beans and artichokes season…you can see them everywhere in the middle of the orange and lemon fruit colour which charactherizes the market

A true Sicilian Recipe is “Macco di Fave” (fave soup) it’s a sort of soup,a cream, fava beans made with onion and pieces of bread ,if you like,as in the past  poor country people were used to have for dinner

It’ easy and very good !Here is:

I put fava beans(dried one) in the water for 12 hours,then I strain the water off and I put fava beans to boil in  the water  adding slices of onions and salt.

When fava beans are cooked, creating a sort of cream,you add a little bit of vergin olive oil ,sicilian one ,from Castelvetrano or from Cefalù (one of the best local production)..and it’s done!

Did you know that Romans believed that fava beans were ancestors’souls ?

..and here comes the true Palermo tradition on 2nd November(Deceaseds Anniversary) when parents give  presents and fava beans to their children in order to remember and to keep their dead relatives’s memory alive in the new generation ‘one.

Would you like to experience sicilian food and tradition?

Why not?!

Contact me on my website www.guidepalermo.com

You’ll love it!

Raffaella

 

 

 

 

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