Ferragosto in Messina (August 15)

August 15, 2011
10:00 am	to	11:59 pm

Today is August 15, which is called Ferragosto, an Italian holiday traditionally believed by Roman Catholics to be the day when the Blessed Virgin Mary was bodily assumed in to heaven (on the right, you see the statue carried in the procession in Messina).

This holiday was celebrated in the Roman Empire to honor the gods -specifically Diana- and the cycle of fertility and maturity. In fact, the present name of the holiday is taken from its original title of Feriae Augusti (from Wikipedia).

Ferragosto is a big national day in Italy: everything is closed and you barely find a doctor in case of emergency.

 

The Gigante and Gigantessa

 

The Gigante and Gigantessa are on view in Messina from August 10. Messina celebrates Ferragosto mixing sacred and profane traditions.
Prior to August 15, the colossal statues of a couple of giants on horseback – a Moor called Grifone and a inhabitant of the village of Camaro (above Messina) called Mata, founders of the city according to the myth (in the photo) – are taken around the city.

 

Video (1:06)

 

Map

 

Pantelleria through the Photos of Renato Bazzoni (Exhibition) through September 30, 2011

July 23, 2011 4:00 pm

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September 30, 2011 4:00 pm

Environment, architecture and photography are the themes of this exhibition organized by the Italian environmental organization FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) and winery Donnafugata.

The exhibition is called Emozioni di un paesaggio translated with Emotions of a landscape and displays 40 pictures by Renato Bazzoni, who was an architect and one of the funding members of FAI and died in 1996.

The photos, kindly lent by his wife Carla Bazzoni, were taken in the ’60s and ’70s and depict a rural architecture and integer landscape. Cotton, barley, olive trees capers and grapes were the major cultivations then. An attentive observer will notice the deep contrast with the actual status of the island, where agriculture is almost abandoned and the environmental degrade is rampant.

Map

Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi at the Greek Theater in Taormina

August 5, 2011
8:00 pm	to	11:30 pm
August 9, 2011
8:00 pm	to	11:30 pm
August 13, 2011
8:00 pm	to	11:30 pm

Opera is a tradition at Taormina Arte. This year Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi – one of the most famous operas – will be performed at the Greek Theater with a cast of international stars: directed by Enrico Castiglione with Juan Pons, Maria Guleghina, Giacomo Prestia and conducted by Pier Giorgio Moranti.

Palio dei Normanni (Video)

August 12, 2011 1:00 pm

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August 14, 2011 11:30 pm

Piazza Armerina celebrates the Palio dei Normanni, an event that commemorates the historical moment when Italy was set free from the Saracens. The program extends throughout three days and starts with a procession in historical costumes which goes through the town and arrives at the cathedral where a mass takes place and the knights of the city are blessed.

Map

Sicily 365 Days a Year

June 1, 2011 7:00 pm

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December 31, 2011 7:00 pm

Sicily 365 Days a Year is the new marketing campaign that the region just launched throughout the country to boost tourism to the island.

Every image links to a PDF with list of specific events.