Autumn appointments in Sicily
Sicilian autumn has soft colors and a mild air. A decidedly underrated yet enchanting season for traveling. During this period, some Sicilian villages offer unique spectacles, including walks in the woods, along country paths, along river gorges, on the shores of the still-warm Sicilian Sea, taking routes that go from the mountains to the sea in a day.
The area during this period is an explosion of precious fruits, from prickly pears to chestnuts, from mushrooms to walnuts, authentic gifts celebrated by festivals and village festivals. Appointments that are worth an escape from everyday life, even for an impromptu weekend getaway, perhaps in one of our Magna facilities. Natural stage of rare beauty, Sicily is not only sea and enchanting landscapes, but the scene of multiple cultural events, all year round. Enthusiasts of all art forms, take notes!
Palermo-Catania route between music, dance, cinema, art
Our cultural itinerary starts from Palermo. On display until October 31 a Royal Palace Sixteen symbolic paths of sixteen great artists, from Jeff Koons a Anselm Kiefer a Michelangelo Pistoletto, invite us to reflect on the ‘real reality’ after the succession of recent events that have turned it upside down, including pandemic and war.
Until September 29 the beautiful Abatellis Palace, designed by Matteo Carnalivari and restored by Carlo Scarpa, e the Botanical Garden, one of Italy’s most important academic institutions, are the two magnificent frames of the “Notes at the Museum” review. An ensemble of music and art, where at the concerts accompanied by the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra are followed by the visits to the Red Room, the Green Room and the Wunderkammer, the Hall that houses the Triumph of Death, a journey through late Renaissance, realist and Baroque painting. The program, which began on July 7 with the voice of Antonella Ruggiero, will culminate on September 29 with the Trio Anciuti, a unique formation of oboes and English horn.
September to May 2023, Villa Zito e Palazzo Branciforte will serve as the setting for four major exhibitions mounted by the Sicily Foundation: Pietro Gonzaga September through December, Antonio Ugo, from November to February, Lia Pasqualino December through May. On display again at the Palace “Nino Geraci. A forgotten sculptor of the 20th century in Palermo.”, October through January.
Palazzo Branciforte also inaugurates the fourth edition of “The Concerts of Palazzo Branciforte”, on Sunday, Sept. 11, with the piano recital by Albert Chines and a repertoire spanning Baroque and Romanticism from Bach Beethoven, and reaching as far as Bartok. Free admission while seats last.
Also returning to Palermo. Drusilla Foer with the recital “Eleganzissima”, staged on Sept. 7 at the Teatro di Verdura, to be repeated on the 13th in Taormina.
Visual arts, animated performances, music, popular and cultured theatrical performances for the Morgana Festival, Nov. 2-13. Widespread theater review, featuring performances by Italian and international companies and Puppet Opera, a must-attend event for artists of figure theater and oral storytelling. The review starts from the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum
and is articulated along some of the most scenic and representative places in the city, from the Church of Santa Maria Apostolo dei Crociferi to the Agramante Theater. The Puppet Opera and museographic materials on display dialogue with cultures and traditions from around the world.
And Palermo, a city of many cultural layers, is the ideal venue for IT.A.CÀ, Italy’s first and only festival dedicated to responsible tourism, awarded by the UN World Tourism Organization for excellence and innovation. A review of the traces of biodiversity, left behind by the crossing of peoples and cultures along a millennial history. From Sept. 16 to 19 the city becomes the scene of walking and pedestrian trails, seminars and workshops, book presentations and exhibitions, and tastings, under the banner of more ethical and sustainable tourism. An itinerary as different in its uniqueness as the one we at Magna Sicilia are proud to trace.
We leave Palermo for Taormina. Here, on display at Palazzo Campoli until Sept. 14 a collection of sculptures, canvases and altarpieces recovered from old church buildings, hermitages and churches. The story of the art of the Capuchin monasteries of Messina, Enna and Catania, in a time span from the Counter-Reformation to the Baroque.
The beautiful natural stage of Taormina’s Teatro Antico hosted on July 10 the preview of the
Bellini International Context
, a review of ballet, theater and music which celebrates the artistic genius of Vincenzo Bellini and will continue from Sept. 1 to Oct. 2 on various stages in the city of Catania.
Taormina’s Teatro Antico also hosts a concert by Sicilian singer Carmen Consoli, on Sept. 4.
Descending toward Catania, on the slopes of Mount Etna, the town of Milo, beloved alcove of great artists, from Battiato to Dalla, affirms its wine tradition with Vinimilo, the event entirely dedicated to Etna Bianco Superiore Doc. That has been repeated for 42 years. Producers, winemakers, sommeliers, food and wine journalists, and lovers of good wine grappling with 130 Etna Doc labels, gourmet dinners, taste workshops, and winery tours. Also planned are hikes in the woods and corners of street food a celebration of typical recipes. Until theSept. 11.
A Catania scheduled from October 16 to November 6 the Catania Off Fringe, an international festival of theater and performing arts. For lovers of opera musicals, at the Catania Pala goes on stage from Nov. 11 to 20 the Notre Dame de Paris. Good humor is guaranteed with Fiorello’s show, at Villa Bellini, on a triple date, from Sept. 6 to 8, repeated on Sept. 10, 11 and 12 in Palermo.
Licodia Eubea proposes the Archaeo Visual Award, as part of the Festival of Communication and Archaeological Cinema. From Oct. 13 to 16 the small inland village of Catania is dedicated to the popularization of the ancient through the visual arts, with screenings of documentaries and docu-fictions and meetings with professionals in archaeology and popular cinema.
On the Ragusa-Agrigento route classical theater, art exhibitions and a dash of folklore
The itinerary continues with Ragusa and its Ibla Buskers, a highly anticipated international festival of street artists. From Oct. 7 to 9 tightrope walkers, jugglers, mimes, musicians will envelop the historic heart of the town in a circus atmosphere, at times dreamlike, with performances inspired by ancestral rites for Iblea, ancient goddess of fertility.
Leaving Dubrovnik we head towards Drills. Glimpses of signature September events for the Segesta Theater Festival, which will end on September 4 its intensive program of Theater, music, poetry, dance. This year 26 performances set against the natural backdrop of the archaeological park, between the Ancient Theater and the Temple of Aphrodite. Virgilio Sieni, Roberto Latini, Compagnia Zappalà Danza, the Rotating Dervishes, interventions of Massimo Cacciari and Umberto Galimberti, just to mention a few names.
Trapani’s programming continues in San Vito lo Capo with one of the most anticipated events, the “Cous Cous Festival”, Sept. 16 to 25. Ten days of Beach concerts, tastings, cultural events and cooking challenges, with chefs from around the world for the Cous Cous Championship. An international festival of cultural integration under the direction of Massimo Bonelli, curator of such notable events as the May Day concert in Rome or the De André Prize. “We emphasize the sentiments that, despite the current situation, continue to win and assert themselves and that, in keeping with the festival’s soul, transcend borders, barriers, and cultures.” stated Fabio Polisano, creative director of the event’s new visual. A Gibellina the museum of contemporary art is exhibiting until Sept. 30 150 shots chronicling the loves and friendships of Frida Kahlo. The goal of
Imogen Cunningham, Leo Matiz, Edward Weston and other excellence in photography for a personal portrait of the iconic twentieth-century painter who contributed to the emancipation of women and pain.
One cannot think of a visit to Sicily without attending one of the many festivals and folk festivals. In early November in Trapani, hundreds of figures in period costume fill the alleys of the old town for a evocative medieval historical re-enactment inspired by the death of the infant Manfred, son of Frederick III of Swabia, which occurred here. Civil and military encampments of the village are reconstructed, amid workshops of old crafts, historical archery and medieval banquets.
Last stage Agrigento. Art, nature and culture intertwine in the Valley of the Temples with the review “The Stoai – Symposium of the Gods.” three-act play in repetition for 4 months through Oct. 28. Inspired by the thousand-year history of ancient Greece, the performance unfolds in three touring acts: the ritual, among the centuries-old olive trees in the garden – the symposium, in the indoor hall with tastings of ancient Greek products and grape Ambrosia – the myth, on the outdoor terrace. A three-act with dinner fruit of the synergy and passion for ancient cultural and gastronomic traditions of the entrepreneur Antonio Alba, of the plaintiff Simona Frenna and chef Rosario Matina.
For those who prefer an experience on small islands, a Salina goes on from Sept. 15-18 the
Salina Doc Fest,16th documentary film competition. This year’s theme, “Diasporas, Encounters and Metamorphosis.” and environmental protection. This edition of the festival is cross-culturally aimed at the enhancement of small production realities linked to the island’s territory, with showcooking and tastings.
You don’t live by summer alone!
Failed to plan your summer vacation? No problem! Sicilian autumn awaits you with natural wonders and events–and we at the Magna Team!
by Stefania Capassi