WATERHOLIC

A drop of water a drop of hope

PALERMO AND SICILY

Italy: the “boot”

Approaching Palermo

Sicily: the “Trinacria”

Palermo:“Conca d’Oro”(Golden Basin)

Monte Pellegrino

Capo Zafferano

The Gulf

Capo Zafferano

Monte Pellegrino

short infos:

• 4th or 5th most populated town in Italy

• 855.000 (urban area)

• 1.200.000 (metropolitan area)

• over 2.700 year old history

• more than 6 civilizations

Civilizations #1

• Greeks and Phoenicians (ancient navigators and traders from the eastern Mediterranean - Egypt and Mesopotamia area) in the 7th Century B.C.

• Punic wars and Roman Empire (250 B.C.)• Byzantine Empire (293 A.D. the Eastern part of

the Roman Empire)• Arab Rule (827-902 Palermo becomes the

capital of an Emirate)• TheNormans restored christianity (1071

Palermo becomes capital of the kingdom of Sicily)

• 13th century (1212) Frederick II of Swabia

Civilizations #2

• French Angevins (Charles I of Anjou) 1266–1282

• 1282: Sicilian War of Vespers, then Spanish Aragons (Sicily becomes the seat of a Spanish viceroy)

• 1734 Sicily i a Spanish possession, part of the Kingdom of “two Sicilies” with Naples as capital)

• Kingdom of Italy: general Giuseppe Garibaldi conquer Marsala and finally Palermo with his troops (the “Thousands”) in 1860

• 1943 allied American forces free Sicily from Nazi-fascism: Palermo is heavily bombed to chase German forces and its historical center is seriously damaged

ART

• Arab-Norman architecture combining Islamic, Romanesque and Byzantine elements

• Catalan GothicCharacterized by sobriety, proportions (width instead of verticality) and

elegance

• RenaissanceDomenico Gagini (sculptor) and Antonello da Messina (painter)

• BaroqueGiacomo Amato (architect) ,Pietro Novelli, Antoon Van Dyck (painters)

• RococoGiacomo Serpotta (sculptor), Wilhelm Borremans (painter) • Liberty (Art Nouveau)Ernesto Basile (architect)

Symbols of Palermo and SicilyThe Sicilian flag

The eagle of Palermo The football team shield

Symbols of Palermo and Sicily

Sicilian puppets: I “pupi siciliani” “Santa Rosalia”: the patron Saint

I “Cannoli” (with ricotta cream)

La “Cassata” (with ricotta cream)

I “Fichi d’India” (prickly pears)

“Panelle e Crocché” (chickpeas fritters and potato croquettes)

Between truth and stereotypesTraffic Jams

double lane parking

Between truth and stereotypes

“Mafia”

Between truth and stereotypes

…a short video

Web source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La2gLVySuMM