January 26, 2025
Our last full day in Taormina is a Sunday. The traditional day for many stores and restaurants to be closed and the local populace to take their Passeggiata or stroll. Everyone’s out to take in a little exercise after church.
Taormina Duomo, the building is that of the ecclesia munita, the church-fortress, it can be dated between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, certainly built on a previous medieval basilica (from Taormina Friends Club). The Duomo has a wooden, heavily beamed ceiling, the first of its kind we have seen in Italy.
«I’ve discovered a lovers’ paradise where we will one day come to live together».
January 27, 2025
We had a late check out and were able to linger until almost noon.
We are on our way to Caltagirone, a hill town between Taormina and Palermo. A town of about 33,000 people, known for its ceramic work. The islands earliest inhabitants, the Sicani created ceramic ware to store honey and other agricultural products. The term Majorica ceramics refers to glazing that was introduced by the Moors. This area of Sicily has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
January 28, 2025
Our first full day in Caltagiorne is sunny and warm in the low 60’s. We are just walking around up and down the hilly streets taking in the town.
You can barely see the piazza to the right in the photo above where Pete and I got into the long Italian lunch, spending almost 2 hours lingering over 3 courses. We don’t usually go out for dinner, as 7 to 8 pm is just too late for us to enjoy eating a large meal and only bars with Paninis, gelato, Calzone and pastries are open between 3 pm and 7 or 8 pm.
January 29, 2025
Pouring rain today and we procrastinated heading out to the Ceramics Museum. We were soaked by the time we arrived.
Scene with potter on the wheel and young apprentice in the presence of Athena
Biscene side of battle with quadriga
There was a whole section of the museum with ceramic ware and intricate figurines from surrounding areas towns and cities.
The areas’ high quality clay along with plentiful trees for firing allowed the area to become a hub of ceramics production since before the time of Arab-Sicily in 827 AD.
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Spaniards have left their mark on Sicilian culture, endowing it with different techniques, styles, and decorative motifs in ceramics.
From the museum information regarding the figurative ceramic pieces- Giacomo Bongiovanni opened a workshop in 1794. He abandoned his profession as a tailor to become a sculptor – he created allegorical statues in clay, then painted. His passion for the processing of clay was derived from his maternal family of Bertolone potters. He was an innovator, introducing what has become a traditional technique using thin layers of clay often overlapping with which he created the shape of the body, thus obtaining greater plasticity of the figures, softer draping and the appearance of motion in his work, as well as the polychromatic coloration in tempera, or oil, which, applied after firing, adds sharpness to the depiction. His repertoire is mainly inspired by the peasant world with figures and scenes of extraordinary expressiveness.
Two centuries later the workshop continues, faithful to the techniques developed by Bongiovanni.
Our walk back to our attic room wasn’t quite as wet. Many ceramic shops were closed for the day or winter.
A beautiful a hill city, we are off tomorrow to drop off the car at Palermo airport, Falcone e Borsellino. Fingers crossed that we are able to make the auto return without drama….
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