A SICILIAN PALAZZO TOUR WITH PRINCE ROGER BISCARI

When I told an American friend of mine two years ago that I was visiting Sicily she said "You can't leave Sicily without visiting the Palazzo Biscari in Catania - I spent several years of my life studying that place and it's a must!!" Having just completed a Masters thesis on it she had all the info on how to go about doing just that. 

VIA MUSEO BISCARI - CATANIA
Just one street back from the seafront

THE GRAND BAROQUE ENTRANCE 
TO THE PALAZZO BISCARI
Above the arch are the arms of the Biscari family

On one of the days we spent in Catania itself we walked down the grubby Via Museo Biscari to find the palazzo. The entrance was a huge and monumental structure with huge pair of intimidating wooden doors giving no indication of what could be found within. My friend had told me to ring the bell which I did and after a couple of minutes one of the two doors creaked open a fraction and an elderly gentleman who turned out to be the gatekeeper, asked us our business in Italian - it was soon apparent he spoke no English. The next few moments involved a laboured effort on my part to explain what we wanted. Eventually he managed to tell me I needed to ring Prince Roger, the current Prince Biscari and he soon thrust a grubby piece of paper in my hand with a scrawled telephone number on it. Full of trepidation I used my mobile phone to ring the number and it was quickly picked up by no other than Prince Biscari himself; he spoke excellent English. "Ah - you want to come on a special guided tour given by me" he said - "Come back at 11am and I'll show you round!". What a treat was in store - a private tour of a famous palazzo with a real life Sicilian Prince!!

THE COURTYARD OF THE PALAZZO BISCARI
The flight of steps is the main entrance to the
state rooms of the Palazzo

Prince Biscari turned out to be a genial, not in the least bit intimidating Sicilian gentleman in his 50's keen and enthusiastic to welcome us to Palazzo Biscari. Part of just a very small group of visitors we began our tour in the wonderfully atmospheric if a little delapidated palazzo courtyard so typical of Italian grand houses and it was there that the Prince gave us a potted history of this grand place. 

ROGER - PRINCE BISCARI
Our Palazzo Guide

Before the 1693 earthquake, which devastated much of Catania, there had existed here a palazzo belonging to the Paterno Castello family headed by Principi di Biscari. This was so badly damaged by the quake that it had to be demolished soon after the earthquake. As the rebuild of Catania began, a few aristocratic families, including the Castello family, were given permission to rebuild their homes. In this case the granting allowed the owner to use part of the old city walls which had survived the quake to be used as foundations for the new house. Work began in 1702 under the supervision of Vencenzo Biscari - the 4th Prince, who was only 17 years old. Keen to make his mark and re-establish his family's place in Catanian society, he had plans drawn up in the newly fashionable Italian Baroque style. The initial work would then be followed up and further enhanced by his nephew, Ignazio Paterno Castello who became 5th Prince when his Uncle died in 1744. A cultured and artistic man he was enthusiastic about the popular Rococo interior decoration style, so as well as adding a new apartment to the palazzo for himself and his new bride, he decorated some of the principal reception rooms in this taste. These decorative schemes survive to this day. So - as with many Sicilian buildings of this type, the end result, completed in 1763, is a splendid confection of various architectural and interior decoration elements woven together to produce something unique and splendid. Here are a few of the photographs I took on the visit with captions. 

HERE, ON THE SEAWARD SIDE, IT'S
POSSIBLE TO SEE HOW PART OF THE
PALAZZO SITS ON TOP OF THE OLD
CITY WALL

THE BAROQUE SCULPTURES
FORM THE FRAMES TO THE DOORWAYS
WHICH GIVE ACCESS TO THE TERRACE ON TOP OF THE CITY WALLS

BAROQUE PILASTER DETAIL

THE SALONA DE BALLO (BALLROOM)

VAULTED BALLROOM CEILING
IN TYPICAL ROCOCO STYLE
THE FRESCOED CUPOLA DEPICTS
THE GLORY OF THE BISCARI FAMILY

PART OF THE PRIVATE APARTMENT
CREATED BY IGNAZIO FOR HIMSELF
AND HIS NEW WIFE

PRINCE ROGER DISCUSSES HIS 
FAMILY HISTORY

MY PARTNER JON CONTEMPLATES
WORKS OF ART IN THE PALAZZO 

If you visit Catania and want to see the Palazzo Biscari - to gain access try what I did and seek out the gateway concierge. I believe the palazzo is only open to private groups. It is also used for functions like marriages and other celebratory parties.

SICILIAN STREET FOOD LIKE NO OTHER!!!!

 ARANCINI - DON'T GO TO SICILY WITHOUT DISCOVERING THIS DELICACY!

One of the many delights of my trip to Sicily two years ago was the sampling of its local delicacies. On a visit to Catania city centre we we visited a street side cafe recommended to us by our hotelier to sample the local dish called Arancini di Riso Siciliana (Sicilian Rice Balls) and my goodness what a treat this turned out to be!!

SICILIAN ARANCINI

Arancini is one of Sicily's best known street foods and though it's now eaten throughout Italy and round the world, its Sicily where it's thought to have originated. So important is it to Sicilian society - they have a festival dedicated to it every December 13th when tradition prevents the eating of bread and pasta in favour of this wonderful dish. 

In the cafe in Catania the rice balls are cone shaped and not surprisingly this is an influence picked up from the shape of the city's backdrop volcano - Mount Etna. In other parts of the island the arancini are more rounded in shape - the word arancini in fact is derived from the Sicilian word "aranciu" which means orange. After cooking the round shaped arancini look a bit like oranges!!

Essentially all arancini consist of a deep-fried breaded coating containing spiced rice and at the centre a soft flavoursome filling which most commonly consists of a slow cooked ragu sauce of mince flavoured with tomato sauce and seasonings. As I type this description now - my mouth is watering at the memory of first tasting this splended delicacy. 

MMMM - THE SPICED RICE FILLING
INSIDE THE BREADED COATING

The origins of arancini are shrouded in mystery but many believe they were first made in the Sicilian middle ages - probably the 10th century in fact when Sicily was under Arabic rule. It's the arabs that probably introduced spiced rice to the island, though it may have been the Normans that were responsible for the ragu sauce filling. Frederick II of Swabia is also often credited with transforming the basic idea of the dish in to a portable snack by looking for a way of taking the dish on hunting trips. The deep fried and breaded coating would have been the perfect solution to the problem. 

MY PARTNER JON SAMPLES AN ARANCINI
IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY - 
EATEN WITH THE FINGERS FROM A 
PAPER NAPKIN

Whatever the case - today Arancini is one of Sicily's best known street foods and one can't visit the island without trying it. Believe you me - try it once and you'll be back for seconds. A variety of fillings are available in many cafes but I think it's the one with the ragu sauce that makes this a stand out tasty treat!

LAYERS OF HISTORY - SIRACUSE CATHEDRAL

 A GORGEOUS SICILIAN LAYER CAKE!!

SYRACUSE CATHEDRAL - A STUNNING ARCHITECTURAL GEM

One of the things that makes Sicily so interesting is the tangible "on the ground" evidence of layers of settlement by different civilisations over the millenia. In the middle of the island of Ortygia where the historic core of Siracuse lies, there's a building that took my breath away when I first saw it two years ago - Siracuse Cathedral. Here, before ones eyes, is a building where layers of Sicilian history are visible in the clearest of ways. 

The origins of a building on the site go way back in to the pre-historical period but the present building can be traced back to to the 5th century BC during the time Sicily was occupied by Greek settlers. Here a huge temple dedicated to Athena was erected in the Doric architectural style with 14 columns on each of the long sides and 6 columns on the front and back. The size and quality of the temple give an indication of how important Ortygia was as a commerical and cultural centre in Magna Graecia (Greater Greece). 

The present cathedral church dates from the 7th century AD and what's remarkable is that the columns of the original temple were incorporated in to the new structure. These ancient columns can now be seen both outside and inside the church. 

In 878AD, during the Moorish occupation of Sicily, the christian church was converted to a mosque and some alterations were made to the church. On the outside the side elevations show ornamental crenellations near the parapet which are of moorish origin. 

In 1085 the church reverted to a christian one again when the Norman Roger I of Sicily captured Siracuse. Norman elements seen in the church today are the nave roof and the mosaics in the apses of the church.

In 1693 Sicily was shaken by a massive earthquake and the church was damaged. A rebuild took place between 1725 and 1753 and this also involved the refacing of the front elevation to designs by the architect Andrea Palma. Not surprisingly a modern Baroque style was chosen and this is the elevation that now fronts the square.

Since 2005 the cathedral has been a key feature of the Syracuse World Heritage site. If I was visiting Sicily for the first time and only given an opportunity to study a single building in depth - this would be the one!! 

All the photographs were taken by me in February 2020.

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