Cefalu, cooking class in Sicily, Roger II and wonderful ceramics

So my friend, Mary Calhoun, is back in Cefalu again!  Lucky her.   Alison and I met her when we did our 12 day tour of Sicily this year.  Where did we meet?  At a fabulous cooking class, Sicilian Food Lovers -Antonio was the chef and his wife Cinzia were absolutely wonderful.  We made pasta (good grief, who would have thought?), the filling for cannoli and had we ate outside by the olive and orange trees on a beautiful 17th century estate.  Can it get much better?  We had a terrific time and boy did I eat a lot.


Cefalu is a beautiful seaside resort between Palermo and Messina.  Most people go to see Roger II's cathedral, which we did go into.  Unbeknownst to Roger, someone put in modern, abstract art windows in his medieval cathedral!  For some reason though, I liked them.


We also walked along the lungomare, the usual promenade by the sea that most Sicilian towns have and we ate our share of octopus, sea bass and dolci.


For us history lovers, Cefalu dates back to the Carthaginians, Phoenicians, and all the usual suspects who found their way to Sicily.  Cicero is said to have stopped there and pronounced it one of the most beautiful places in Sicily. 

Yes, the Mediterranean really is that color!

Trapani Salt works

Trapani windmill in disrepair. Mounds of salt in front

Norman architecture

Medieval baths in Cefalu

I was totally envious that my writing partner got to go back to Sicily, and when she brought home the picture, my oh my, I'm sure I turned green.  She and her friends must have had a wonderful time. I got a postcard, not a T-shirt.  But with the postcard and the pictures from Trapani, I just might design a windmill quilt for her. Here are some of the wonderful places she visited.

Arrival of Greeks in Sicily

According to Vincenzo Salerno, Sicily's Bronze Age cultures c. 2500-1250 BCE, were the Castelluccian and Thapsos groups. The Castelluccian culture is being investigated by archaeologists as La Mulufuca in south central Sicily and were likely the forebearers of what are known as the Sicans, discussed in the earlier post. An identifiable Sicanian culture existed in Sicily c. 1600 BCE, and was influenced by the Phoenicians and Minoans. Greek colonization began about 735 BCE at Syracuse and widespread Hellenization of the island peoples soon followed. The Sicanians are frequently mentioned in Greek and Roman texts, including those from Appollodorus, Diodorus Siculus, Herodotus, Homer, Strabo, Pausanias, and Ovid.Herodotus mention the Sicianian city of Kamikos in his Histories. It was in the Agrigento area. The Temple of Diana overlooking Cefalu is a Roman temple built on the site of a former Sicanian temple to a similar goddess of the hunt.Little is known about the Sicanian mythology, literature (if any), or notable individuals, except for the legends of Kokalos, which may have been based on a historical figure, much like the tales of King Arthur.

Brian Catlos, Sicily, the Mediterranean and other medieval thoughts

So OK, I've been so preoccupied lately with planning my trip to Sicily (and Budapest and Iceland) next year that I've been neglecting my blog. So my friend Josh Birk recommended an author to me, just to keep me in the loop of present-day Mediterranean scholarship. That author would be Brian A. Catlos and I've already begun his book, Infidel Kings and Unholy Warriors, Faith, Power and Violence in the Age of Crusade and Jihad. For all you eggheads out there who are academically drawn to the Mediterranean, get this book. He has a new take on old scholarship and it's clear and well-reasoned. Look up his other stuff too. And if you're out in southern California around November 7 and 8, go see him in person at the UC-Irvine Mediterranean conference. So I'm trying to decide whether to stay around Mazara or Erice because I want to see the Greek temples at Agrigento. Isn't it fascinating that the best Greek ruins are in Sicily and southern Italy (Paestum - heaven on earth -yes, go see Paestum south of Salerno). And in Trapani I plan to visit the medieval salt museum as well as the salt pans since I write about them in our vespers trilogy. Last but not least, before visiting Budapest and soaking my bod in the hot springs of Iceland (Blue Lagoon, here I come!)we'll be traveling around Cefalu and Corleone (remember the Godfather? Although that's not why I'm going -there's actually a medieval connection there). Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions - feel free to comment!