Buon giorno,
I could sit here all afternoon sipping aperitifs and eating those lush black olives I got from the market. But no. Duty calls, and I'll blog instead.
I began my day with a trip to the grocery store. One thing I got was a selection of sauces for my pasta. Now no self-respecting Italian would buy premade sauce like this--maybe in a pinch a jar of tomato sauce they could dress up--but I am not a self respecting Italian, and I like to try a variety of things. This is a good way.
Today's target was Palazzo Biscari. Now Catania used to be simply sick with one aristocratic palazzo after another in the historic center. Most of them have converted to hotels, apartments, or office buildings. They are labeled and you can see them as you walk by, but you can't visit. So I was glad to be able to attend Palazzo Biscari.
The original palace of the Princes of Biscari was destroyed in the Great Earthquake, so the current structure was built in the fashionable Baroque style. The Biscari Family still owns the joint, and it is also classified as an UNESCO World Heritage site. If you own a palazzo or something like it, the only way to keep it up is to open it to the public and charge admission and rent it out for events. Not all the palace can be visited, and I suspect the family when they're in town stays in the private rooms.
Worth a visit, eh, Pil?
I would say so, especially as such sites are so rare in Catania. It's not too far from the Duomo, and it does not cost a lot to get in, but once you are in there's not much guidance for an English speaker. Because I taught Art History, I can understand a lot of the iconography in the decorations. There's some nice furniture, and I enjoyed the state rooms, and the more intimate "real people" rooms. But I'll let the pictures do the talking.
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