Sicilian Secrets

Beati Paoli’s sect: history of Palermo

Beati Paoli is the name of a secretive sect supposed to exist in medieval Palermo. The members of the sect went out hooded, and met in secret only after midnight.

Stories about 4 haunted places in Sicily

All over the world there are places shrouded in mistery.

Sicily makes no exception. There are a few places around the island famous for being haunted. Even if you are skeptical or supersticious it can be interesting get to know the stories behind a so-called haunted place. Today we tell you the legends about 4 haunted places near Palermo. Let’s start from the furthest from the city.

A beach between 2 seas

The Southernmost point of Sicily, Capo Passero (literally the sparrow cape), is also one of the most evocative spots of the island. A small stretch of coast in front of a little isle called the Isle of Currents.

The isle can be “explored” in no time reaching it swimming from the beach of Portopalo di Capopassero. The charm lies in its location rather than in the island itself. This is indeed the point where 2 seas cross, or better still collide.

Palermo and its secrets: 8 reasons to visit the capital of Sicily

There is a constant implicit in the trip: to start new adventures you have to be ready to change . Not radically , but just enough to catch up and back to the dream. Today, we want to suggest you 8 reasons to visit Palermo and fall in love with the capital of Sicily. Even if there are so many reasons why you will love Palermo we want to offer you some new point of view to plan your next trip, pack your bags and follow your adventure dream.

The old vinegar lady: sorcery and poisons

Once upon a time in Sicily “the old vinegar lady”, who was supposed to be a witch and a professional poisoner.

Her name was Giovanna Bonanno, she was born in 1713 and lived in Palermo during the reign of the Viceroy Domenico Caracciolo. We don’t know much about her life but one thing is sure: on 30th July 1789 she was executed by hanging because of sorcery.

The myth of Colapesce: the third column of Sicily

Sicily is a treasure chest of incredible stories. Myths and legends have been for long time the way to explain the unpredictable and the unknown. Maybe this is why lots of Sicilian tales are focused on the sea and his mysteries. The myth of Colapesce tells about a fisherman’ son, Nicholas from Messina. He was known as Colapesce because of his love for the sea and his skills under the water: everytime he dove into the seabed he resurfaced from the waves, ready to tell the incredible discoveries from the under water world.

Legends of Sicily: the Hundred Horse Chestnut tree

We want to tell you a story, a short one don’t worry. There is a tree that is considered the oldest and biggest in Europe. It’s located in Sicily, in Sant’Alfio, a lovely hamlet near the Eastern slope of the Mount Etna. Believed to be between 2.000 and 4.000 years old, the tree is known as the Hundred Horse Chestnut tree. Why? It is said that under its huge branches the Queen Joanna of Aragon and her company of one hundred knights found shelter during a severe thunderstorm.