secret sicily

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.

Palermo the golden dell, devours hers and feeds the foreigners

“Panormus conca aurea suos devorat alienos nutrit”: this inscription lies at the bottom of a statue at Palazzo Pretorio. It means “Palermo the golden dell, devours hers and feeds the foreigners”. An omen more than a motto, yet this words describe perfectly the very soul of the city and the citizens of tha capital of Sicily. The very symbol of the city is the statue itself…