U beddu e a bedda

The Moor’s Heads are a classic representation of artistic Sicily. They tell of a legend in which a beautiful Sicilian fell in love with an Arab at the time that he reigned in Sicily (IX-XI century), being betrayed by the Moor, beheaded him in his sleep and hung his head, as if it were a vase, on the balcony, also adorning it with a fragrant basil plant that aroused the admiration of unsuspecting  bystanders.  Etna, the highest volcano in Europe (3300 m asl), dominates the eastern part of Sicily but is so huge that you can see up to hundreds of kilometers away. In this work of art, its ash, which during the frequent eruptions falls as rain on the nearby towns (and people must equip themselves with umbrellas), was eternally “trapped” in a canvas.

(photo) San Giovanni degli Eremiti. Palermo, a typical example of the Arab-Norman architecture, which is unique to Sicily (Maria Francesca Starrabba drawning)