Page 127 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

cover Monte Pellegrino are dotted with families picnicking, while kids play on rope

swings tied to the trees.

LA FESTA DI SANTA ROSALIA

Next to nothing is known for sure about Rosalia, who was probably a member of the
Norman court in the twelfth century, except that at some point she rejected her
wealthy background and lived as a hermit on Monte Pellegrino. Nothing more was
heard of her until the early seventeenth century, when a vision led to the discovery of
her bones in a mountain cave. Pronounced sacred relics, these were carried around
Palermo in procession in both 1624 and 1625, thus staying the ravages of a terrible
plague. It’s a ceremony that is now re-enacted every July 15 (and also Sept 4), with

a torchlight procession to the saint’s sanctuary that forms part of Palermo’s annual
jamboree, La Festa di Santa Rosalia – “U Fistinu” in dialect. An ebullient blend of
devotion and revelry, U Fistinu is the central event of the year for locals, while for
tourists it’s an uproarious party, perhaps the most exhilarating you’ll see anywhere
in Italy. The annual ritual includes both solemn processions and gaudy entertainment,

with the passionate and vociferous participation of hundreds of thousands of
Palermitani. The central event is a long parade through the centre of town, from the
Palazzo dei Normanni along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to the seafront, headed by a
candle-lit statue of the saint borne aloft on the “Carro Trionfale”. There are puppet
re-enactments of the saint’s miracles, concerts, exhibitions, and a gastronomic feast
on Foro Italico, where heaps of food are consumed – most famously, snails, nuts,
watermelons and dolci. The celebrations culminate in a spectacular display of
fireworks over the harbour.

La Zisa

Piazza Guglielmo Il Buono • Mon & Sun 9am–1pm, Tues–Sat 9am–6.30pm • €6 • 091 652 0269 • Bus #124 from
Piazza Sturzo and Piazza Politeama stops at La Zisa

The palatial king’s retreat of La Zisa – from the Arabic al-aziz or “magnificent” –
was begun by William I in 1160, and later finished by his son William II. At one time
its beautiful grounds were stocked with rare and exotic beasts, though a raid on the
palace by disaffected locals in 1161 released some of the wild animals, which

probably came as a bit of a shock to William’s neighbours. It’s now besieged by
modern apartment blocks, but has been thoughtfully restored to something approaching
its former glory. The centrepiece is the Sala della Fontana, comprising an elaborate
fountain in a marble-sided chamber with glittering mosaic decoration. These are
appropriate surroundings for a modest collection of Islamic art and artefacts, mostly

inscribed copper bowls from periods much later than when La Zisa was constructed,
and from different parts of the Mediterranean. The latticed windows afford impressive