The L'opra dei Pupi  (Puppet theater) is a magical marionette theatrical representation of stories based on medieval chivalric literature and sources such as the Renaissance, lives of saints and tales of banditry.
Also extremely famous are the tales based on the poetry of Ludivico Ariosto first published in 1516. Dialogue was largely improvised. This art form is and always was, largely popular with the working class. Two schools of puppetry exist; that of Catania and the other Palermo. These images were made in Ortygia south of Catania over the connecting bridge to Syracusa. (Source info. found on Wikipedia:Sicilan puppetry)

  One night, during the summer, our neighbors invited us to go out for dinner, or cena, with them. As pranzo or lunch usually ends about 3pm, we were surprised when they asked us to be ready at 6:30. Ok, who are we to argue!  Well, the reason was that Roccafiorita  lies somewhere just this side of the end of the breathable oxygen layer of the earths' atmosphere. We barely made it there to see the sunset before feasting on a typically indescribable Sicilian array of meats, cheeses, antipaste and pasta. It really isn't fair.

 The Sicilian country side during the summer seems rather unforgiving as the verdant greenery of winter and spring give way to the parched straw colored landscapes which color the island summer.

Another view of MONGIBEDDU or Mount Etna looking our over the Plain of Catania