Sicily Exhibition at The British Museum of London

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with ancient history and being lucky enough to live in London every school holiday I would beg my parents to take me to the British Museum.

The British Museum is a museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture, located in the Bloomsbury area of London.

I particularly loved Greek history and Greek mythology and loved searching all the rooms in the museum. At school, history was my favourite subject and I enjoyed learning about the Norman invasion of England and the crusades to the holy land.

I think my love of history is what made me fall in love with Sicily and thereafter buying a home there. That and the beauty of the island, its people, food, wine, culture and of course the abundance of Sicilian sunshine.

Sicily is where Europe ends and Africa begins. It began its history as part of Ancient Greece and soon became part of the Roman Empire. Thereafter the island was invaded by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark on the island.

You can imagine how excited I was when the British Museum announced their Sicily Exhibition: Culture and Conquest, earlier this year.

Starting on the 21^st April until 14^th August 2016, the exhibition highlights the arrival of the Greeks in Sicily and Norman rule in the 11th to 13th centuries.

Sicily in the ancient world was admired and envied for its wealth, culture and stunning architecture. In the exhibition there will be ancient Greek sculptures, architectural decorations from temples, churches and palaces, early coinage, stunning jewellery and Norman mosaics and textiles.

The first Greek colony in Sicily was founded at Giardini Naxos (my home town) in 734BC. In 733BC Syracuse in South Eastern Sicily was founded, it quickly attained wealth and power, commissioned important buildings and works of art. Before long it became the most strongest and powerful city in the Mediterranean. There is an extensive archaeological site there which is well worth a visit. Here you will see a Greek theatre, the Altar of Hieron II, the mythical Ear of Dionysius and the so called Tomb of Archimedes.

Ear of Dionysius

There are many Greek monuments, temples and archaeological sites throughout Sicily one of the most beautiful places being The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento which is home to ruined Greek temples that stand against a backdrop of the Mediterranean. They are as awe inspiring today as they were over 2500 years ago.

In 1066AD the Normans were busy invading England but what is not so well known is that they were also doing the same thing in sunny Sicily. This was accomplished through a long and bloody warfare and the reign of Norman King Roger was a long succession of battles. By 1079 he had conquered the whole island and by his death in 1101 he was awarded with the title the Great Count of Sicily. After his death his son succeeded the throne as King Roger II.

The Norman Kingdom only lasted for 100 years but it left its mark on the island and the monuments that remain are among some of the most beautiful in the world. At the end of their reign the Normans left the island endowed with splendid buildings and an exotic culture. Across Sicily you will find many buildings that are of Arabic Norman construction.

Norman/Arabic Architecture in Palermo

The best place to see examples is in the islands capital Palermo where you can visit monuments such as Cappella Palatina, a royal chapel in the Palazzo dei Normanni with beautiful mosaics and Arabic ceiling and just above Palermo on a hilltop the Cathedral of Monreale where the Norman King William II built a mosaic encrusted monastery and cathedral that proved to be the last and most splendid of the Norman’s monuments in Sicily.

If all this has whetted your appetite visit the Sicily Exhibition at the British Musuem. There are lots of activities to coincide with the exhibition including lectures, gallery talks, films and special events.

After you have visited I hope it will inspire you to visit our beautiful island of Sicily. Search my blog archive for inspiration and recommendations.

I have listed below some dates and times of whats on at the British Museum throughout the exhibition. Some events need to be pre-booked, I know which ones I have my eye on.

To book your tickets for the Sicily Exhibition and for more information visit www.britishmuseum.org

Keep posted for a special blog post about the exhibition after I visit when it opens.

Sicily Exhibition: Culture and Conquest, 21^st April – 19^th August 2016

Whats on; Lectures, Gallery Talks and Special Events

Sunday 16^th April 10:30 £25 Study Day

Introduction to the Classic World

Thursday 28^th April 13:30 Free Lecture

Curator’s Introduction to Sicily: Culture and Conquest

Friday 29^th April 18:30 £5 Lecture

John Julius Norwich on The Normans in Sicily

Friday 6^th May 18:30 £5 Lecture

Sicily: the land where lemons grow

Thursday 12^th May 13:30 Free Lecture

Athens Sicilian Adventure

Friday 20^th May 18:00 Free Performance

Music of Sicily

Saturday 21^st May 14:00 £3 Film

The Leopard:

A story of class and the struggle for independence, The Leopard is a masterpiece of cinema set in Sicily during Garibaldi's unification campaign. Prince Fabrizio (Burt Lancaster) faces the erosion of his status and power as the lower classes rise to power and Garibaldi's forces land on Sicily.

Thursday 26^th May 13:30 Free Lecture

Curator’s Introduction to Sicily: Culture and Conquest

Friday 27^th May 13:15 Free Gallery Talk

The Greeks in Southern Italy and Sicily

Friday 27^th May 18:15 £3 Film

Cinema Paradiso:

A famous film director returns to his Sicilian village after 30 years and remembers his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films.

He is also reminded of his first love, Elena, who disappeared from his life before he left for Rome.

Friday 3^rd June 13:15 Free Gallery Talk

Multicultural Sicily

Saturday 4^th June 13:15 Free Gallery Talk

The Greeks in Sicily

Saturday 4^th June 15:00 £3.00 Film

A Bigger Splash:

Rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), interrupting their holiday

Friday 10^th June 10:30 Free Workshop for Under 5 years old

Little Feet: Explore Sicily

Saturday 11^th June 13:30 Free Lecture

Curator’s Introduction to Sicily: Culture and Conquest

Tuesday 14^th June 13:15 Free Gallery Talk

Sicilian Coins and their stories

Thursday 16^th June 13:30 Free Lecture

Multiculturism in Norman and Hohenstaufer Sicily

Friday 24^th June 18:30 Free Lecture

Sicily a force to be reckoned with in the ancient world

Monday 27^th June 13:30 Free Lecture

An archaeological detective story in early Byzantine Sicily

Tuesday 5^th July 11:30 Free Workshop for Under 5 years old

Little Feet: discover Sunny Sicily

Friday 8^th July 13:30 Free Lecture

Storms, War and Shipwrecks: treasures from the Sicilian Seas

Thursday 14^th July 13:30 Free Lecture

Sicily under Muslim rule

Friday 15^th July 13:30 Free Lecture

Curator’s Introduction to Sicily: Culture and Conquest

Friday 22^nd July 18:00 Free Event

Sicilian Splendor:

A multisensory evening celebrating the soul of Sicily, past and present, including music, drama workshops and poetry, with Sicilian food and drink for sale and wine tasting.

Now enjoy my Photo Gallery