A LITTLE TASTE OF HISTORY OF SICILY: “LA CONTROVERSIA LIPARITANA” (THE LIPARI ROW)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

According to the Legatio Apostolica (Apostolic Legacy), the kings of Sicily ruled over the Catholic clergy in Sicily. The pope had no power in Sicily, for his acts needed the ratification by the king to be effective. Only the bishop of Lipari was under the direct rule of the pope. All the other bishops in Sicily were appointed by the king.

Lipari is a Sicilian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the largest of the Aeolian Islands. It is renowned for its fantastic beaches and coves, and for its abundance of pumice stone.

In the distant past, the Aeolian Islands were the scene of naval battles between the Romans and the Carthaginians.

In the less distant past, the Aeolian Islands were also the center of a big quarrel between the Kingdom of Sicily and the Holy See, who was eager to put an end to the Apostolic Legacy.

Here is the chronicle of the happenings:

In 1711, the bishop of Lipari sent about two pounds of chickpeas to the marketplace, to be sold there. A small amount, indeed, less than one kilo! Nevertheless, the government officers asked the payment of the tax. The bishop refused to pay the tax and requested a public apology, which he did not get. Consequently, he excommunicated the government officers. However, the Spanish viceroy of Sicily did not validate the excommunication.

Years of controversy between the Holy See and Sicily followed until, in 1729, the pope recognized the validity of the Apostolic Legacy that lasted until 1871, when the Italian government repealed the Apostolic Legacy.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THREE USEFUL SICILIAN PROVERBS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

1)- Pi rumpiri c’è sempri timpu (there is always time to break up).

You do not need to rush when you want to break up a friendship or a relationship. You can wait for a while.

2)- Bon timpu e malu timpu un dura tuttu u timpu (neither bad weather nor good weather lasts forever).

The proverb is an allegory of life, which passes through sunshine and storms. Sometimes it flows smoothly and other times stormy; but it is worth living to the fullest.

3)- Duppu acchianata c’è a scinnuta (after the climb there is the descent).

It means that bad situations will turn into good opportunities. On the other hand, life is made of ups and downs. In the end, everything will be alright. You just need faith in yourself and in your good luck.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF ZORBA THE GREEK BY NIKOS KAZANTZATIS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The British writer, Evelyn Beatrice Hall once wrote: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The same goes for my review of Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzatis. I say, “I do not agree with your book, Nikos Kazantzatis, but I respect you.”

The main character in his book is a Macedonian, named Zorba, who goes to the island of Crete with his boss to operate a lignite mine. They share the same hut, and Zorba tells him his life story, which is based on contempt for religions, priests, monks, and anything that sounds clerical. According to him, man should just enjoy life and live as if God did not exist.

My view is different: I cannot imagine the world and the universe devoid of God. For me God’s precepts are the only parameter to discriminate the good from the evil and live a good life. For me, Jesus is the lantern that illuminates the human beings’ way.

However, I respect Nikos Kazantzatis’s idea. On the other hand, something he says is right. Since we live in this world, we should enjoy worldly life as well.

Perhaps Buddha’s “Middle Way” is the best way to follow, for it avoids the extremes of the materialists and the spiritualists.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

CRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND SICILY

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Cristopher Columbus, the man who discovered America on October 12, 1492, must have known and loved Sicily a lot, for, whenever he arrived in a new land, he compared it with his beloved Sicily.

This can be seen in his logbooks.

When he explored Cuba, on October 28, 1492, he wrote in the logbook: “The island is full of very beautiful mountains, although not very high, and all the remaining part of the island is also high and resembling Sicily.”

During his second travel to America, when he landed in Puerto Rico on 17 September 1493, he compared the island to Sicily, because they both had a triangular shape.

When he finally arrived in Jamaica on May 5 1494, he wrote in the logbook that the island was bigger than Sicily.

Apparently, Sicily was in the heart and mind of Cristopher Columbus, for he used it for comparison, as if Sicily were his home island.

On the other hand, in the fifteenth century, Sicily was a point of reference for the whole of Europe, in the fields of art, literature and science.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

SNOW IN ENNA, SICILY

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

It was cold during the winter in Enna. To warm up the rooms, people made use of braziers burning charcoal slack. It was customary to cook small pieces of sausage or a few potatoes, wrapped in yellow, thick paper of the kind used to wrap pasta, in the charcoal. We children vied with one another to eat a small piece of that delicacy.

Since the climate was colder than today, the roofs of the houses were white with snow almost all winter. Whenever I came home from school, I had the bad habit of warming up my frozen feet and hands in front of the brazier. The sudden contact of my cold hands and feet with the heat of the brazier caused me chilblains. My fingers and toes had purple hues and itched. To cure them, I wore thick woolen socks and gloves.

This is an excerpt from A Hidden Sicilian History

Today it snows in Enna like seventy years ago. Obviously, despite climate changes, the earth will survive!

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo