{ Chapter Twenty }
Owes its name to the monastery of Santa Maria dei Latini, founded in the twelfth century by Matthew of Ajello, Gran Cancelliere to William II. The piazza overlooked the Palazzo Gualbes, built in the fourteenth century, and the palazzo of Maio of Bari, admiral of William I, which passed in the sixteenth century to Giorgio Bracco, a Pisan, then in the seventeenth century to a Lanza, the Prince of Trabia. The entire area was devastated by the aerial bombardment of 1943; the monastery has disappeared; the buildings, after decades of abandonment, have recently been restored. AC, 169.
Piazza del Cancelliere
Majone
Matthew of Ajello, high-ranking member of the Norman Court in the 12th century.
Son of Roger II, and second king of Sicily (1154-66).
William I (the Bad)
The tradition of the Sicilian presepe (Nativity scene) dates back to the fifteenth century. In the eighteenth century the influence of the Neapolitan presepe was felt, however the Sicilian one was even more varied in terms of characteristics, styles, and materials used, from wood to fabrics, plaster to paper to precious coral. Giacomo Serpotta made use of figurines with the characters of the Nativity for many of his “theaters” about the life of Jesus, and it is possible that he designed large Nativity scenes as many contemporary artists did. AC, 172.
a magnificent Nativity scene
Matteo Bonello
Wealthy knight of an ancient and influential Norman family who became lord of Caccamo. He was the leader of three successive revolts against King William I.
Figures from Roman mythology. According to Apulius, Volupta is the daughter from the union of Cupid and Psyche. She is often found in the company of the Three Graces and is also known as the goddess of sensual pleasure.
Volupta and the Three Graces
Renaissance Italian card game, the most notorious multi-player gambling pastime in fifteenth to eighteenth century Europe.
bassetta
From the Latin for “holy”, a hymn of praise and adoration, typically sung before the Eucharistic prayer.
The Sanctus
The Italian bagpipe produces and organ like sound. See this wonderful film: Zampogna: The Soul of Southern Italy.