Motta Medieval: You Wear it Well

Here is the town we lived in for 6 weeks before we found our villa in Nicolosi. It's the closest town to Sigonella and heavily populated with Americans. We arrived in the torrid rains and cold of winter so we didn't really discover the town as well as we could have. Plus I was a total 'fraidy cat and didn't really want to explore Motta (pronounced Moh-ta if your Italian or Mow-duh if you're American).

I always try to pronounce the town right since my mouth just cannot make the right shapes to say "arreviderci" or "carabinieri" properly. If there's a word I can actually pronounce right, I really do try to make the effort.



This mural can be seen year round and depicts a medieval festival. It tells the story of how the castle was built on the "neck" of Etna, which is a cylindrical-shaped landform above ground that's created by magma solidifying in the vent of a volcano. Erosion of the sides of the volcano exposes the neck.



Motta has an innate working class wearyness that clings to its residences and public buildings too. It's part of its charm and its makes it the perfect backdrop for a multi-week medieval celebration.