File:Bright days in sunny lands (1904) (14596697569).jpg

Identifier: brightdaysinsunn00hone (find matches)
Title: Bright days in sunny lands
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Honeyman, A. Van Doren (Abraham Van Doren), 1849-1936
Subjects: Voyages and travels
Publisher: Plainfield, N.J., Honeyman and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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his cart. If hisbirthplace is in another city, its saint will adornhis vehicle. The Crucifixion scene often occurs, and,strangely enough, among the historical subjects se-lected for one side of the cart, chosen because it hasappealed powerfully to some of the Sicilians, may bethe picture of Tell shooting the apple from his sonshead! Greek mythology has furnished the favoritethemes for the painter, but more modern massacresand assassinations are not infrequent. In fact every-thing known and unknown, in heaven or in earth,seems not to be beyond the imagination of the decora-tors of these carrette, as they are termed. Attachedto each cart is a large mule or small donkey, the har-ness of which is as elaborate as the cart itself. Brass-mounted, with exquisitely wrought trappings, rosettesand ribbons of all hues give them plenty of colors. Onthe heads and backs of the animals are nodding pom-pons. On the whole the animals looked even morefantastic than the interesting vehicles. I doubt not
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a^».« Aftv ^-^iJLai THE WHITE CITY OF SICILY 133 both cart and harness are often heirlooms in families,preserved as priceless treasures long after they areworn out. These yellow-wheeled, yellow-shafted, red,black, orange or brown-bodied carts, with gaily ca-parisoned mules, and often boy-drivers, sometimeswith a whole load of boys, are a scene by themselvesand I never tired of them. They are visible more orless all over Sicily, but nowhere to such an extent as inPalermo. The finest work of art in Palermo is the CappellaPalatina, the chapel of the palace of King Roger theNorman. Rogers father was one of a large family ofNorman political brigands; one of the twelve sons ofTancred de Hauteville, nearly all of whom were menof iron strength, with tremendous energy and con-summate political tact. They conquered principalities,used gold with which to influence the courts of Eu-rope, gave heroes to the Crusades, and built structuresthat were forerunners to the mightiest of the cathe-drals o

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