Tui Snider
Inquisitive world traveler who writes books, gives talks & leads tours through historic cemeteries. My homebase is Texas, where I share a goth/tiki castle with my mad scientist husband & tabby cat. For my newsletter & more visit: TuiSnider.com Weiterlesen🇺🇸United States
  • Laundry Basins in Pompeii

    10. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    Pretty sure both of these are laundry basins, although I fell behind the group at this point and didn’t hear the full explanation! Interesting that both feature women’s mouths for the water to come out. I’ll have to look this up when I get back home.Weiterlesen

  • Ancient Brothel

    10. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    The Lupanare is one of Pompeii’s brothels. “Lupo” means “wolf.” According to our guide, the name “lupanare” comes from the bestial howls women working at the brothel made to attract customers.

    The stone beds look quite uncomfortable to me, but I suppose folks weren’t there to sleep and any cushions they had are long gone.
    Weiterlesen

  • The Stabian Baths

    10. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    Here are some shots of the Stabian Baths. These were public baths in Pompeii featuring a frigidarium (cold water), tepidarium (medium heat), and calderium (hot water.)

  • Phalluses in Pompeii

    10. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    I’m always on the lookout for interesting architectural details. In Pompeii, a unique feature were all the penises!

    They do not all mean the same thing. Sometimes they are literally pointing the way to the nearest brothel, such as the last two in this post.

    Other times, they refer to the god Priapus. Our guide told us that the phallus over the baker’s oven is likely an appeal to Priapus for abundance.

    Also shown here are the mill stones for grinding flour, and another architectural detail. I’m not sure what it means exactly.
    Weiterlesen

  • Pompeii misc

    10. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    What a fun day we had exploring Pompeii! The first and last time I was here was 2011. Larry and I were here during our honeymoon.

    It amazes me to see tile work from 2000 years ago and have it in such good shape!Weiterlesen

  • Sant Agata Mural

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    If you read my entry called “Breast Pastry,” then you already know why this woman is carrying a tray with her own breasts upon it.

    The sticker next to this wall mural mimics a typical art gallery info plaque. In this case, it lists the artist as “TVboy” and says it’s from the “Museo della Strada,” aka “the Museum of the Street.”

    This is the first time I’ve come across TVboy, but it seems that he is a bit like Banksy. Here’s the info I found after following the QR code next to the mural:

    “Tvboy is a Contemporary Urban Artist based in Barcelona. Born in Palermo in 1980, he started painting in the streets of Milan in 1996. In 2004 he became known for the Tvboy character and moved to Barcelona, where he settled his art studio. He has displayed his artworks in many different countries worldwide both in the street or in gallery and museum exhibitions.”

    For more about TVboy, visit his website at : TVboy.it
    Weiterlesen

  • Veg, Meat & Fish

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    If I had to describe Catania’s open air markets in one word, it would be, “colorful.”

    I’m so curious what that purple cauliflower tastes like! As for those cuts of meat, I’m not sure what those dangling strips are, but the man in the red apron kindly explained that the dangling meat on the far left is goat.

    Must confess that I was shocked to turn a corner and see it hanging there. (I have no poker face.) Luckily, he was not offended and even invited me to take a photo.
    Weiterlesen

  • Merman, Dad!

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Every time I see a merman, I’m reminded of that scene in Zoolander, where his father calls him a mermaid and he testily replies that he was a, “merman, Dad!”

    I saw these lovely mermen in Catania’s historic old town today.

    Much like the Copenhagen’s famous Little Mermaid, these guys seem to have separate legs. See what I mean?
    Weiterlesen

  • Elephant Palace

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Catania’s city hall is called the Palazzo dei Elefanti. Elephants are a common theme throughout the town. The association dates back to a Byzantine magician who rode through town on one many centuries ago.

    The A above the elephant is another reference to Catania’s patron saint, Sant Agata.

    As for the carriage, it’s used every February for the citywide celebration of Sant Agata.
    Weiterlesen

  • Breast Pastry

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Sant Agata is Catania’s patron saint. She was martyred when Romans tortured her to death for refusing the advances of one of their men.

    One of the atrocities she endured was having her breasts removed with forceps! (See painting.)

    Throughout Catania, a pastry commemorating the martyrdom of this saint can be found in cafes and bars. The dessert is meant to resemble Sant Agata’s breasts, complete with a maraschino cherry on top.

    In fact, when a cafe employee saw me gazing into the pastry case, he casually asked (in Italian) if wanted a breast!

    The treat’s official name is Casoletta or Minne di Sant Agata. We gave one a try and while it was tasty, it was very sweet. I’m glad we tried it.
    Weiterlesen

  • Bellini’s Tomb

    9. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    We saw Vincenzo Bellini’s tomb today in Catania, but for some reason, our guide told us very little about him. She promised to talk about him later, but it seems like she forgot.

    I know Bellini composed operas, but I was hoping for a little more insight.

    Ah, well! I still learned a lot today.
    Weiterlesen

  • Croatian Kitties

    7. Januar 2023 in Kroatien ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    I saw some handsome cats in Old Town Dubrovnik. They all seemed quite well-fed and content.

    As we strolled by the sea, I peered over the stone rail and was startled to see a cat curled up on the ledge! I couldn’t help but fret over its precarious position as it happily napped in the sun.Weiterlesen

  • Old Town Dubrovnik

    7. Januar 2023 in Kroatien ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    We are so jet lagged! More so than usual. I blame lingering grief, although I know that wherever my dad is, he’d be happy to see me and Larry traveling.

    I read an article recently that pointed out that even when a loved one dies, our relationship to them continues. I always have Dad in the back of my mind when I travel because he loves to see all my photos.

    Even though he mainly lurked online, he would always tell me how much my photos and travelogues cheered him up. So I am comforted by that thought. I hope he is still lurking on my travel posts, wherever he may be.

    Today we wandered all over Old City Dubrovnik. Although it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s more widely known these days as the setting for Kings Landing in Game of Thrones.

    In fact, when we reached some stairs that were featured in the show, some other tourists began chanting, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” in reference to an infamous scene involving the queen being perp-walked there.

    It took some effort to get our weary selves off the ship, but I think the sun and sea air did us both some good.
    Weiterlesen

  • Larry’s Genes

    6. Januar 2023 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    We hopped aboard the Costa Deliziosa cruise ship in Trieste. There was no time to explore this historic city, but we had to snap a quick selfie since Larry’s grandparents emigrated to America from this town!

    Perhaps another time we will be able to do some genealogical travel here on his behalf.
    Weiterlesen

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