Miss Natasha Tereshchenko and Count Ludovico Cantuti Castelvetri

request the honour of your presence

Il Sole Siciliano
At the crossroads of civilizations
10-12 March 2017
Catania, Sicily

Il Sole Siciliano
is held in support of the
victims of the earthquakes of central Italy

International Support Committee

Anna Carla Ranellucci (Italy)
Barbara Beatrice Bonfanti Palazzi (Italy)
Estelle Dinh (Monaco/Switzerland)

Clemens van Steijn (The Netherlands)

Zwentibald van Blokland (The Netherlands)
Jane Helena Pan (Sweden)

Hannah Palmer (United Kingdom)

Michael Pecnik (USA)

To have seen Italy

without having seen Sicily
is not to have seen Italy at
all, for Sicily is the clue to
everything. J.W. Goethe
Italian Journey

Sicily. To a common ear the island is synonymous with beaches, sunshine

and tasty food. But Sicily is much more! A historical, artistic, literary and
natural jewel, Sicily stirs the imagination like no other place.
The ancient Trinacria has, for centuries, been a meeting place of cultures
and a paradise for invaders: Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians, Byzantines,
Arabs, Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. From Greek temples to
Norman Palaces, from Roman villas to Moorish fortresses - Sicily is the
meeting point of a number of fascinating cultures.
It is our pleasure to invite you to the Il Sole Siciliano Weekend! Our goal
is to offer you a taste of the real, multidimensional, spirit of Sicily, of its
history and its beauty. To achieve this, we have taken the general theme
of Crossroads of Civilizations, with each event encompassing a specific
historical influence.
We hope you will love Sicily as much as we do!

Program and Theme

Friday 10 th March 2017
7:00 pm

The first evening sets the mood for the whole weekend! The
doors of a stately private home will open to host a buffet dinner, mixing
and mingling, and dancing master-classes. We will refresh some basic
dances and learn a few new ones! By the end of the evening, you will
be confident enough to open the ball with a polonaise, continue with a
Viennese Waltz, meet midnight with a franaise, and throw in some
knotentanz, tango and salsa all along!

Theme

The French, German and Spanish influences of Sicily. A smooth

introduction to the Sicilian heritage through the music and atmosphere
of the evening.

Dress-code

Cocktail, ideally with a French, German or Spanish flair.

Saturday 11 th March 2017

Morning
9:00 am

We start off with from Catania by private bus for an unforgettable

excursion to Taormina. If we are lucky enough, there might just be
some snow on top of smoking Etna for the most beautiful memories of
the ancient Greek theatre- the iconic sight of Taormina.
We will glance at other Roman, ancient Greek and Byzantine sights,
such as the Naumachie and the thermal baths. On our way we will
admire the Palazzo Corvaja, built in the 10th century by the Arabs and
later owned by a famous noble family.

11:30 am

A unique visit to the Casa Cuseni. Built by the artist Robert Kitson
in 1900 and looked after by his niece, the author, Daphne Phelps, until
her death, Casa Cuseni is truly a place of old-world romance.
Surrounded by 13 garden terraces and fountain courts, the villa
hosted the artistic, philosophical and literary elite of the world- Greta
Garbo and Pablo Picasso, Ezra Pound and DH Lawrence, Tennessee
Williams and Roald Dahl, Henry Faulkner and Bertrand Russell- all
stayed here to enrich their genius with new emotions and inspiration.
No wonder the view from here is breathtaking!
The dining-room at Casa Cuseni is the greatest example of Art
Nouveau in Sicily, and the whole room was designed by Sir Frank

Brangwyn, President of the Royal Academy of British Artists, and

inventor, together with the great Gaud, of the Art Nouveau.

12:45 pm
1:30 pm

1:45 pm
Theme

Dress-code

Lunch
A glimpse of the eclectic Duomo before we head off back to
Catania.
Transfer back to Catania (circa 1 hr)
Sicily through times, with a highlight of the Roman and Greek
heritage, the Arab influences and the more recent literary past.
Chic & casual

* times and sequence of visits dependent on the size of group. Details will be communicated closer to
the event.

Evening
6:30 pm

A Night in the Seraglio

An unforgettable private venue of Palazzo Manganelli, kindly
provided for our Ball by Prince Flavio Borghese.
The Palazzo was built in 1400 and is a perfect example of late
baroque architecture, a very rare sight in the South of Italy. No words to
describe its ballroom. Just dance the night away

7:30 pm

Seated dinner

9:00 pm

Opening of the ball

00:00

Midnight franaise

01:00 am

Late-night canaps

02:00 am

The end of the 1001st night

Theme

Ahlan wa sahlan! If dancing the night away in a private baroque

Palazzo isnt enough, we want you to step back in time, to the era of the
Aghlabids and Fatimids, of conquest and prosperity, mystery and
magic

Dress-code

Middle Eastern grace and charm. Whether Scheherazade or

Aladdin, harem tunics or Ali Pasha turbans be inspired by orientalism,
as you get carried away into the land of genies with myrrh and
frankincense As an alternative, white tie is preferred, black tie is
accepted.

Sunday 12 th March 2017

11:00 am

4:00 pm

An early spring Sunday, sunny and beautiful. You can still smell
freshness in the air, as you look out of the window on foggy hills, and
notice just a bit of snow on Etnas steaming top. Holidays, freedom
Put on your countryside outfits and head for a stroll through the
vineyards, wine and olive oil tasting, and lunch with wine.
Transfer to the vineyard by private bus.
Approximate ending time.

Theme

Today is a day of 20th century Sicily and Italy more broadly.

Explore, taste and dive into the atmosphere of the artistic and cultural
elite, fashion designers and famous filmmakers that made Italy flourish!

Dress-code

Country attire, 20th century fashion of filmmakers, literary and

artistic figures. Be chic and classic or trendy and hippie. Be inspired by
famous 20th century Italians and by those who left their mark on the
history of Sicily- Visconti and Fellini, Loren and Muti, Dolce and
Pirandello, Montale and Ungaretti

Weekend contributions
To secure your place, please send registration AND paym ent by M arch 1 st .

Friday, March 10 th
7.00 pm. Buffet dinner and drinks, followed by a dancing
master-class at a private residence in Catania.
Saturday, March 11 th
9.00 am. Excursion to Taormina by private bus, entrance
tickets to the sites, followed by lunch.
6.30 pm. A Night in the Seraglio Ball at the Palazzo
Manganelli. Welcome drinks, 3-course seated dinner,
wine and non-alcoholic drinks at dinner, midnight snacks.
Sunday, March 12 th
11.00 am. Transfer by bus; vineyard visit, wine and olive
oil tasting, and lunch at a winery by the Etna.

Links
Facebook event

Registration
Please send registration inform ation AND paym ent by M arch 1 st .

Payable to: Ludovico Cantuti Castelvetri

Bank: Unicredit
IBAN: IT 87 R 02008 12935 000008701260
BIC SWIFT: UNCRITM1RN2
Please mention Charity Ball and your name during transfer.
You may also make a transfer to paypal to the following address. Please pay as
friends/family to avoid charges: internationalballweekends@gmail.com
If you would like to make an extra donation to the victims of the earthquakes, please
add the amount you wish to donate during the transfer and mention Charity Ball+
amount of donation.
You will also be able to donate during the Ball evening itself.
Please communicate the following by email to
internationalballweekends@gmail.com:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Full name and honorary title

Age
Height
Dietary requirements
Dancing skills:
* (love dancing, but not sure which foot is left, which is right)
** (give me a good partner and I can handle any boogie)
*** (its 2am already?! Give me more!)
6) Email address

NO PAYMENTS AT THE DOOR WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Arrival
Frequent flights to Catania Fontanarossa Airport with Alitalia.

Accommodation
For your convenience, we have arranged special prices with the following hotels.
Please mention Il Sole Siciliano during booking to receive a discount.
Il Principe Hotel ****
Manganelli Palace ***
Other suggestions:
Palazzo Asmundo
Dimora di Sicilia
Casa dAria B&B

Hairdressers
Recommended
1)

Aldo Coppola by Alfredo Maccarone

https://www.facebook.com/aldocoppolabyalfredomaccarone/

2)

New Hair
http://www.newhair.it/#!saloni

For further information, do not hesitate to contact us:

Natasha Tereshchenko +33678979388
internationalballweekends@gmail.com
Ludovico Cantuti Castelvetri +391752058594

We look forward to welcoming you in Sicily!