On the morning of the first day of the Feast of Sant’Agata, I looked out my hotel window and saw a solitary devotee heading toward the cathedral.

It wasn’t long before the streets would be filled with people, many of them dressed in the traditional feast-day clothing like this gentleman. This moment, although I didn’t realize it then, was the only bit of quiet for a long time: the parades celebrating the Saint are loud and joyous.

Catania, Sicily
photographed 2.4.2025