PALERMO, Italy—Italy is the home of some of the most famous operas. However, Shen Yun Performing Arts is not Italian opera. It is the revival of traditional Chinese culture. “It’s a formidable show, a must see,” said Carmine Mancuso, a politician, on March 30. Shen Yun is based in New York and its mission is…

PALERMO, Italy—Orchestra director Gaetano Colajanni attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Teatro Massimo on March 5. Colajanni found everything about Shen Yun fascinating. “I have to say that I was very fascinated, both by the dancers, that is, from their professionalism, really very perfect, and then also by the orchestra, because I saw how they interpreted…

For many years, Palermo was known for one thing—and it wasn’t good: being headquarters for the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia. Situated on the northwest coast of Sicily, it was a place gripped with fear, where shootings, raw and brutal, were followed in turn by revenge killings by rivals. The nadir came in 1992, when…