Tag Archives: Sicilia

Reflections on Sicilia

09 Saturday Apr 2016

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5 April, 2016

On the road to Messina

Today we bid farewell to the island of Sicilia and Isabella, our lovely guide of the past two weeks. From our group of sixteen, nine of us are continuing on a smaller bus across the strait of Messina to the mainland and eight days tour of Calabria and the south-west of Italy.

This journey so far has been very educational and informative, as well as being a good time with my traveling companions. Previous to this, I have never been a part of a group tour, and I am finding my experience very pleasant. Overseas Adventure Travel has a good philosophy of touring, with small groups staying in places off of the typical touristic path. Our “discoveries” every day or two are all about things and places of local interest chosen by the guide as something that they think suit the group. These have been some of the most interesting parts of the visit – the puppet theatre in Palermo, learning the process of molding and decorating marzipan in Erice, a visit to a refugee center for African boys in Ragusa. Along with the regular ininerary we have been shown pieces of the real life in Sicilia beyond the touristic attractions.

The group itself has been an enjoyable experience as well. I am by far the youngest, but I am with people from all over the US who are all well seasoned travellers. I have most enjoyed the meals together talking about more than who we are, but where we have been and our impressions and experiences of different places around the world. Despite our varied backgrounds in life, we are truly a group of world citizens.

I came to Sicilia not having studied or researched anything other than the expected weather. The main thing that I brought with me was an open mind and desire to learn about another new place. As I am headed towards the ferry to Italia, I take with me many things. I have been surprised at not only how mountainour this island is, but also how steem the mountains are. Most of all I am very surprised about how varied the people are from one side of this small island to the other. This is a result of the different civilizations that have conquered and settled here. Earthquakes and war have destroyed many of the cities at various times in the past, so the architectural history is mostly that of the Baroque period from the 18th century. It is the cultural heritage here that I find the most important part of Sicilia. Much like the Scots in Britain, these are a people proud of their heritage and identity. They are Sicilian first, and Italian second.

Nearing the port now in the city of Messina, we will make the two miles crossing in around 30 minutes according to our new Leader, Cesare. I say grazie Sicilia, One day I may return to the slopes of Etna, but one never knows what the future will hold. I will give you one secret as I leave – if you come to find the beautiful Sicilian women, the best are in Catania!

Arrivederci!

Momma Etna

09 Saturday Apr 2016

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8 April, 2016

Looking Back at Etna

Driving up the Tyrannean coast in Calabria we continue to move further north away from Sicilia. On the two hours drive I think it is time to take a look at the last day in Sicilia and our visit to the volcano they call Mamma

On Monday in Catania we loaded into the large bus one last time and headed onto the motorway heading north. Near Giarre we headed away from the coast and up the valley towards the volcano. In Catania and along the eastern shore of Sicilia they call her “Mamma Etna” because she is the source of the fertile soils of the area. A shield volcano, she is not prone to violent and explosive eruptions. The summit continuously produces plumes of white steam, occasionally punctuated with a billowing cloud of black smoke from small explosions from the caldera. When she does erupt, it is usually from a smaller side vent that produce massive flows of lava. It is the area of the most recent flow that we visited on the north side of the mountain.

On our way up the mountain we stopped at a cafe/inn for a quick cappuccino. There are many of these places around the mountain allowing a hiker to make a trek of a week or more around the entire volcano.

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Reaching the treeline and end of the flow from the eruption of 2002. There are several small gift shops here for tourists in the summer and skiers in the winter months. I knew about the skiing before we got to the mountain, but the ski lift over fields of jagged black lava still seemed out of place to this Rocky Mountain boy. Isabella said that in the winter this area gets two meters or more of snow. We hiked to see the remains of a hotel that was buried by the lava. All that is visible is the concrete structure of the roof.

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As with many places on this tour, the stay seemed to quick, but such is the way with as busy of an itinerary as we have had. I tried to take in the environment with all of my senses – the sound of the wind through the trees, the smell of the forested air, the majestic summit that has towered over eastern Sicilia for millennia, and the shattered lava rock crunching under my feet as I walked the path. I gathered a few larger pieces for myself and a bag of smaller shatter to take home with me as a remembrance of this legendary mountain.

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One day if I return to Catania I will visit the mountain again and perhaps hike the trail around Mamma and get to know her energy better. For now, the introduction was enough to make this place real and a part of my world experience.

Arrivederci!

Catania & Taormina

07 Thursday Apr 2016

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4 April, 2016

Catania, Sicilia

Continuing to fill in the last few days, we reach Catania. The largest city in Sicilia, there are nearly one million inhabitants here. I believe that the highlight of the city for me was dinner the second night enjoying polpetta – Sicilian meatballs. We ate at the same restaurant our first night in town, and it was so good that after seeing the last night of an exhibit of Marc Chagall’s artwork, several of us decided to return. The first night I had beef meatballs with cheese and onion filling, and it was quite delicious. The second night I tried beef meatballs with Gorgonzola cheese sauce, and it was amazing. I’ve had some good meals here in Sicilia, but this dish might have been among the best ever.

In the morning we had gone to a WWII museum about the allied invasion of the island that was the start of the fall of Mussolini. Its very well planned out and executed displays show the history of the movements and battles, and they have a thorough collection of uniforms and equipment from all of the major armies involve in the conflict.

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Continuing back to the city center, we embarked on a brief walking tour, briefly visiting the Duomo. Being there on a Sunday, we were only able to visit the side aisles of the nave as there was a mass going on. This is often a mixed experience I have found. Photos are often discouraged, and access is limited. The caveat is seeing the used for its purpose – filled with the sounds of the chanting of the priests, and music of the organ. Sometimes these are my favorite experiences, and I often make an effort to attend a mass whenever possible.

From the Duomo we made a quick stop at the Greco-Roman Theatre before having a quick lunch and departing up the coast to Taormina. This tiny village is perched on a promontory above the Ionian Sea. With history reaching back to the Grecian domination of the Mediterranean, it was once a strategic and very easily defended position with an Arab Castle perched high above the town on ground that looked to be practically impenetrable with medieval means. Today Taormina is a well preserved tourist destination. The theatre is the main highlight of this town for me. It is well preserved and maintained, but is a crowded tourist destination. Beyond that, I will let the pictures say enough.

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Arrivederci!

Syracusa

07 Thursday Apr 2016

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4 April, 2016

Catania, Sicilia

The last day of this two weeks in Sicilia is here and I am on the bus heading north to spend a few hours hiking on the slopes of “Mamma” Etna.

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To recount the past few days, we left Ragusa Saturday morning and headed for Catania by way of Syracusa. We had a walking tour of the old part, called Ortegia. Like Ragusa, and Catania where we have stayed on the last stop of the tour, Syracusa was largely destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 and was rebuilt in the 18th century Baroque style. One fascinating exception is the Duomo. This was in its first incarnation a Greek Temple of Athena. It was spared destruction by the Romans, and was transformed into a Christian church by the Byzantines by filling between the columns with walls. During the Arab domination the building became a mosque, and was returned to being a church by the Normans when they reclaimed Sicilia for Christianity. The Normans carved arches into the inner walls of the Green sanctuary and added height to the upper walls of the nave and a timber trussed toof giving the familiar plan similar to the French Romanesque of their homeland. The apse was added in the Gothic period. Having survived the earthquake at the end of the 17th century, a Baroque facade was built on the west end of the nave. I found it quite interesting to see all of these periods of sacred architecture in a building that has been continuously used as a temple for over 2500 years.

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Arrivederci!