Sicily

Sicily was not at all what I expected. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. We had learned a bit about southern Italy in my Italian class, but only that it was very rural and that there was a large cultural divide between the north and the south. So, when I arrived in Palermo, I was not expecting to see such a large and developed city. There is a lot of history in Sicily and many cultural influences from Africa, the Middle East, and its ancient Greek and Roman past.


Day 1:
I set off from Rome very early to catch our morning flight to Palermo with two friends. When we arrived, we took a train to Catania to try to find out Bed & Breakfast. The room was very nice and quiet. We had a lovely view of Castello Ursino( a Medieval Castle built for Fredrick II, King of Sicily)We did a bit of exploring around Catania, found the most amazing park all lit up beautifully in the evening, walked down their main street of shops and then went out for a very nice dinner. Catania was very close to the water, so the fresh seafood was amazing! We went back to the B&B to get a goodnights sleep, as we had to be up very early the next day to catch the 1 bus that left for Mt. Etna in the morning.

Castello Ursino

View from our B&B

Douomo

 Roman Ruins

Day 2:
We awoke very early so we could dedicate the entire day to exploring Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is an active volcano. So, it is always  in a constant state of eruption. Seeing as it was a volcano and the weather in Catania was in the middle 60s, we all thought it was a good idea to pack shorts to go hiking in. The higher and higher the bus took us, the lower the thermometer measure went. When we finally arrived at our bus stop, we had a very cold shock, so we figured we would check out the prices in the gift shop for sweatshirts and pants. While we were there, I noticed a very strange red liquid with the title Fuoco("fire"). I asked the man in the shop what it was, who then excitedly poured me a small glass and told me to drink it( remember this is 10am). It was absolutely disgusting, but now I can say I have tried the "fire of Mt. Etna". After some crazy ( possibly illegal exploring of some of the craters), we got very hungry and had lunch overlooking the volcano. When we returned to Catania, we were all extremely exhausted! We read about a particular restaurant in our guide book, so we decided to check it  out. Sicily was much cheaper than Rome( which was a definite plus), so we decided to do a full meal Italian  progression. Everything was amazing, and I can also say I tried horse meat. Horse is a very popular meat in Sicily and the owner of the restaurant said it was the best thing on the menu. While, I probably wouldn't order it again, it was very good. 


Day 3
We explored the fabulous open air markets of Catania in the morning and then headed off to Taormina for the day. Taormina is a very small picturesque town atop of rocky cliff formations. We started by laying on the beach, and then met up with a friend from Rome to explore the Teatro Greco. This ancient theater was the highlight of my spring break. The view was unreal. We went in the afternoon, so the lighting was gorgeous on the soft red and white marble. 

Day 4
We awoke early again so we could catch our bus back to Palermo, where we would spend the remainder of our spring break adventure. The bus ride was about 2.5 hours, but the scenic country-side was so wonderful to see. Southern Italy was a very nice break from the crowded streets of Rome. It was nice to see some open land for a change. When we arrived in Palermo, we found our Hotel, set our things down, and went to explore the town. Palermo is a busy area, but it has different districts. We stayed in the Old Historic district, which had gorgeous gothic architecture and many of the cities main attractions. After a little while, we got hungry and as we were in Sicily I had to try one of their famous cannoli! Italy never disappoints when it comes to food! We then picked up some Italian scopa cards and taught ourselves how to play this Italian game. It is actually a lot of fun! 

Fish Market- Catania

Beaches of Taormina

Teatro Greco

Taormina

Day 5
This was our last day in Sicily so we decided to go to the famous Catacombs. This place was very creepy and extremely morbid. I have never seen so many dead bodies in my life! We weren't allowed to take pictures unfortunately, but trust me, it wasn't a very nice sight anyway. Legend has it, that the Sicilian people would pay exorbitant amounts to have their bodies preserved and displayed in this catacomb, the last body to be placed in the tomb was less than 100 years ago! The relatives of the dead would be responsible for paying an "upkeep" fee for their loved ones, if they did not pay the body was not maintained and would be placed arbitrarily on a shelf in the crypt. The crypt is divided into different sections, from priests' bodies, to professionals (people wearing suits), women, and then finally and most sadistically, children. All of the skeletons are hung up along the walls, forever displayed in their last choice of clothing. After the morbid beginning of the day, we headed to the beach, or Mondello. Mondello was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear ( very cold, but amazingly gorgeous) and the weather was perfect! After a long nap on the sand, we headed home for our last night in Palermo. We decided to try all of the famous Sicilian foods that night. We headed to a place recommended by the staff at the hotel. We ordered Arancini(fried rice balls filled with tomato, meat, peas, and cheese), Panelle( fried chickpea patties) and, crocchè( fried potato-like dumplings ). After that heart-attack of a meal we were extremely full and tired! We went back to the hotel for a bit of sleep before our 4 am bus trip back to Rome. 

some street food in Sicily

Cappuccino and cannoli

Teatro Maximus

Modello