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Facts of Sicily
Sicily is an Italian island North of Malta and South-West of Italy. It is the birthplace of the Mafia and is very famous for it's art and Europe's highest point, Mt. Etna which is also the most active volcano in Europe.The Trinacria is a symbol of the geography of Sicily. The three legs represent the three points of the island, this figure is a very famous piece of art through out Sicily. Day One in Sicily (June 30, 2006) We arrived in Taormina, a beautiful town over looking the sea. We saw many shops with interesting things for sale but we didn't stop until we reached the square. We shopped awhile but not for long for we went to go see Taormina's Greek amphitheatre that was built in the 3rd century BC. Leo then took us back on the bus to our hotel in Catania. Day Two in Sicily (July 1, 2006) Today we boarded the bus to Mt. Etna. It peeks at 10,902 feet and has four active craters. The first part was easy but climbing up the higher parts was breath taking. Literally! The oxygen got thinner and my water was warm from this morning. The climbing was worth it though, the sky was bluer, had time to relax for a second and we were rulers of the world! Although, I was happy when we were coming back down. My legs were cramped but that paid off when I went on a lava rock shopping spree in the shops. After the climb we then watched a documentary of how volcanoes, specifically Mt. Etna erupts like it does. We were surprised when it was over, that it was pouring down rain outside! In Europe, I think the storms are heavier. We ran down hill into the bus. We were going to go swimming but it was delayed until the rain stopped. Day Three in Sicily (July 2, 2006) Early in the morning we visited a Sicilian pottery. Some students got to try out the pottery wheel, I didn't want to. Instead we got a tour of the hand made pottery factory. We then headed over to a hotel in Cefalu where we unloaded and got ready for the beach. There was a lot of rocks in the ocean and they were all covered with barnacles and other invertebrae. The waves almost went over my head and they had enough force to push you from the bank. My friends and I stayed for hours until it was dinner time. Afterwards Leo took us out on a short walk along the road that rose up from the beach. A tide was coming in and the sound of the ocean seemed to beckon to me. The big rock of Cefalu was lit up by the cathedral's light. the rock looked like a sun hat and on top of it in ancient times stood the temple of Diana. Day Four in Sicily (July 3, 2006) In the morning we headed to Erice, a medieval fortress.It took awhile to find the castle but eventually we got there with a little Italian language. After a snack we went to Trapani to learn about the salt flats. Sea water goes into one compartment and is drained into another compartment. Then the second compartment files the salt into the next and the third into the fourth so it would drain better. In the fourth the sun dries the salt and workers go out to grind up the salt. That is how Sicilian sea salt is made. After lunch we went to a great Greek temple in Segesta where we learned about it's history. Segesta's origin is a mystery but most clues point out that the Trojans were the Segestians. The temple was immense and as long as it has stood there, it has not been reconstructed. It's still in good shape despite it was never finished long ago. Day Five in Sicily (July 4, 2006) We went to have an educational meeting with a real Italian proffessore. We learned what kids studied in Italy, how long and we learned how their school systems worked. Their schools are quite different then our's, I noticed. For lunch we made our own Sicilian pizzas. We then visited Palermo, the capital of Sicily. The city was founded by Pheonicians and originally named Ziz, which means flower. The cathedral we went in was beautiful. The paintings looked like they were painted in gold and the church was still active. In the evening we boarded and overnight ferry to Naples in the mainland. In the cabin section, we almost got lost but thanks to the signs, we all found our way to our rooms.
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