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[kdenoto]

Week 4/Extra

The last week was mostly just finishing up some assignments and learning just a bit more of language along with a cannoli class. We did get to visit some early Christian catacombs they are taking pictures and not much time was spent in them.

           I will go over some of the things that stuck out to me while on this trip. The money in Italy is the Euro, and thy used large value coins and some bills rather than many banks notes and not as many credit cards used. They don’t split checks in Italy which I find strange. They had a lack of air-conditioning and fans for a place that is this hot. They love pistachio and have it for a lot of sweets and dishes. They separate their recyclables to a large extent then us. They rest in the middle of the day having most shops close because they eat a large lunch, rather than Americans were we eat a large breakfast work all day then eat a large dinner. In Ortygia a lot speak English because of it being a touristy area. They find it weird that Americans tend to customize our dishes like coffees, sandwiches, etc. They don’t see Italian Americans`, more specifically Guido’s, as real Italians.

[kdenoto]

Week 3

The first day of the third week we learned double consonants and more complex verbs. The instructor took out the class to experience a local cuisine called a granita. It is a form of crushed, flavored ice similar but yet different to a snow cone. It was very smooth in texture and had a more natural flavor along with a large variety of flavors, and it is accompanied by a strange candy coated nougat and nut bar similar to a candy bar. I had a lemon granita, and it was like a thick lemonade slushy perfect for the intense heat.

           The next day we were taught about this phenomenon called “bella figura” which seems to be this cultural trend in Italy, especially among the youth, were people constantly feel as though they have to be the perfect person. This includes looking like a model, high end fashion, appearing wealthy even if you’re not, and acting overly generous to show off wealth. This can be compared to the many cultural revolutions in America that came out of the mid-20th century like the workout revolution in the 1960`s, the swap of the art and fashion world from France to New York during and after WWII, and the idolization of movie stars as Hollywood became one of the dominant entertainment media outlets and movie industry. This social movement, bella figura, can be self-destructive in nature to people who fall victim to it, especially the very harsh and impressionable youth.

           The third day I had my midterm for language and culture, but for my archaeology class we went to an archaeological museum. It was one of the largest collections of Mediterranean artifacts in the world. This is because Sicily holds the most Greek archaeological spots outside of Greece itself due to the vast amounts of largest ancient Greek colonies set up in Sicily. They also had an impressive display of prehistory artifacts and Roman as well. 

           The fourth day I spent it touring the ceremony Jewish baths from antiquity and medieval times; learning about the Jewish community that once lived in Syracuse until the Spanish inquisition. Also I went to a traditional Sicilian puppet show, and although I couldn’t understand what they were saying I still could somewhat understand the plot. The quality of the puppets, voice acting, and writing was very impressive. It was really better ten some modern movies, and it uses local folk stories. They leave you hanging with the main hero`s story since it is a regular show with many episodes you come back to almost like a TV series on Netflix. Also for the first and only time it had rained which I found very relaxing and seemingly reminiscent of Florida.

           The final days of the week I attended a trip to the famous Mount Etna, The largest mountain in Europe, and the town of Taormina. We were accompanied by a volcanologist who told use the history and activity of the volcano. As we made our way up the volcano the view was extraordinary. Looking up I saw the peak of the mountain with plumes of smoke and gasses arising from the summit, and looking down I saw beautiful tree filled valleys with towns built into them along with a nice coastline. 

 Along the sides of the volcano you could see paths of destruction from lava flows were contrast of wild foliage and baron lines of death like that of the yin and yang symbol. 

We visited a local vineyard and winery on Etna to try the wines. The site was on the side of the Mountain giving us a beautiful view of the coast, valleys, and vineyards. As for the wine they were all good but in their own way with some being dry and earthy, while others more sweet, fluid, and fruity. Such a large and great selection I just had to buy a bottle or two. However, they don’t ship from June to August because of the heat. 

We eventually made our way to Taormina, having to take a gondola to get up to the main part of the city. The city itself was filled with architectural beauty and lots of people. It was a very famous place that thousands visit, and for a good reason. It is filled with high end shops, beautiful scenery of coastlines were people dock their boats, and famous cathedrals. It is because of this that Taormina is a famous pace to get married and if you visit you will likely see a marriage happening as I did. 

[kdenoto]

Week 2

The first day of this week we learned about regular verbs, prepositions, and introductions. Although we also learned about Italian government. In Italy they have a partial democracy where multiple parties can form coalitions to get votes and work together on certain issues, but in America we have a two party system. In Italy the people vote for political parties, every five years, who they then appoint Representative from their part depending on what percentage voted for them, then those people vote on a president who serves for seven years who he then appoints a prime minister. This is very strange since in America the people directly vote for their representatives and also somewhat part in the Electoral College of the president, and we have no prime minister so Italy feels a bit more hands off for the citizens. There has been a new rise in Italy politics on the right with a growing of populism due to the immigration crisis that has been happening in Europe from North Africa and some of the near east. Some fascist group hidden in this new movement is using it to rise in power causing a scare among some of the citizens fearing the return of Italy`s violent authoritarian past with Nazis under Mussolini. There is a bad sigma around Fascism in Italy due to its past that I can only compare to the way America had with communism in the 20th century. Over the past decade or so there has been a mass migration of people from North and West Africa to Europe on boats from Tunisia because they come from war torn lands. Since Italy is the closest most immigrants flock to them which now gives Italy a new responsibility to take care of them and provide. Since some see this large movement of migrants as a strain on Italy`s resources and that they are their illegally they have put restrictions on the ability to migrate to Italy. Others see this as inhumane and that they are not handling these humans with the appropriate care. I see this as a good comparison to what is happening in America with the mass illegal immigration of central and South Americans at the Mexican border. This is a very touchy and topical subject that don’t know much about so I will end the subject here. Although I will add that there has been major resistance against this new right administration.

           The next day we learned how to ask questions in Italian, and we went to a local deli to order a sandwich in Italian. It was very similar to American delis except that in Italy they don’t like to mix meats or put mayo & mustard on sandwiches. The deli meats are delicious though, even without condiments.

           For the rest of the week we went to Morgantina and Agrigento which is in the center of Sicily. These places housed massive archaeological sites that gave us an idea of the importance of Sicily in the ancient Mediterranean world. Although the city was pretty much not all too impressive what really caught my eye was the rural areas I saw on the ride over. The massive valleys, cliffs, hills, and large areas of cultivation. They were beautiful. I couldn’t take enough pictures since every landscape was awe inspiring. This is all very new to me considering Florida being completely flat and either coast or swamp. They had towns built high up on the side of hills, and most of them are probably as old if not older then the USA itself.

           I didn’t do much over the weekends, However, I didn’t visit a few local beaches were I saw, multiple times I may add, women who were topless. I guess people aren’t as prude or reserved as they are in America.

[kdenoto]

Week 1

My journey begins with me arriving at the Catania airport. Here I got off the plane in the middle of the airfield were a transport bus took us to the terminal. This was a bit strange for me because I was used to planes arriving at a gate, but I don’t know if it was because it was a small local terminal and I was just used to international airports like Tampa and Miami. However, I had to do the same in Rome for my connection so I don’t know. I was picked up by the program leader and was driven to Syracuse on both the flight in and the car ride I noticed the country side. It seemed very cultivated with all sorts of trees and bushes, and that it seemed a bit hilly but it seemed nice compared to the flat and swampy nature of Florida. When I arrived at the B&B I was greeted by my group of colleges and became acquainted with my room. We then met our instructors, and we went out for a welcome dinner. Here is where I was first introduced to local Sicilian cuisine. The first thing they serve is antipasto (appetizer) which is usually an assortment of cured meats, cheeses, vegetables, and bread.

 I learned that they drink wine with food to pair with it, the white goes with white meat and the red wine goes with red meat. Since Sicily is an island where the coast is often close fish and seafood is a common staple in their diet. This was unfortunate considering I don’t like seafood nor was I that fond of alcohol. Another common food staple that was served was pasta, however unlike pasta in America they don’t serve meat in the pasta but separate on a plate to the side (aka no spaghetti and meatballs). Afterwards they end the meal with sweets, and then we went home for the next day.

On the next day we had orientation about our schedules, classes, and itinerary. On the second day I had the chance to take in my environment. The first thing I noticed was the heat, it was hot and humid like Florida typically being 35-38oC (85-90oF). Ortygia is an ancient city with a grid urban layout that has been nearly the same since the Greek colonies were established thousands of years ago. The streets were narrow and seemed to be made for walking pedestrians having little or no sidewalks, but vehicles still go through anyways. The buildings are all tall, connected, and colorful having baroque design here or there.

 There are multiple cathedrals in the baroque style with the most impressive one, the Cathedral of Syracuse, being in the piazza Duomo. The churches in Italy are very decorated and beautiful, and they are much more impressive than the ones in America. 

Most of the churches and people are catholic. Ortygia is, however, a tourist trap with many little stands and stores that try to bring you in. One common trick you have to watch out for are people who hold a parakeet, and they try to put it on your shoulder and ask money to take a picture. The best way to deal with them is to say no until they leave. Also, because it has a lot of tourist lots of high end shops and restaurants scatter the area. Although Ortygia is surrounded by water it is very rocky and has lots of cliffs, so there are very few beaches and even fewer with sand. The Mediterranean water is very salty, but it feels nice and refreshing to swim in. Unlike the beaches in Florida where there are many large beaches that have very fine sand, warmer water, and less salty water. 

Another food habit I learned in the morning was that they don’t eat much breakfast eating mostly pastries, cheese, and coffee. I was used to eating a large breakfast with lots of grains, protein, fruit, and yogurt. Speaking of coffee, it is huge there with it being a major part of their culture. They have café shops everywhere. The coffee is small but strong, and it is used as more of a way of socializing so people spend hours talking at a café over a small cup. These bars (café) serve all kinds of coffee like espresso (strong coffee), cappuccino (espresso with milk), and mochaccino (coffee with chocolate). 

Another thing I noticed was that people loved using mopeds like a lot. Almost as much as cars. Later that day I tried a local food called an aracino which is a fried rice ball filled with meat, cheese, and veggies. It was very delicious, and I highly recommend it. 

The third day stared the first school day/week. We learned how to pronounce vowels, articles, and feminine & masculine singular nouns. In Italian the words all end in vowels, and those vowels change based on the gender of the noun. In the archaeology class we were taught about the prehistoric people groups that inhabited the island before the Greeks drove them out and set up colonies. We toured Ortygia seeing its many archaeological sites with some having been incorporated into churches and other buildings. Underneath those temples and altars were prehistoric settlements showing how the Greeks built on top of their conquered foes. The historical sites are not taken care of very well having overgrown foliage and litter. In Italy they have so many archaeological sites that they can’t take care of them all, and they tend to be taken for granted. This is strange to see such history desecrated since there are few archaeological sites in America so what we have is better taken care of. 

For the rest of the week it is a similar routine of learning the language and archaeological history. We did tour the local open markets to learn about different nouns, however the market was an experience in itself. People just had open stands yelling and selling their food products from spices, to vegetables, to oils, wines, honey, and fish so many fresh fish. It was all cheap to and a bit overwhelming since I had never experienced this before. Ortygia had some supermarkets, but they were small and limited while the open market was fresh and cheap. 

Although with all the markets it was still difficult if not impossible to find certain products that are available in the States since I’m used to our supermarkets having everything from across the world available. We also went to the archaeological park to see part of the ancient Greek city. We saw a huge Greek theater, a massive altar, the old quarries, and a roman amphitheater. 

Just like some of the current buildings they were built from the local limestone giving them their signature white color like the Baroque buildings. By the end of the week all the Italian I knew was how to say hello, goodbye, and thank you. Near the end of the week we went to Catania for a day since it was like the big city. It was much larger and more impressive in its baroque architecture as well having a mix of white limestone and black basalt since it is closer to Mount Etna.

 I also had a local cuisine that being horse meat. It was a bit gamy but it was still savory, and it was a bit weird it was once in a life time since eating horse is outlawed in the States. 

[kdenoto]

My Sicilian Experience

Introduction:

           This is a blog about my experience, as an American from the University of South Florida, living in Sicily for four weeks while administered in a two class program over the summer. The program takes place on the island of Ortygia in the city of Syracuse were I will regularly attend two classes, Italian language & culture and Mediterranean Archaeology of Sicily, Monday through Friday with weekends off. I will recount my experiences on a weekly basis, and go over my specific thoughts on them in hope that this will help some people who decide to travel to Sicily/Italy or is writing a paper or doing research on a similar subject.