Catania and Taormina

My time spent in Sicily though short, was an incredible experience. I arrived to Catania late in the afternoon on Friday November 8th. Nora, Lauren and I were ill at the start of the trip and missed out on everything the first day.  The next morning we woke up early to visit a Libera Terra farm and help them in their endeavors. Libera Terra is an organization devoted to antimafia principles growing all the food and selling it without the interference of the mafia. The farm itself was taken from the mafia, and the farmers working there have been cultivating the land in spite of the massive amount of influence that Cosa Nostra holds in Sicily. We pruned the olive trees and collected the olives before returning back to Catania. After working in the fields, we freshened up a bit and went to lunch in a local park. We feasted on arancini, a Sicilian delicacy, filled with ricotta, eggplant or prosciutto. To top off the meal I ate a delicious almond flavored granita siciliana, a sort of crushed ice sorbet. After our incredible lunch, everyone felt ready to learn of the on goings of the mafia in Sicily.  We learned of the evolution of the mafia from the gabbelloti who worked for the large landholding barons, to their growth in significance in the Sicilian hierarchy before the rise of Fascism, and their sequential return to power after World War II. After the lecture we made plans to go to a soccer game. Catania was hosting Udinese and everyone was very excited. We watched the game reveling in the life of the crowd as the home team secured victory with an early penalty kick. After they had won, the entire stadium exploded into song as the happy fans got a much needed win in an otherwise lackluster season. Following the game, we met up for dinner near the center of town. The service was slow, as per usual in Sicily, but when my tuna steak and insalata caprese arrived it was well worth the wait. After a drink with Alessia and the other CETers, everyone headed off to bed for our morning trip to Taormina. As we departed from Catania, the thing that struck me the most was the ever present nature of Mount Etna. Its smoking top could be seen all the time in Catania, and even after traveling an hour to Taormina it was still in view; an ever present slightly foreboding shadow. Once we arrived at Taormina, we quickly sorted out the business of tourist shopping and made our way to the Greek amphitheater built in the seventh century B.C. Placed beautifully with the backdrop of the blue crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea I couldn’t help but wonder at how incredibly lucky I was. Breaking for lunch and a cannolo break, we made our way down to the beach where I took a relaxing dip in the still warm waters of the sea. As I stood in the shallows I looked down and noticed small fish all around me. Being in the month of November it was undoubtedly surreal to be experiencing this paradise. When it came time to leave the warm waters and begin our journey back to Siena, I found great satisfaction in overcoming my illness and being able to see this incredible place. As we rode the bus back to Catania and boarded our plane, I felt both sad to be leaving the beauty of Sicily but also happy to be returning “home” to Siena. Though it started out rough, the trip was well worth it and I thank CET, Christina and Alessia for making it so awesome.

 

Mike Babineau, UVA