erice and san vito lo capo

I am finally done with my junior year of high school which means I can finish up my Sicily series! My posts will be a bit longer since I still have quite a bit to share with you all. I don’t have many stories for today, but I have a lot of photos, so I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Today I’ll be taking you along with me up a cable car into the clouds to an ancient town called Erice.

The views were never-ending as we traveled up this mountain. The countryside, the city, the ocean: we saw it all in about twenty minutes.

Once we reached the town of Erice, we walked for quite a while to reach the ruins of Castello di Venere. Can you believe these are all homes people still live in? I’ve said this before, but the preservation of architecture here blows my mind.

This is one of the most beautiful views I saw.

Sicily was in total bloom while we were there. You’ll see in my next few photos some of the most colorful flowers.

This is a photo of the exterior of the castle ruins. I saw more castles on this trip than I’ve ever seen in my whole life (and we only saw two)!

A map of Erice.

The next few photos are of the castle ruins. It was pretty cool, but we only walked around for about fifteen minutes as there wasn’t much to see. I loved taking photos of the flowers, though.

This is such a cool flower.

This is one of my favorite photos I took. The sky looks so perfect, and the layered textures of the buildings make me so happy.

This one, too. The stone walkway is incredible.

Another lovely and rusty balcony!

We walked leisurely through town for a while but had to speed up when a car began driving (down the insanely narrow streets) behind us! I hope they weren’t in a rush. 😉 We eventually escaped and headed to a bakery called Pasticceria Grammatico Maria

I could smell nothing but almond extract and coffee as I walked into the tiny shop. The glass display case held an abundance of cookies, cakes, marzipan, cannoli, and other Italian delicacies. I got a cannoli (cannolo, actually — I don’t know why Americans have turned everything plural!). I’ve never had anything like it. The cream wasn’t frosting-like; it was rich and a little grainy with chocolate chips scattered throughout it. The shell was buttery and flakey but not soggy like many of the cannolis I’ve had here in America.

We walked down the stairs to the seating area to eat our treats and were pleasantly surprised by the very large outdoor dining area. There were plants everywhere, and it felt like a total escape from the slight chaos and busyness within the town.

The woman who owns the bakery, Maria, was the sweetest old lady. She gave my teacher and our tour leader a copy of her recipe book. As we walked in, she said, “Buongiorno, ragazzi!” to us all with so much joy on her face. This bakery is a true gem and one of the best parts of the trip for me.

After our midday bakery visit, we had a few minutes to walk around and shop. I bought a couple things and came across the cutest little animal figurines in the window of one of the shops. I was so sad when I realized they were closed! 😦 I would have bought them all.

Too much charm in one picture.

We walked back to the cable car and boarded the bus once we returned from the clouds. From Erice, we headed to the beach in San Vito lo Capo! Here are some sheep chilling out in the grass on our way there.

This was the first time we actually visited the beach and got to relax on it! The mountain in the photo is Monte Monaco.

The water was a bit too cold to swim, and no one had brought bathing suits that day, so we all sat in the sun and enjoyed the calming water and blue sky.

We hung out at a beachside restaurant after sunbathing for a while. We ate potato chips and drank Coca Cola, and then we left and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Tomorrow, I will share stories from Enna. A domani!

 

 

a few hours in monreale

After visiting Palermo for lunch, we headed up a windy and narrow road to a little town called Monreale.

The lopsided, sandy-colored buildings make me so happy!

Here is a view of the garden within the Monreale Cathedral. You can see the beautiful arches in the background, and each pillar is made up of shimmering geometric mosaics, which are of Arab influence.

This is an up-close shot of the magnificent mosaics. It’s so hard to capture their true beauty on camera! And the fact that they are still intact and well-preserved blows my mind.

I couldn’t get a great shot of the door outside the cathedral because there were bars in front of it, but it is filled with small, detailed sculptures of Bible stories.

This is outside of the cathedral, and it was, by far, one of my favorite pieces of architecture I witnessed while in Sicily. You would think that the mix of different styles would look strange and random, but here is one example of just the opposite. This sounds weird, but I could have stared at this cathedral all day. It’s just so hypnotizingly gorgeous!

Here’s another view of it.

Oh, how I wanted to buy one of these! We walked into a little store filled with extraordinary mosaic designs of all sorts. Unfortunately, even the tiniest canvases were around 75 euro (don’t get me wrong, it’s completely worth it!). Someday I’ll come back and buy one.

The woman who was working in the shop was making a design as we walked in, so I got to see just how much work goes into the process. I saw her break tiny pieces of glass and place them perfectly to fit within the frame. Long story short, I fell in love with mosaics in Sicily — not just the final product, but the intensive work that goes into creating them.

Another charming balcony housing a mini jungle.

This is an anxiety-inducing road I would never ever ever ever want to drive down. Also, wouldn’t you just love to live in one of those apartments? I know I would. You could open your window and have a full on conversation with your neighbors!

Here’s the view that Monreale is known for, “La Conca d’Oro,” or The Golden Shell.

A picture of me in front of The Golden Shell. It was very windy up there!

Oh, do you see the lanyard with the red writing that says “Whispers”? Those are little devices we received with each tour guide. It’s a (very uncomfortable) headphone that is connected by Bluetooth to the guide’s microphone so everyone can hear them.  The name “Whispers” is so funny to me, so I just had to share this. Oh, and there was a moment when a few of us went into the bathroom and the group kept moving on, so as we were peeing, we missed nothing! 😉

This is the inside of the cathedral which we saw after roaming the town for a bit. You can see yet another Jesus dome; this one’s also made entirely of mosaic.

The WOOD ceiling!

Aghhhh, I cannot get enough of this mosaic. I’ve decided that my future kitchen backsplash will be completely inspired by Sicily!

This is the Virgin Mary in one of the corners of the church. The shrine is made entirely of marble, and below there were nearly a hundred flickering candles.

We had some free time after touring the town and visiting the cathedral. Here are some lovely and delicious Sicilian cookies (mostly almond or lemon-based!).

A very refreshing strawberry granita.

This was my view as I enjoyed the granita. *sigh* it doesn’t get better than this…

That was our mini trip to Monreale! It’s taken a while for me to get this post up, but school is ending in eight days, so life has been a bit crazy. I’ll be putting a few more Sicily posts up very soon… buonanotte.

puppets, balconies, and an open market: downtown palermo {day two}

Today I’ll be sharing the final day we spent in downtown Palermo. This day was my favorite, and you’ll see why in a little bit…

I love this picture. It captures so much: the balconies, the flowers, the sleeping dog!

This building is gorgeous. I fell in love with the design here; more specifically, the balconies. Every. Single. Building. has them. They’re all different and so charming. I wish they were more common in US cities.

The first stop we made this day was to the Museo Internazionale di Marionette. No one in my group was particularly excited to go, but by the end, I think we all enjoyed it. The collection of marionettes was so impressive!

This is one of the very oldest puppets they had.

This room was filled with a million eyes staring right at you!

We got to hold one of the marionettes, and they are SO heavy! It blows my mind how people can put on entire performances holding them.

This piano-playing one is funny.

These puppets, made out of only recycled materials, were really cool.

The photos you’re seeing are just half of all of the photos I took. Everywhere was so picturesque, and I have about a million more! I love this one so much.

Apparently, this is one of the biggest ficus trees. We randomly came across it while wandering through a park.

This part of the day marks my favorite part of the entire trip.

We came across an open market down a long street. It was close to the downtown shopping area, but it felt like a million miles away as we were walking through. We had some free time after we had quickly walked through, so my aunt and I decided to go back and take our time exploring.

This was a little stand making freshly-squeezed juice from oranges, pomegranates, and lemons. They add it to ice and create the freshest-tasting granita you’ll ever try. There are no machines used here: only their hands, which never stopped to take a break.

I tried the orange…Oh, what I would do to have another cup!

The market was huge, and everything within it was so fresh and cheap!

I wish you could smell this picture.

Rows and rows and rows of produce. Some I had never even seen or heard of before, such as fragoline, or mini strawberries. My aunt and I got a little bucket of big strawberries for only two euro, and they were, by far, the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted.

I love this picture. The street was so narrow, but the people riding motorcycles didn’t let that bother them!

Also, look at the top of the picture. You can see more balconies (!!!), so imagine what it would be like living in one of those apartments. You could walk downstairs every few days and buy the freshest food for all of your meals. What a dream.

Have you ever seen oranges so perfect?

My aunt and I stopped at almost every stand, trying to converse with the locals and sample their items. Unlike the touristy areas and restaurants, barely anyone here spoke English. So, I had to use my beginner Italian skills to try and communicate. Thankfully, I knew my numbers (to negotiate a price) and how to ask for things!

Even though we were both English speakers who clearly didn’t belong there, everyone who we spoke to was so nice and friendly. I asked the man at the olive stand if I could try one, and he gave me a sample and a kind smile without hesitation. For the first time, I truly felt immersed in the Sicilian culture. I instantly fell in love with everything about it: the food, the people, the language. It was the most amazing feeling, and I will never forget it! There really are friendly people everywhere you go.

Now back to reality 🙂

After spending a while strolling down the marketplace, eating strawberries and buying goodies to bring back home (like this pistachio cream), we left the chaos and found ourselves with more time to kill before we had to meet up with the group. The second we walked out of the open market, it felt like we were in a completely different world: the cacophony of Sicilian men shouting at each other about fish and the sweet smell of strawberries and oranges slowly diminished.

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We began to walk back to the main square, past rows of little tables set up with the most random antiques, and found my uncle and grandpa. We then decided to get some gelato. I went for the basic flavors in a fancy cone: chocolate and vanilla. If this trip taught me anything it’s that whenever I think I can’t eat anymore, I can. This gelato was huge, and I didn’t think I’d finish it, but I ate the whole thing and even ate some more later on!

From Palermo, we went to a surrounding town (I’ve no idea what the name is, if it even has one other than Palermo!) where we waited to take a tour of a gelateria. We had almost two hours to relax, so we all sat on the grass and bathed in the Italian sun across from the water.

These blue boats are so picturesque. Even boats know how to color coordinate in Italy!

I told you about the balconies. Aghhh they’re so cute!

This is one of my very favorite photos which I actually took on my phone! I just feel like it captures Sicily so well: it’s perfectly imperfect.

My aunt wanted me to take this picture of a cool alleyway 🙂

We took a mini tour of a gelateria and got a sample cup. It was very delicious; I think I got the mango flavor.

We continued to wander while we waited for dinner. This day was full of wandering which is probably why I loved it so much.

A cool silhouette shot.

Balconies, balconies, and more balconies! I admire the European (and Italian) design so much more after this trip. I just love how much history is preserved even in a simple apartment building.

We went to a department store before dinner. This was the view from the top where some of the group sat and relaxed for a while. My friends and I wanted to explore the mall and check out the stores. Maybe it’s because they’re so different from American malls, but I was completely obsessed with everything I saw in there!

For example… an entire section of SMEG products! I have loved SMEG for so long and dream of owning a fridge one day. This, amongst many other things within the mall, made the day 10000x more awesome.

After that, we went to dinner. I don’t have any photos, but I’ll just tell you it was the strangest (and worst) meal we all ate while in Sicily! Despite that, the rest of the day and the good company made up for it. And besides, you can’t complain while in Italy!

I’ll share more tomorrow or Tuesday, but we’ve still got a ways to go! I hope you’re enjoying the series thus far. A presto. 

downtown palermo {day one}

Welcome to the second post of my Sicily series. We spent two days in downtown Palermo, so I’ll be sharing the first day today. Andiamo! 

Yesterday I mentioned the crazy driving we witnessed. Well, here’s just one example of it. The traffic was insane in the cities, and there are about five (invisible) lanes! It was very stressful, but the bus drivers we had were superheroes.

Visiting during the spring was just amazing. Everything was in full bloom, and the weather wasn’t too cold or too hot. I haven’t visited during any other seasons, but from what I’ve heard, April – July is the best time to come.

I love the design of this “Vota Me” poster. Not sure who made it or who it’s intended to represent, so if you find anything out please share!

These next few photos are of Capella Palatina, an ancient church in Palermo built in the twelfth century. It was one of the most phenomenal things I’ve ever seen. If you go to Sicily for one thing, go for the mosaics!

Each detail is made up of tiny pieces of naturally-colored glass. Our tour guide, Concetta — who was a very knowledgeable architect — explained the different styles that are seen within the church: the arches (and many of the mosaics, specifically the geometric-looking ones) are Arabic, and the pillars are Roman.

Sicily’s history is so interesting because it is made up of many different cultures; Arab, Greek, Roman, Norman, and Byzantine influence is seen throughout the region. I also learned that the Arabic language has many similarities to the Sicilian dialect which I find fascinating!

It was so hard to take pictures in here because of the lighting, but here’s a view of the beautiful dome with a mosaic Jesus sitting at the very top. I just can’t get over how much work it must have been to create such an intricate masterpiece.

Here’s an up-close shot of the mosaics on a little piece of the wall.

I’m not very religious, but I can’t exaggerate when I say I could have been in there all day. There’s a lot to learn and appreciate in regards to religion, and much of the art I’ve seen that’s religiously-inspired is the most incredible. I would totally come back just to tour the churches and admire their beauty. I’ve truly never seen anything like it!

One more shot. You can clearly see the blending of styles in this one, but somehow it all comes together perfectly.

This is the inside of the Parliament House. Another work of art, except this time with paintings, not mosaics.

I was surprised to see so many palm trees here. From this view (taken from a garden in Palermo), it kind of looks like California!

This was funny. We were in another church, looking for the bathroom, and we found this: a sign for the “toilette” in the strangest place ever! It was right behind those steps, and you had to pay 50 cents to use it (which, I learned, is not uncommon here).

This is Fontana Pretoria, and it was built in the sixteenth century in Florence. It is also known as the “Fountain of Shame.”

After our morning guided tour, we had a few hours to eat lunch and roam around the touristy area of Palermo. I came across this piece of street art but have not been able to find anything about it online. Again, if you find anything… let me know!

I’m gonna be honest. I didn’t take as many photos of food as I would have liked to. But I did take a decent amount, so I’ll share what I have! This is an arancino, or a fried rice ball.

This picture is kinda gross, but I assume you’ll want to see what’s inside! I got mine with just rice and cheese. Yummm.

I also got an almond granita, which is like an Italian Ice but 1000x better. Apparently, granita and brioche (a sweet bread) is a classic Sicilian breakfast! Sign me up.

Sicilian Audrey Hepburn!

You can tell from the ground in this photo that it was pretty wet that day. There were showers on and off, meaning there were people trying to sell us cheap umbrellas all day long, but by the end of the day it had cleared up.

OK, I just had to share this photo. Look how close the cars are parked! Just thinking about getting out of that spot stresses me out.

This is a blurry photo taken from the bus, but look how pretty! I looooove hydrangeas.

After Palermo that day, we went to Monreale. I’ll share that soon, but tomorrow I’ll be sharing the second day spent in downtown Palermo, which just so happens to be my favorite day from the whole trip. A domani! 

day one in sicily: isola delle femmine

I’m finally ready to share about my trip to Sicily! My post-trip sadness is (mostly) all gone, so I’ll be telling you all about it in my next few blog posts! (10 days is too long for one giant blog post, so this one will just be the first day.)

I went on the trip with my school, and my grandpa joined me. While we were in Sicily, my aunt and uncle, who live in London and are only a few hours flight from Italy, came down and spent the week with us, too. Not only was the trip an amazing cultural experience I will never ever forget, but it was also awesome to spend time with my family and make new friends. I’ll say more on this later, but I could not have asked for a better first trip abroad. I am so grateful I got to go. Here’s to many more! But for now…andiamo a Sicilia!

We left from Boston on April 13 and headed to Germany, which was an eight-hour flight. We flew on Lufthansa, a German airline, and I had my first ever dinner on a plane. I’ve been on plenty of planes but had never been served a full course meal. That was certainly an… experience!

From Germany, the flight was two hours to Palermo. We had been flying all night, so when we got to Palermo it was 10 or 11 in the morning, meaning we had a full (relaxing) day ahead of us.

This is the view from the plane as we got close to Palermo. Look at those clouds!

Once we got to the airport, we met up with our wonderful tour guide, Nicole. She was with us the whole trip and was the absolute best. By the time we left, everyone was so sad to say goodbye. 😦

We began to drive to our first hotel, Hotel Sirinetta. While on our tour bus, we each had mini heart attacks while witnessing the narrow roads and very wild drivers of Sicily! I’ll share more on that later. The hotel was in a small town called Isola Delle Femmine, which was a very strange area of Sicily. There wasn’t much to do, and there were not many people out during the day or night. However, we were in this hotel for the longest amount of time, and I grew to like the area.

My roommate and I definitely got the best view! We couldn’t figure out how to open the screen door to go onto the balcony, but once we did, we got SO excited about it. Every day I stepped outside and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. God, I miss it so so much!

Cute (and uncomfortable) chairs on the balcony.

After we got to the hotel, we all felt gross from the long travel day. We relaxed and showered and then went out to look for a spot for lunch.

Here’s an up close shot of the beach. It was swimming weather for us New Englanders, but the Italians wouldn’t dare to swim in 70-degree weather, which is why no one is out there!

The first of many gelato sightings! A cute little gelateria on wheels.

Our first Sicilian meal was eaten at a restaurant by the sea. We had caponata and spaghetti with parsley. I really liked it, and this meal was fun since we got to practice using our Italian for the first time! Oh, and I can’t forget to tell you about my Coca-cola experience:

I never drink soda at home. I hate carbonation and I always have preferred water. But for some reason on this trip, I got addicted to Coca-cola! At almost every meal I ordered a Coke. Even at the hotels, my friends and I would get some to take to our rooms. I don’t know why — maybe Italian Coke is better than American Coke — but it just felt so natural to me while I was there. I haven’t had it since I got back, so I think I’m going to make Coca-cola an “only-in-Italy” thing so I don’t ruin the joy 😉

My first real gelato! There was an adorable gelateria right down the road from our hotel called Dolce Cono (Sweet Cone). I ordered ~un cono con due gusti: pistacchio e cioccolato ~ (a cone with two flavors: pistachio and chocolate). It did not disappoint. I’m still dreaming of gelato.

After we returned, I hung out by the pool for a little while, watching the crazy group of kids who were staying in the same hotel do “tricks.”

My roommate and I accidentally discovered the solarium that was on the roof of the building, and this is one of the views from the top.

Another view: this is a really cool hotel (and mountain).

Maybe this is TMI, but I’m gonna share it for those who may be curious about European bathrooms/design! This is the shower in our hotel room. It was very cramped, but I got used to it after a while. Every hotel bathroom also had a bidet which I had never seen or used before! When we ran out of toilet paper, the owner of the hotel made jokes about how obsessed we Americans are with TP and how “the bidet is there for a reason!”

It’s so random, but I’m obsessed with the “continental breakfast” hotels offer. Something about not eating breakfast in your own home makes me excited, I guess. This hotel’s spread was very nice. Every morning I ate a peach yogurt, a croissant, and sometimes an orange. Yum.

Ahhhh, the vending machine. I accidentally ordered sparkling water here and had one-too-many Kinder Buenos. 🙂

That was all of day one. It was quite uneventful, but I figured I’d share our one relaxing day before the craziness of the rest of the trip! I’m happy I’m writing this all down here because it’s letting me relive these memories through photos. I miss this trip so much!

Tomorrow I will post more photos and stories from our second/third day in downtown Palermo! Stay tuned…