Some pictures: Western Sicily and the Aeolians

Western Sicily 1

Western Sicily 2

The Aeolians

Ciao,

Frank

A Note and The Aeolians: Day 1

Let me start by apologizing for the wait since my last update. The fact is that this is really my first time living completely on my own as an adult, and it is far more time consuming than I'd intended it to be. I'd also like to point out that, though it may not seem like it, I am, in fact, a student and I am, in fact, attending classes with professors that do, in fact, assign me work. Though I enjoy keeping it and I like sharing this experience with all of you through this blog, it is certainly not my top priority here. I'd much rather focus on experiencing Italy than documenting it. That said, I have been slacking a bit on updating, but I am very aware of this and am doing my best to keep up and, though I know for many of you this is the prime way of staying in touch with me, I ask you to understand that I am not going to be able to keep this as regular as we all might like.

Carrying on...

This past weekend, I took a vacation from my (sort-of) vacation and went to the Aeolian Islands. I woke up at four in the morning on Friday and packed and showered before meeting the girls at the Temple of Apollo... at five-thirty. It was a long ride (about three hours in a van and another two or three waiting for and riding on the boat), and we arrived around 11 in the morning. We'd made the decision to switch around our itinerary for the weekend due to weather concerns, and, after checking into our hotel and taking a brief practical tour, hopped on a small boat bound for Vulcano, the (surprise) volcanic island situated next to our host island of Lipari.

Let me stop here and make one thing very clear: The Aeolian Islands are the most beautiful place I have ever been, and I have a very, very difficult time imagining anything that can compare to them. They have blown everything I have ever seen out of the water. The effect that they have on you is a mix between the surreal and the exhilarat

ing, and it's a feeling completely new to me. I'll post the link for the pictures I took in a little while, since I want to steal some pictures from (and accredit them to, of course) my friends.

Anyways, we hopped on the boat and slowly made our way to Vulcano, stopping for a quick swim. While we made our way to the little cove we jumped in at, our guide pointed out rocks and cliffs that supposedly looked like something or another. The only one I saw was "La Mummia," which resembled a mummified pharaoh... sort of. It was silly. 

When we finally did stop, I jumped in and was pleased (though not surprised at all) to

 find the water very warm and calm. I could see the bottom easily, but it took me several tries before I could dive down low enough to touch bottom. Our program director gently nudged us to get back on the boat in the interest of time, and as we looked over the sides heading away, we saw

 that the current had brought in a couple dozen very large jellyfish (soccer ball size). 

After taking on the jellies, we landed at Vulcano. The weather was... less than optimal. It was still pretty warm out, but the sun was behind the clouds most of the day. Despite this, we knew that Friday may have been the only nice day of the weekend (it wasn't), and we started walking inland. 

Quick background, for anyone who doesn't know already: In my school, there are twenty-nine students. Nine are guys, twenty are girls. In my program, there are eight people. Seven are girls, and one is me. I went to the Aeolians with my program and five other girls. 

While the benefits of this arrangement are quite obvious, the fact is that, when it comes to choosi

ng activities, I get about the amount of representative power as Wyoming (more, in actuality).  

So, because we were on a volcanic island that was like 

a Reese's Cup if a Reese's Cup was filled with rotten-egg-smelling sulfur, and because they're all girls and like girly things, I geared myself up for the thermal baths and hot springs (I did have the option to go off on my own, but since they're all very pretty and I don't like being alone, it wasn't much of an option).

The thermal baths were kind of disappointing. The jets built into the pools were very cool, but the water wasn't really heated to a warm enough temperature. I suppose when the water is 

heated by a volcano, consistency isn't really a consistency. They made us wear these weird shower caps too. The girls said I looked like Ali G in mine. I have my beard 

again, so it's not really that far off.

The mud bath was, if anything, at least more interesting than the thermal baths. Normally, the image that immediately pops into your head when you think "mud-bath" is an actual bathtub filled with actual mud. On Vulcano, however, it's less about the mud and more about the sulfur that heats and infuses it. The bath itself was pretty much just a giant simmering mud puddle that was stinky, but it was still pretty cool. We all reeked of sulfur for a day after and some of us got irradiated (more on that next post), but now I can say I soaked in sulfury mud-water. Hooray!

After a particularly chilly ride back to Lipari, we went back to the hotel and showered (not enough to remove the smell, however) before meeting at the girls' hotel (I was in a single room in a separate hotel with the other girls, who hadn't arrived yet) to go and get dinner. We went to a local pizza place where I got Pizza Diavola (the DEVIL'S PIZZA), which is really just pepperoni. It was, just like everything else, delicious. As we were in the process of paying our check, however, God got pissed and started raining half the freaking Mediterranean on us, out of nowhere. The girls waited til the rain let up a bit then scurried back to their hotel, but I hung back in the restaurant to wait for the other girls' boat to arrive. I ended up waiting for a while inside before walking around the corner to the harbor. The rain had mostly let up by then, and I spent the time til they got there watching a thunderstorm over the Mediterranean. By the time they finally arrived and we got back to the hotel, it was around midnight. Given that I'd been up and going pretty hard since about four in the morning, I collapsed pretty much as soon as I got them to the hotel safe.

I'll go over the rest of the weekend in the next post.

Ciao,

Frank

New pictures, and plans for fall break

First of all:

Agrigento

-and-

Catania Historical Tour

Agrigento is a city almost right in the middle of the south coast of Sicily. It is a bus ride comparable to  getting to UMass normally, and we hit traffic for... reason. It was entirely worth it, however, as the sites nearby have some of the best preserved Greek temples in the world, as well as a fantastic museum. I've got to do a site report on the area, so I'll give you a better idea of what's there after I finish it, but if you've got the time, check out the Temple of Olympian Zeus, because it's awesome.

Catania was, frankly, a tad disappointing. It was sort of nice to see a larger city, and the WWII museum was the first time that our professors have acknowledged that anything has happened here after the birth of Christ, but most of the things we were supposed to visit ended up being shut for restoration, and the city lacked the charm of Syracuse and the grandeur of Rome. We amused ourselves, therefore, with taking candid pictures of the philosophy professor and academic director here at MCAS, an Englishman by the name of Dr. Scott Burgess. 

Secondly, I've decided what I'm doing over fall break (mostly). The first two days are still up in the air, but the rest of my break is taken up by Spain, Brussels and Germany (I think) as well as one night in Milan. The best part is that it's all relatively cheap travel (all economy air travel) at around 200 euros each. We haven't paid for lodging yet, but we know people at half of our stops and hostels are inexpensive, so we should be all set. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm glad it's doable.

Ciao,

Frank 

Letter from UMass

I checked my email this morning to find a message from a fellow UMass student by the name of Brendan Ledoux. Brendan is a sophomore considering heading to Siracusa next fall and wanted to get a bit of insight from someone there. Hopefully, he won't mind me posting his question and my response, as I think you'll enjoy it.

Ciao,

Frank

Quoting bledoux@student.umass.edu:
> > > > Dear Frank Vitale,> > Hey this is Brendan Ledoux a Sophomore at UMass Amherst. I was interested in> going to Saracusa next fall and JoAnn from IPO gave me your email address and> said that you had gone. How is it there? Is it beautiful? How are the people> like? Have you met lots of italians? Is the language or dialect a bit> different> from the mainland? Does it get boring not being a huge city like Rome? What> do> you do with your friends there. Sorry for all the questions haha i just want> to> make a good decision.> > > -Bren>

Brendan,
I cannot reccommend Siracusa highly enough to you, especially if you're thinking about the API program. It is a new experience for me to be able to open my eyes (almost) anywhere and have it be a beautiful or intriguing new sight. All the people I have met are friendly, and classes so far are going pretty well (if you don't mind taking Italian every day, sign up for intensive. It makes a world of difference). As I am brand new to the Italian language, it would be difficult for me to speak on the differences in dialect, however, my roommate is a fairly able speaker, and he very occasionally has some trouble understanding some of the locals. As for the locals, they have almost all been very helpful and friendly. I've become somewhat friendly with some of the people working at the cafes and restaurants we frequent, but not a whole lot of people our age. We stay on the island of Ortiga, the historical and cultural heart of the city, and though it's very small, I have not been bored since I arrived. With API, you do a few days in Rome to orient yourself to the time zone, culture and some of the language. Rome was one of the most amazing places I've ever been, but I really do like it more here in Siracusa. The natural beauty and the sheer effect the history has on you is really striking, and I honestly feel far more comfortable on Ortiga than I did in Rome. Plus, API and MCAS plan out so much for you to do that you get plenty of time out of the city. You also have a week off to travel as you wish (I think I'm going to tour Italy for a few days before heading off to Germany and Spain with some friends). Just so you've got an idea of what life is like here, this is what I did yesterday:

Woke up and stopped at a cafe on the way to class (a five minute walk), picking up an espresso and a chocolate filled pastry

Italian class with three other students

Grabbed a sandwich from a local deli (2 euro for an excellent sandwich and a liter and a half of water)

Went to the open air market to pick up food for dinner and lunch for the next few days

Kept up on world and US affairs through an hour or so of BBC

Classes on the Mafia and Roman Arch, then video chatted with some friends back home

Grabbed a slice of pizza in anticipation of a late dinner

Finished homework and reading (light amounts) back at the apartment

Took a nap (the heat does that)

Cooked dinner and did a bit more reading before showering and heading out to a friends apartment to pick them up for the Italian passaggiero (sort of an evening stroll) and for gelato, which is freaking awesome, by the way

Went home and polished off leftovers with roommates before heading to bed.

If you decide to come here, you'll be making an excellent decision. Every second of my time here has been filled with something new and wonderful, and I've begun to learn things about myself that I never could have discovered at home (I am, for example, a pretty good cook). It has given me a brand new perspective on life and I can't wait to bring that back home to those I care about.
I have been trying to keep a blog, and though it's been lagging a bit of late, it should give you an idea of how things are here: callingamerica.blogspot.com
Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask more questions,
Frank

New Pictures

It takes really, really long to upload photos here, unfortunately, but I've managed to upload almost all the ones I wanted to.

This album is from Pantalica...

This album is from a historical tour of Syracuse, and...

This album is from me just walking around the city. I'm gonna add some pictures of the school and apartment, along with some other sights, as time goes by.

I'll write up the weekend entry tonight and put it up tomorrow (maybe). Ciao, and sorry for the wait.

Quick apology

I'm sorry I haven't been putting up pictures. I've been so busy since I got here, and I haven't really had the opportunity to just walk around and take pictures yet.

I'll get to it soon, but just as a disclaimer...

There is no way that I will be able to capture how beautiful this place with my camera. I could have years of experience and the best equipment possible and it would still be nearly impossible to do. I'll try my best, but just know that every shot is only the tiniest percentage of the experience.

Life in Siracusa...

...moves at a very strange pace. I don't want to say life is slower here, but I can definitely feel a sense of... relaxation?... that I don't in the US. It's really kind of essential, I suppose, because of the heat here. We're getting the winds off of North Africa, so it's freaking scorching here every single day. Riposo, the two or three hour long break (read: state-sanctioned naptime), is a lifesaver. Our apartment gets pretty warm, but cools off fairly quickly as well, and the beach is always an option. It's finally starting to cool down (a very little bit), which is very much a good thing.



So, what can I say about Syracuse? I like it, that's for sure. There is no ugly part of the island, there is no bad food, and, for the most part, the people are friendly and want to help (though there are far fewer English speakers than in Rome). The place feels kind of touristy occasionally, but's a distinctly Italian tourist destination rather than an international one. Thankfully, I've noticed that a lot of these tourists, as well as some Siracusans, wear board shorts instead of the usual speedos, so I can retain some dignity while not standing out too much (however, even though I've got a slightly olive skin tone and am darker than many of my American friends, I still glow like a freaking lighthouse compared to the Italians).



I've heard multiple views on the amount of weight we're going to gain/lose while we're here. I can understand either view, really. Obviously, the food is excellent, but, since it satisfies quicker and since I'm paying for each meal, I eat less. I actually walk a little bit less than I would at school, and it's still obscenely hot, so it's not hard to imagine.

So, apparently, I can cook, and have evidently been designated as ''the one who can cook'' by my friends here. While this does have it's downs, it also means that everything is cheaper, since we're splitting it. I also don't do dishes, which is very nice. I've made penne with clams and these weird little fried Sicilian rice balls (filled with meat), and they both turned out pretty good. This is really a fortunate development, because I can't afford to go out every night.

I'm gonna cut this entry short because I've got a lot of stuff to do. The entries are going to sort of change in nature after this, and I'm gonna be doing more topic-based stuff. This is mostly because I'm pretty much out of orientation and getting into daily life. As great as daily life here is, it's still daily life, and it might get boring to read about. I do have excursions almost every weekend, though, so there will be plenty of new stuff to document.


PS. Apparently I have a whole week off in October. Where should I go?

New post soon

I've been really busy and really away from internet, but I'm gonna type it up tonight and post it later at school.

Teaser: Frank can cook.