Sharp Contrasts
It's been a while since I last wrote, and since then I have been to three of the most different places you could visit in a week and a half. I started with two days in the serene isolation of the island of Pantelleria, then spent five days in the intense gritty metropolis of Palermo, followed by a two day stop at the fleshy beaches in the touristy town of Cefalù. I enjoyed each of these three places immensely, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that each was so different from the last.
Pantelleria was breathtakingly beautiful, and although words can't even come close to describing my experience there, I'm going to try my best to do so anyway (after all, that is my job...). Pantelleria isn't the place for crowded beaches and discos--rather, it is a place to get lost in nature. The island is quite large--over 40km around--and largely undeveloped outside of the hotels and restaurants near the port. With virtually no public transportation, the only way to explore the island is to rent a car or scooter.
(more after the jump)
So that's exactly what I did-- I rented a Vespa for a day and went all around the island: speeding along on seaside roads, finding quiet rocky coves, and simply soaking in the beauty of the island's solitude. I'm not going to lie, while the day was probably the best I have had so far, it was also one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. For the first thirty minutes, while I learned to ride (it was my first time riding a scooter), I was absolutely petrified, feeling fairly certain that I was going to end up accelerating uncontrollably and hurling myself and/or the scooter into the Mediterranean. Fortunately I started to get the hang of driving fairly quickly, and the rest of my problems, such as running out of gas 20km away from the nearest gas station, were mere annoyances rather than fierce adrenaline rushes.
My little one-day-scooter-rental and I went all over the island of Pantelleria, exploring every little corner, and always enjoying the relaxing feeling of privacy and isolation that makes the island so special. Rather than the pristine sandy beaches found in much of Sicily, Pantelleria has coves made of black volcanic stone, where unusual rock formations meet the turquoise waters for a beach scene that is strikingly different. Later in the day, I decided to go to the top of the island's highest mountain, a half-mile peak with a panaramic view that stretched for many miles in every direction. After a long, steep road (with constant sharp switchbacks), I finally got to the peak, which gave me a top-of-the-world feeling greater than any I have ever experienced on the hikes I have done in the mountains in Utah. Not only was I able to see the entire island, I could see the sea disappear uninterrupted into the horizon in every direction, further emphasizing the isolation. I'm sorry I can't better describe the euphoria I felt in Pantelleria-- it is certainly the highlight of my trip so far, but unlike the stunning cathedrals and ruins I have seen, this experience is significantly more difficult to put on paper.
I went from Pantelleria to the complete opposite-- Sicily's fast-paced capital, Palermo, a city that I can safely guess has never been described using phrases like "serene isolation." Filled with equal parts traffic, pollution, and crime, Palermo was more intense than the relatively calm cities that I call home (Salt Lake and Cambridge/Boston), but it nonetheless reinvigorated me. I hadn't recklessly darted through traffic or avoided an aggressive panhandler in over a month, and all of the idyllic piazzas and quaint towns of coastal Sicily had almost made me forget how much I love the unbridled energy of a city. Granted, if I had spent a couple of days longer than my five nights in Palermo I think the noise and smog would have been enough to make me jump back on the ferry to Pantelleria to recover.
At one time one of the most important cities in Europe, Palermo has its fair share of incredible sights, although many are now in dismal condition as a result of WWII bombings and subsequent mafia laundering of restoration dollars. My favorite building in Palermo was the cathedral at Monreale, a 12th century Norman building on a hill 8km outside of town. The outside is somewhat plain, but when you step inside, your jaw drops to the floor. Every inch of the walls and celing (over 6340 square meters in total) are covered with fantastically detailed golden mosaics, whose Byantine styling shows the synthesis of the Norman, Byzantine and Arab cultures that had all been present in Palermo in the centuries leading up to the cathedral's construction. The expansive detail of the mosaics was simply amazing, and I could have spent hours looking at various sections of it if I hadn't had such a full day ahead of me.
After Palermo, I spent two nights in the touristy town of Cefalù. While lacking the archeological and architectural significance of most of my previous destinations, I still managed to have a good time. My workload was pretty light for those two days, so I was able to spend a few hours both days at the area's remarkable beach, a crescent-shaped strip that goes on for a couple of kilometers, culminating at the town's historic harbor area. It was nice to relax for a bit, particularly after the intensity of Palermo.
In addition to taking in the varied sights over the past week, I also spent my time rediscovering music. Separated from my iPod ever since I arrived in Italy, I was starting to realize how much I missed constantly having music in the background while I worked. Luckily for me, the one thing easier to buy from street vendors than fake designer sunglasses is an illegal burnt CD full of current pop hits. So I broke down and bought a discman and a few compilation CDs, and now as I work I can tune out the street noises with high energy European dance hits, cheesy Italian love songs, and the solo efforts of various Spice Girls.
Overall, I'm starting to really settle in here in Italy in a way that I didn't think would happen. I am reading Italian magazines, watching Italian TV shows, and little bits of my inner monologue are even starting to happen in Italian. A shot of espresso has become more natural to me than Starbucks, and I'm starting to become a bit of a gelato snob (I've gotten good at finding only the best). I will meet people one day, and they will recognize me somewhere else a couple of days later and come and say hello, making me realize that even though I am just a visitor, I'm still interacting with the local culture. I have been here long enough now that I feel less like a tourist and almost like a semi-resident, as many of my habits are starting to evolve to integrate with Italian norms. Even while the Let's Go side of my experience grows more tedious and my homesickness remains as strong as ever, I am starting to become quite fond of Italy, and I know that it will be hard to go back home.
I probably need to stop writing and start working some more-- yesterday I arrived at the Aeolian Islands, a seven island archipelago north of Sicily that is full of resorts catering to wealthy Italians. I will be spending close to a week here making day trips to each of the islands, and after that I will be heading to the mainland to explore Southern Italy for my last two and a half weeks of work with Let's Go. I am looking forward to seeing these other parts of Italy-- it will be my first time not on an island since I flew into Naples five weeks ago.
I hope everyone else's summers are going well. It has been wonderful to hear from everyone, I've really enjoyed reading about what you are all up to this summer. As great of a time as I am having here, I miss my friends more than ever-- I can't wait to see everyone when I get back in August!
Pantelleria was breathtakingly beautiful, and although words can't even come close to describing my experience there, I'm going to try my best to do so anyway (after all, that is my job...). Pantelleria isn't the place for crowded beaches and discos--rather, it is a place to get lost in nature. The island is quite large--over 40km around--and largely undeveloped outside of the hotels and restaurants near the port. With virtually no public transportation, the only way to explore the island is to rent a car or scooter.
(more after the jump)
So that's exactly what I did-- I rented a Vespa for a day and went all around the island: speeding along on seaside roads, finding quiet rocky coves, and simply soaking in the beauty of the island's solitude. I'm not going to lie, while the day was probably the best I have had so far, it was also one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. For the first thirty minutes, while I learned to ride (it was my first time riding a scooter), I was absolutely petrified, feeling fairly certain that I was going to end up accelerating uncontrollably and hurling myself and/or the scooter into the Mediterranean. Fortunately I started to get the hang of driving fairly quickly, and the rest of my problems, such as running out of gas 20km away from the nearest gas station, were mere annoyances rather than fierce adrenaline rushes.
My little one-day-scooter-rental and I went all over the island of Pantelleria, exploring every little corner, and always enjoying the relaxing feeling of privacy and isolation that makes the island so special. Rather than the pristine sandy beaches found in much of Sicily, Pantelleria has coves made of black volcanic stone, where unusual rock formations meet the turquoise waters for a beach scene that is strikingly different. Later in the day, I decided to go to the top of the island's highest mountain, a half-mile peak with a panaramic view that stretched for many miles in every direction. After a long, steep road (with constant sharp switchbacks), I finally got to the peak, which gave me a top-of-the-world feeling greater than any I have ever experienced on the hikes I have done in the mountains in Utah. Not only was I able to see the entire island, I could see the sea disappear uninterrupted into the horizon in every direction, further emphasizing the isolation. I'm sorry I can't better describe the euphoria I felt in Pantelleria-- it is certainly the highlight of my trip so far, but unlike the stunning cathedrals and ruins I have seen, this experience is significantly more difficult to put on paper.
I went from Pantelleria to the complete opposite-- Sicily's fast-paced capital, Palermo, a city that I can safely guess has never been described using phrases like "serene isolation." Filled with equal parts traffic, pollution, and crime, Palermo was more intense than the relatively calm cities that I call home (Salt Lake and Cambridge/Boston), but it nonetheless reinvigorated me. I hadn't recklessly darted through traffic or avoided an aggressive panhandler in over a month, and all of the idyllic piazzas and quaint towns of coastal Sicily had almost made me forget how much I love the unbridled energy of a city. Granted, if I had spent a couple of days longer than my five nights in Palermo I think the noise and smog would have been enough to make me jump back on the ferry to Pantelleria to recover.
At one time one of the most important cities in Europe, Palermo has its fair share of incredible sights, although many are now in dismal condition as a result of WWII bombings and subsequent mafia laundering of restoration dollars. My favorite building in Palermo was the cathedral at Monreale, a 12th century Norman building on a hill 8km outside of town. The outside is somewhat plain, but when you step inside, your jaw drops to the floor. Every inch of the walls and celing (over 6340 square meters in total) are covered with fantastically detailed golden mosaics, whose Byantine styling shows the synthesis of the Norman, Byzantine and Arab cultures that had all been present in Palermo in the centuries leading up to the cathedral's construction. The expansive detail of the mosaics was simply amazing, and I could have spent hours looking at various sections of it if I hadn't had such a full day ahead of me.
After Palermo, I spent two nights in the touristy town of Cefalù. While lacking the archeological and architectural significance of most of my previous destinations, I still managed to have a good time. My workload was pretty light for those two days, so I was able to spend a few hours both days at the area's remarkable beach, a crescent-shaped strip that goes on for a couple of kilometers, culminating at the town's historic harbor area. It was nice to relax for a bit, particularly after the intensity of Palermo.
In addition to taking in the varied sights over the past week, I also spent my time rediscovering music. Separated from my iPod ever since I arrived in Italy, I was starting to realize how much I missed constantly having music in the background while I worked. Luckily for me, the one thing easier to buy from street vendors than fake designer sunglasses is an illegal burnt CD full of current pop hits. So I broke down and bought a discman and a few compilation CDs, and now as I work I can tune out the street noises with high energy European dance hits, cheesy Italian love songs, and the solo efforts of various Spice Girls.
Overall, I'm starting to really settle in here in Italy in a way that I didn't think would happen. I am reading Italian magazines, watching Italian TV shows, and little bits of my inner monologue are even starting to happen in Italian. A shot of espresso has become more natural to me than Starbucks, and I'm starting to become a bit of a gelato snob (I've gotten good at finding only the best). I will meet people one day, and they will recognize me somewhere else a couple of days later and come and say hello, making me realize that even though I am just a visitor, I'm still interacting with the local culture. I have been here long enough now that I feel less like a tourist and almost like a semi-resident, as many of my habits are starting to evolve to integrate with Italian norms. Even while the Let's Go side of my experience grows more tedious and my homesickness remains as strong as ever, I am starting to become quite fond of Italy, and I know that it will be hard to go back home.
I probably need to stop writing and start working some more-- yesterday I arrived at the Aeolian Islands, a seven island archipelago north of Sicily that is full of resorts catering to wealthy Italians. I will be spending close to a week here making day trips to each of the islands, and after that I will be heading to the mainland to explore Southern Italy for my last two and a half weeks of work with Let's Go. I am looking forward to seeing these other parts of Italy-- it will be my first time not on an island since I flew into Naples five weeks ago.
I hope everyone else's summers are going well. It has been wonderful to hear from everyone, I've really enjoyed reading about what you are all up to this summer. As great of a time as I am having here, I miss my friends more than ever-- I can't wait to see everyone when I get back in August!
posted by Andrew S. at
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