Travel Writing 2.0

Last summer, when I was traveling through Italy working as a reseacher/writer for Let's Go guidebooks, I found that I best processed my experiences (and kept myself sane) by writing emails home chronicling my adventures. As the weeks progressed, writing these travel missives became an increasingly integral part of my experience, to the point that I continued them even after a complete laptop failure.

This summer I will be traveling through Europe again, and I have decided to continue to write about my experiences, both for my own benefit and for anyone else interested in following along. This time around, however, I have decided to forgo the self-indulgent spamming inherent in the mass-email format, instead posting my writings on a blog. Those interested in following my travels can simply bookmark this site, http://postcardsfromandrew.blogspot.com, while the rest of my old email list can go about their days, inboxes untainted. (And, for those of you technologically skilled enough to know what RSS and XML mean, feed subscription options are available by clicking here)

Finally, for those who are interested in reading (or re-reading) my essays from last year's travels, I have posted them below:
Ciao dell'Italia (Eastern Sicily-- Taormina, Siracusa, Ragusa)
Ruins to Islands (Southern Sicily-- Piazza Armerina, Agrigento, Egadi Islands)
Sharp Contrasts (Pantelleria, Palermo, Cefalù)
deadtree (Aeolian Islands, Calabria)

deadtree

I was originally going to title this post something exotic like "Dalle isole alla terra", but after an unfortunate course of events yesterday I felt inspired to change it. 'Deadtree' is Let's Go jargon for a researcher without his or her laptop, which is exactly what I am from this point on. Yesterday afternoon, my not-so-trusty borrowed computer decided that it had had enough of the Italian heat, and with a bang (literally--there were sparks!) it ended its life (don't shed TOO many tears... the sticker on the bottom assuring me of its Y2K compliance leads me to believe that it led a fairly long life). What this means, however, is that rather than using the luxury of a word processor, I now get to spend my nights cutting up photocopies of last year's guide and gluesticking them to sheets of paper, complete with editing marks and new prose. Instead of mailing a sleek little floppy disk every week, I now get to send in envelopes containing dozens--maybe hundreds--of these pasted sheets. Such is deadtree. There is a small, lesser-known circle of hell in which travel-guide writers do nothing but write listings in deadtree. But I am lucky that my computer failure happened so close to the end of my route... it could have been much worse. Besides (warning: this sentence has what we like to call extreme rationalization), there is something very real and romantic about writing up my travels in pen and paper-- there is a very alluring old world charm to it :)

(more after the jump)

One more quick computer note before I jump into the actual post: I have been saving everyone's emails to a disk and then writing responses on my laptop (to cut down on internet cafe costs), and I wrote a whole slew of emails yesterday and was all set to send them off today, only to lose them along with everything else. So if you wrote me and have yet to receive a response, that's the reason. I'm going to try to catch up on emails in the next few days.. I'm really sorry to be so slow at responding to you!

Ignoring my computer woes, the past couple of weeks have been absolutely amazing. I spent a week exploring a seven island archipelago called the Aeolian Islands, after which I took a boat to the mainland, where I have since been exploring the region of Calabria (the 'toe' of Italy's boot shape). The Aeolians were stunning, although after six weeks, 12 islands (13 if you count Sicily), and over two dozen boat rides, it feels pretty nice to be back on solid ground again.

But the Aeolian Islands-- wow, what a week! Not only were they all gorgeous, but each had a very unique personality, distinct from the other six. This means that while I certainly preferred some of them to others, the variety made it quite enjoyable to visit them all.

The island of Lipari was my base of operations. I rented a room here for most of the week, and made day trips to most of the other islands. Lipari is the most developed of the seven islands, and with its overpriced restaurants and seaside cafes, it was much more touristy than the others as well. Although it was a bit too busy for my tastes, Lipari was still very beautiful, with the striking cliffs and turquoise waters that the archipelago is famous for.

My first day trip was to another island that wasn't among my favorites-- Vulcano. An island whose pungent sulfur smell is noticeable long before you get off the boat, Vulcano is best known for its unusual mudbaths. A large natural pool of yellowish-gray goop carved into the mountainside, the mudbaths are both stinky AND radioactive. Despite this (or perhaps because of it?), loads of tourists pay to cover themselves from head to toe in the muck. I opted not to join in-- in addition to my general desire to stay away from anything radioactive, I was also turned off by the signs warning you that the mud is known to eat holes in bathing suits, not to mention the fact that it soaks them with that oh-so-pleasant sulfuric odor (I'm not kidding here.... they actually sell disposable swimwear on this island for 5 euro apiece!).

My next trip was to the two most remote islands in the archipelago: the distant Filicudi and Alicudi. In my last post I raved about the beauty of the isolation in Pantelleria-- these two islands take that idea and expand on it. With a combined population of only 400 people, they aren't the place to go for loud discos or chic shops, or even ATMs. They just got electricity ten years ago. This is the real deal... few tourists, understated lodgings, and loads of untouched natural beauty. This was especially prominent in the tiny Alicudi (population 100, and they all live at the port). I had a few hours to kill in Alicudi--it only has one tiny hotel and two restaurants, so there's not much to research--and I walked along the rocky shores around the island. As I got a bit farther from the town, the number of sunbathers became more and more sparse-- as did their clothing. By the time I was 1km out of town, topless had become bottomless, and virtually everyone was nude. I hope this isn't too much information for anyone, but having a bit of time to kill, I thought "what the hell? when in rome...." and decided to follow suit and sunbathe au naturel for a bit. The experience was very relaxing-- Europeans are much less preoccupied with nudity than Americans are. To them it is something much more natural, rather than the sexual taboo that we view it as in America. It wasn't any sort of a nude beach per se-- just an isolated stretch of beach on an isolated island, which to many Europeans means there is no need for a bathing suit.

After I returned from my trip to Filicudi and Alicudi, I next went to the island of Salina. I was especially excited to see this island because one of my favorite Italian films, Il Postino, was filmed and took place here. As the boat pulled in, I kept having visions of Massimo Troisi's character biking up and down the hillsides, and once I even thought I saw Pablo Neruda's house up on the hill, although I later found out that the house from the movie was on another part of the island. Salina is quite large, but mostly undeveloped. Its economy relies more on agriculture than tourism, and is known for its food-- the capers are supposed to be the best in Italy, and the island's grapes are made into a wonderful dessert wine called Malvasia.

And it was on Salina that I had the culinary highlight of my trip. My editor (who researched my route for last year's guide) told me about a restaurant on this island that is absolutely amazing-- it has been featured in Bon Appetit, and the cook is known worldwide. Normally I am totally incognito when reviewing food, so that the meal I review is the same food that our readers would receive, but my editor told me that the food at this restaurant is so amazing that there is no way I would write anything but glowing words about it, so I might as well tell him upfront that I write for Let's Go-- that way I can get the meal for free. I am so glad I took her advice-- I was treated to the largest, richest meal of my life. I literally ate until I couldn't have another bite. The chef chose my meal, and he treated me to three amazing antipasti (appitizers), a wonderfully spicy pasta dish, and two fresh fish entrees that were absolutely divine. Most of the ingredients in the food come straight from his garden, and nothing comes from off the island. The wines are made from grapes in his backyard, the capers grow wild near the entrance to the restaurant, the fish were all caught from Salina fishing boats. And to top it all off, the view was spectacular: I was able to watch the moon rise over the neighboring islands, adding the perfect touch to an already perfect meal.

After Salina, my next trip was to the chic island of Panarea. Easily the most picture-perfect of the Aeolians, Panarea is the playground for wealthy Italians. A constant stream of white linen and Louis Vuitton luggage, Panarea wasn't exactly my type of island, although I could certainly appreciate the stunning views from the hotels I visited, and I might have thought about spending the night if most rooms didn't come with a 400 euro a night price tag.

The final island I visited was the complete opposite of Panarea, and was definitely my favorite. Equally rugged and energetic, the island of Stromboli is known mainly for one thing-- the entire island is an active volcano. Of course, I did what any moderately reckless 20-year-old male would do-- I climbed the volcano! Granted, I'm not totally crazy, so I went with a guided group, and unfortunately the top part of the hike (near the crater) was closed a year ago after a particularly nasty eruption. Still, I got to go most of the way up, and it was absolutely amazing. The groups leave in the evening, arriving just before sunset. The volcano has minor eruptions every 20 minutes or so, and while you can't see them during the day, they are spectacularly vivid at night-- I can't wait to show everyone the pictures I took! And, to top it all off, I did this hike on the night of July 4th, so while I was probably the only American on the 300-person island, I still got to have my own form of fireworks that night.

After Stromboli, I went to the Sicilian port town of Messina, and then the next morning took the boat to the mainland. It was hard to say goodbye to Sicily-- I spent a month and a half exploring every little area of the island, and had become so used to it as my setting. Sicily is only one of Italy's 18 regions, and yet there were so many treasures packed into it. I can't wait to explore the rest of the country as I move on....

When I got on to the mainland, I spent 4 nights in Reggio di Calabria, a decently large city just across the straits from Sicily. The area along the water was gorgeous-- you could see the Sicilian mountains on the other side, so it almost felt like you were on the shore of a large lake. Reggio has seen some beautiful redevelopment efforts in recent years, and the area near the water was the perfect place for a "passegiata" (evening stroll).

One of my day trips from Reggio was to a town called Scilla, which is right on the Straits of Messina (the point at which Sicily is closest to Italy... as close as 2km at some parts). For those of you who remember the Odyssey, this strait is where Odysseus and crew avoided the whirlpool Charbydis only to encounter the monster Scylla, from which the town gets his name. While scholars still have plenty of debate about whether Homer was setting his story in real settings or imaginary, the general consensus is that this section was based on the Straits of Messina. Much of the book likely took place in the area around Sicily and Tunisia, and many of the sections are thought to be set in areas I have visited. Odysseus' meeting with Aeolus, god of the winds, is thought to have been set on the Aeolian island of Vulcano, and the encounter with the cyclops is probably set somewhere in Sicily, either in the Western parts, or else near Mt. Etna. If you have never read the Odyssey, all of what I said probably means very little to you. But if you're anything like me, the idea of seeing the areas where these stories were set is just too cool for words. Yeah, I'm kind of a nerd, we all know that :)

Finally, after Reggio (wow, I've been to a lot of places since my last post!), I went to the town of Tropea, which is perched atop a high set of cliffs overlooking the Tyhrennian Sea. The beach is beautiful, accessible only by a stone staircase descending from the town, although even more impressive is the view from the town, where you can stand at the top and look out to see the waves crashing into the shore, 100m below you.

Well that's about it for the past couple of weeks. Right now I'm in the inland town of Cosenza, where I am becoming more familiar with the computer repair shops than with the sights. Tomorrow I head off to Camigliatello/Sila, which is supposed to be one of the premier ski areas in Southern Italy (a region that, granted, is not especially renowned for its ski areas). It should be cool, although I know it won't come close to the stuff in Utah.

Sorry that this post is so scattered... I'm afraid that composing the entire thing at an internet cafe doesn't allow for quite as much polishing as writing it on my laptop in my hotel room did. Still, despite all my whining about having to do deadtree, I usually try to have a positive outlook about these kind of things, so I'll just be glad that it gives me an extra degree of adventure. Next week I will be going to the region of Basilicata, a poor, relatively undeveloped area that is now most famous for being where Mel Gibson filmed "The Passion of the Christ". I suppose that the old pen-and-paper will probably feel fitting when I am staying in renovated 7000-year-old cliff dwellings (I'm not exaggerating... the area has been settled for that long).

I miss everyone a lot, and will try to catch up soon on responding to emails (damn computer...). Also, for those of you who are interested, I've started calling friends from home more than ever (it costs about 3 cents a minute-- cheaper than internet!), so if you want a phone call just send me your number and I'll try to call you some time. If not, I'll be back in August, so I'll see everyone then.

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!

Ruins to Islands

Hi Everyone-

I just wanted to give those who are interested an update on my travels, as I hit the three week mark today. I'm currently in Trapani, where I'm getting my first taste of Italian rain (which, unfortunately, makes it quite challenging to do a job that consists largely of writing things down on a pad of paper outdoors). I'm staying in Trapani for four nights (tonight is my last), as I do a number of day trips to surrounding towns and islands.

Over the past week and a half I have seen a number of truly amazing sights. Sicily never ceases to impress me-- this tiny island is absolutely packed with Greek temples, Roman theatres, and Medieval castles, not to mention the ubiquitous Sicilian Baroque style that is found in the historic centers of all the cities.

(more after the jump)

Last week in Piazza Armerina, I was able to see the mosaics at the town's famed Roman Villa. They were preserved under a mudslide for many hundreds of years, and then excavated earlier in the 20th century. For something that was thought to have been built in the 4th century, these mosaics are remarkably intact. The viewing experience, however, is somewhat unusual-- the villa's original roof is long gone, and little remains of the walls, so a greenhouse-like glass ceiling and walls were constructed to prevent further damage to the mosaiced floor. Then, you walk through the expansive site on a series of raised metal walkways, allowing full viewing of the floors below. Despite the somewhat unorthodox setup, the sights are well worth it. Each room paints a different vivid picture with its floors-- some telling of famous hunts and battles, others of exotic locales, and many others devoted to important mythological figures. Some of the mosaics are extremely iconic: if you saw a picture of the Sala delle Dieci Ragazze (the Room of Ten Girls-- portraying ten bikini-clad women), it would immediately look familiar, as the image has been widely reproduced and parodied elsewhere.

Right after I left Piazza Armerina I was treated to what are probably the most impressive ruins I have seen as of yet-- a site called the Valley of the Temples in the southern town of Agrigento. The valley contains six ancient Greek temples, some now merely ruins, and others almost completely intact, all ranging from 6th to 4th Century BC. They are open to the public (for a fee of course), and you can walk among the ruins, actually touching the columns of some of the less intact temples, and still getting quite close to those in better condition. It is hard to describe the euphoria in seeing such impressive buildings so close-up. I visited twice, once during the day, and then (at the recommendation of a friend) again at night, when the temples are backlit, creating a truly stunning image. My archeological knowledge is extremely lacking, so forgive me for the lack of a more accurate explanation, but these temples look just like the Parthenon-- large, imposing, picture-perfect Doric buildings-- extremely memorable, and certainly one of the highlights of my trip so far.

This past week, however, has been less oriented around the ancient world. I have been in Trapani, a large port town on the western tip of Sicily. I have been exploring an archipelago called the Egadi Islands-- three beautiful islands just off the coast of Sicily, an easy ferry/hydrofoil ride away. Both Trapani and the islands are closer to Africa than to mainland Italy-- if I wanted to I could hop on a boat to Tunisia and be there in mere hours. The Northern African influence is well represented in both the cuisine and culture of the area. On every menu in Trapani, you'll find "cuscus con pesce", a delicious spicy fish and couscous dish that is unique to this part of Sicily. Additionally, many of the signs, particularly those near the dock, are written in both Italian and Arabic-- this certainly adds an interesting, exotic dimension to an area that is already so culturally rich.

Overall I have been getting more used to traveling alone. I have been mostly just staying in hotels (the areas I have been haven't had any hostels), but I'm still managing to meet people. Sometimes my Italian is good enough to strike up a conversation with a local, but usually I seem to find people who speak English. A couple of days ago I actually met someone from Harvard-- he graduated when I was a freshman, but he recognized me from around campus (crazy!) and introduced himself. It has been nice to meet such an interesting variety of people here in Sicily, although I've also been emailing and phoning friends from home quite frequently. It has been nice to have more time to keep in touch than I did during the hectic school year.

Tomorrow night I will be heading to the chic resort island of Pantelleria (Sting and Giorgio Armani both have summer homes there), where I will be spending two extremely pricy nights (unfortunately Let's Go doesn't give me a bigger stipend for the more expensive parts of the trip... I just have to cut costs elsewhere to make sure I don't go broke). After that I will be going to Sicily's capital, Palermo, for the better part of a week before exploring the islands off the Northern coast. I have plenty of my itinerary still ahead of me, but it is reassuring nonetheless to see that I am making progress-- I'm about 40% finished by now!

I hope everyone else's summers are also going well. Keep sending me emails.... I've really enjoyed keeping in contact with everyone while I'm on the road. If you sent me an email last week and didn't get a response, tell me-- I've been hearing that some of my emails haven't been coming through... I think webmail doesn't work as well when it has to cross such a long distance or something. Anyway, I want to hear how your summer is going, so if you have the time to drop me a quick email, I'd love to hear from you.

Ciao dell'Italia

Hi everyone!

I've been in Italy for about a week and a half now, and I'm having a wonderful time so far. I'm starting to get a little homesick, however, so I figured that now would be a good time to email everyone from home. I apologize in advance for the mass message format. Internet cafes here charge an obscene amount of money, so it's a lot easier for me to just write up one post and send it to everyone.

For those of you who don't know, I'm spending this summer researching/writing for Let's Go travel guides, helping to update their Italy book. I'm working for them for eight weeks in Sicily and Southern Italy, after which I'm going to head up to Northern Italy for a couple of weeks to see the sights before I head home.

I'm really enjoying the work so far-- essentially what I do is go to a city for a couple of days, check to make sure that all the listings and information in the guide are accurate, and add some places that I think are worthy of inclusion. Then it's off to the next city. I just finished up the Eastern coast of Sicily (Taormina, Catania, Syracuse), and now I'm exploring the Southern coast and some of the inland towns.

(more after the jump)

Let's Go pays me a daily stipend (assuming I send in my writing each week) of about $80, which is supposed to cover all of my costs, including lodging, dining, transportation, and sights. So I don't really end up making any money in the end, but I get to explore Italy for eight weeks and break even, which is certainly nothing to complain about. I'm mostly staying in either youth hostels or budget hotels. I prefer the hostels because they are much more social-- there are always plenty of fun people to meet and hang out with there, whereas the hotels can get pretty lonely. I spend my days traveling between cities, and then visiting every single hotel/sight/restaurant that is listed in the guide book, while I spend my nights updating last years guide and writing the new features. So far I am really enjoying myself, although from talking to friends who have done Let's Go in previous years, around week 5 or 6 I will probably start to get pretty sick of asking places their hours and prices.

Italy has been amazing so far-- this is my first time here, and I am loving the culture/food/architecture every bit as much as I thought I would. Sicily is especially great-- it is less busy and touristy than Florence or Rome, but it has just as rich a history, with some amazing ancient Greek and Roman sites and artifacts. I just left Syracuse (Siracusa) a couple of days ago, and it really epitomized what is so exciting about Sicily-- you find amazing archeological sites juxtaposed with beautiful baroque piazzas. Syracuse has some really impressive Greek and Roman ruins, including a remarkably intact ancient Greek theatre remaining from when the town was a Mediterranean powerhouse 2500 years ago (the city now uses it to put on Greek tragedies ever year). Besides Syracuse, my other favorite city so far has probably been Taormina, which is a coastal resort town in Eastern Sicily. The entire town is perched atop a steep cliff overlooking the sea, meaning that no matter where you are, you have an amazing view of both the waters and of Mt. Etna, a nearby volcano (and the largest active volcano in Europe-- only a couple of miles in from the coast, it quickly rises to about 10,000 feet!).

In just the short time I have been here I feel like my Italian skills are getting substantially better. My vocabulary hasn't improved tremendously, but I feel much less inhibited at speaking than when I was in class, which really makes a big difference. I feel like every day I am getting a bit better at using more complex phrases and verbs with confidence, and my hope is that by the end of the summer I will have markedly improved. Still, I have a long way to go, as I realized a few days ago when I had to go to a computer repair shop to fix my laptop, and my unimpressive tech vocabulary (consisting solely of "il computer") prompted a two-hour conversation based almost solely in pantomime.

Although usually my days are pretty straight-forward, I always find myself surprised by something or other. For instance last night was my only night in the small inland town of Ragusa, and I didn't expect it to be particularly eventful until a stream of fireworks began going off. I wandered over to that part of town, and I found out that June 6th just happened to be the holiday of Ragusa's patron saint, which meant that the entire town was celebrating. It was really impressive-- the streets of this tiny town were absolutely filled, with people watching the parades, live music, and fireworks.. Taking part in this holiday celebration was really neat for me, especially because it was so unexpected. I felt like a privileged guest, as I experienced the culture and religion of this town in a way that was much more first-hand than I had ever thought I would.

Today I am traveling to Piazza Armerina, a town mostly famous for its 4th Century Roman villa, that was buried under a mudslide for centuries, preserving the mosaic-filled interior. I'm going to spend three nights here, taking day trips to other nearby towns. After that I am traveling to some of the islands off the coast of Sicily-- Pantelleria and the Egadi Islands-- and then I will explore the Northern coast of Sicily, including Sicily's largest city, Palermo, and the Aeolian Islands. Every city I have visited so far has been very different from the last, so I am excited to see what these next areas are like.

I hope your summer is also going well-- I miss everyone at home so much. If you want to reach me this summer, the only way to do so is by email, so just write to me and I'll try my hardest to get back to you pretty soon (I'm checking my email every couple of days). I'll be flying back to Boston on August 4th, and I'll be there for a week and a half, so friends from school should give me a call during that time if you're going to be around. I'll be getting back to Salt Lake on August 17th, although I'll be going to Arizona for a few days as soon as I get in to help my brother move in to college. I should still have a few weeks at home though, so hopefully I can spend some time with everyone.

Keep me posted on how your summer is going-- it gets pretty lonely being on the road alone, so emails from friends make a huge difference. Take care, and I'll talk to you soon!