Sicily Trip: Food and History

Hello everyone!

I can't believe it is already February!  We finally finished our fall semester and right after we finished finals, our entire program went on a trip to Sicily.

Sicily is the island right next to the toe of Italy's "boot"

We flew into Palermo, in northwest Sicily.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and was known as the "pearl of the Mediterranean." Throughout its history is was sought after by many nations.  Here is a quick outline:

• In about 750 BC, it was colonized by the Greeks.  It was part Magna Graecia, along with the rest of Southern Italy that was under Greek domination. There are many ruins of Greek temples and cities that we visited during our trip.  It also reminded me very much of Greece, so the Greek influence is still evident today. 
• The Romans took over in 242 BC and Sicily became the first Roman province outside of the Italian peninsula.
• After the fall of room, the Byzantines conquered Sicily, bringing the Greek Orthodox tradition and Greek language to Sicily again.  
• From 827-1091, Sicily was under Arab rule, adding a new language, religion, and new foods to the mix of cultures.
• Next, the Normans (from northern France) conquered Sicily and build many grand churches and buildings.
• In the 1280s, the Spanish took over Sicily, along with many other southern Italian cities on the mainlan
• Finally in 1861, Italian unifies and Sicily becomes part of Italy!
• Today, Sicily is its own region (province) and is known for its rich history, great food, and unfortunately, a strong mafia presence.

Food in Sicily

Every region in Italy has its own special cuisine and Sicily is no exception.   Sicilian food is very different than Tuscan food we have here in Florence and this is largely due to the great mix of cultures in Sicily.

The use of sugar, citrus, melons, saffron, and spices is due to the Arab influence; in fact, Sicily is famous for have decadently sweet desserts.  Fava beans, pistachios, fish, and olives are from the Greeks, and the Normans introduced more meat dishes in Sicily.  The Spanish brought products from the Americas, like chocolate, peppers, and tomatoes, which are a big part of Sicilian cuisine today.

N.B.: I didn't actually take pictures of the food, so these are all gleaned from the internet. 

1. Pasta alla Norma

  

A very simple dish, made with pasta, tomatoes, fried eggplant, and ricotta cheese.  It was very different for us because in Florence we usually eat our pasta with tomato sauce only.

2. Arancini/Arancine

These are balls of rice, usually stuffed with ragù, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and peas, although the stuffing can vary.  They are then coated in bread crumbs (so not gluten free) and fried.  Arancine means little oranges.

3. Caponata

This is a starter made from fried eggplant, celery, capers, and sweet vinegar.  They also add tomatoes, peppers, and/or olives, depending on where you buy it.  It is a very sweet dish - a sign of arab culinary traditions.

4. Marzipane

In Sicily you can buy marzipan fruits almost everywhere.  They are especially popular around Christmas and All Saints Day.  Marzipan is a paste of almonds and sugar, and here it has been dyed and shaped into all sorts of fruits, including lemons, watermelons, bananas, etc.  It is not fruit flavored though, it only tastes like almonds.  I did actually try this and I surprisingly enjoyed it!  Mine was a little orange :)

5. Cannoli!!

Most Americans are familiar with cannoli but did you know they are a Sicilian specialty?  You won't find these in Florence, that's for sure!  The crispy pastry shell is stuffed with a sweet ricotta cream and served with chocolate chips, pistachios, or candied fruit on the ends like the in picture above, or plain.  The name means little tube and comes from the Sicilian cannolu, plural cannola.

Fun Fact: Canolo is the singular, and cannoli is the plural, so "cannolis" isn't a thing.  You can have 1 canolo or 1000 cannoli :)

Let me know if you've ever tried any of these dishes before and what you thought of them, or if you haven't tried them, which ones you think you'd enjoy :)

Un abbraccio!

Roman Holiday, part 2

Ciao,

After thoroughly exploring the Colosseum and taking pictures at nearly every angle possible, I went on to the Roman Forum.  Unfortunately due to the strike, the Forum was closed until 2pm.  I had about an hour to wait so I walked back to the Arch of Constantine, which is between the Colosseum and the Forum and snapped this quick picture:

It's 21 meters high, or 68 feet!

The Arch of Constantine was built around 315 AD to honor the victory of Constantine I (a very important Roman emperor) at the Battle of Milvian Bridge.  It was actually modeled after the Arch of Septimus Severus (another Roman emperor) in the Forum but this arch is special as it is the only one that extensively uses spolia, which is Latin for "spoils" and refers to the practice of re-using building material or decorative sculpture from old buildings on new monuments.  The arch features several major reliefs from monuments built during the 2nd century AD and is thus very visually interesting because it is full of intricate details.

After walking around the arch a few times, I found a nice spot outside one of the entrances to the forum to eat lunch.  I had been carrying around a panino with me all morning, which I had bought at the gluten-free panini shop the day before, so I decided that as it was quite sunny, I should go ahead and eat it.

I still had time after I finished, so I wandered up the Palatine Hill to see what I could find.  At the end of the path I found this tiny church:

Turns out this is the church of San Bonaventura, which I believe was built during the 1600s. Unfortunately there is neither much information on the signs nor on the internet, so I can't share anything more about it, other than that it was a nice surprise to find it at the end of my walk.

After walking back I STILL had to wait a few more minutes for the Forum to open so I sat down and people-watched.  By now there was a pretty large crowd waiting to enter, so when they did open the gates, I waited a bit longer for everyone to go in first so that I wouldn't feel rushed.

The Roman Forum is located in a valley between two very important hills, the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill and was the center of Roman public life for centuries and elections, speeches, triumphal processions, trials, and sales took place there.  The site remained important from the founding of Rome to the Middle Ages.  That's all I will say for now; I want you to be able to simply enjoy the beauty of the site as I did when I was there without getting caught up in long and detailed (but fascinating!) history.  I plan to return to Rome and do a more in-depth post at a later time.  Of course, if you have any questions just ask and I'll will happily respond. :)

Entering the Forum

The view as I started to climb up the Palatine Hill

A bathtub?  In case you just felt like taking a bath in the middle of the garden.  I was quite confused by this, honestly.

 It was around 3:45 by the time I wandered up to the top.  The sun was strong, as it always is at that moment right before it begins to set, and bathing the ruins in its light.  Excuse me for waxing poetic but it was so beautiful!

Rome, the Eternal City

Of course I managed to find a cat, too! :)

After my adventures at the Forum, I scurried back to my hostel before the sunset so I wouldn't be out alone in an unknown city in the dark.  I really enjoyed my solo adventure in the ancient ruins, which surprised me since I usually prefer to have company while out and about.  But, it was very nice to have time to be contemplative and fully enjoy the fact that I was finally getting to see the sites which I had dreamed of seeing since my first Latin class in high school.

Onwards,then, to Greece!

P.S. If anyone ever needs a hostel in Rome, I would highly recommenced the Beehive Hostel.  It was very clean, safe, and about as quiet as a hostel can be and the staff was very friendly.

Roman Holiday, part 1

Here's an Italian word you should know: sciopero (sho - per- o).  It means strike, or, as Merriam-Webster puts it "a temporary stoppage of activities in protest against an act or condition".

Strikes are commonplace in southern Europe and I've had my fair share of them this summer in Greece and this semester in Italy.  So far however, none have really affected me more than having to adjust my usual bus route/schedule or avoid a certain area.  This time however, I got to fully experience the effects of lo sciopero.  

I found out a couple days before I was leaving Florence for Greece that there would be a general strike that day, meaning that all trains and flights were canceled.  I was flying Ryanair, which if you are not familiar with them, they are a budget airline from Ireland and offer VERY cheap flights.  Unfortunately they do not fly out of Florence, only Rome.  So my plan was to take a bus to the train station from my house, take a train to Rome, take another train to the airport and then fly to Greece.  Thankfully I was able to switch my flight to Saturday but with all the confusion (because no one really publishes clear information/details about the strike) I ended up with an early train to Rome (before the strike began) leaving me stranded there.  After much headache, I ended up staying at the Beehive Hostel in Rome and decided to seize the day (carpe diem!) and spent my day in Rome sightseeing.

Sign for the sciopero in Rome.  It says something to the effect of "The way things are right now is not ok.  We have concrete proposals for change in Italy."

Senatus Populusque Romanus = The Senate and the Roman People in Latin.  The abbreviation SPQR was the signature of the Late Roman Republic and Empire.  Today it is the official emblem of the city.

The strike in Rome.  In the background the people are carrying flags and banners but it was a very calm atmosphere.

I decided that on this afternoon in Rome, I would go see the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, two sites that I have always dreamed of getting to see.  It was about a 20 minute walk from my hostel and it was luckily a beautiful, clear day.  Because of the strike the forum was closed until 2pm so I went to the Colosseum first.

One ticket to rule them all.  This 12 euro ticket allowed me to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.  Best 12 euros I've ever spent.

 Construction for the Colosseum began in 70 AD during the Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Vespasian and was finished ten years later during the rein of Emperor Titus, with a few modifications made in the follow years when Domitian was in power.  These emperors are part of the Flavian dynasty, so in Latin the Colosseum was called the Amphitheatrum Flavium.  It could hold anywhere from 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and during the classical era it was used for gladiatorial battles, animal fights, and other forms of (often-violent) entertainment.

Inside the Colosseum

I was so excited to be here!

 I took my time walking around the colosseum, admiring the architecture and trying to ignore all the selfie-takers.  There is also small museum exhibit inside about libraries in antiquity.  This is a topic I don't know much about (and somehow, I haven't thought about it that much either) so I enjoyed the exhibit.  Inspiration for a possible thesis/special studies project next year? ;)

They also have a gift shop (naturally) where I resisted the temptation to buy overpriced "veni vidi vici" totes and notebooks and found this amazing-looking book:

I really want this.  Ooooh maybe I will buy it on Amazon as an end of semester gift to myself? ;)

Yes, I am a nerd.  And I'm okay with that. :)

Stay tuned for part 2!

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone!

It has been over a month since I posted...I apologize for that!  I'm currently on Christmas break in Greece at my friend's house and will be catching you up on all that has happened over the past four weeks. ;)

Merry Christmas!  Buon Natale!  καλά χριστούγεννα και χρόνια πολλά!