tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78166942011-12-15T03:45:21.165+01:00"This island was deadly beautiful, very old, most powerful and strange." --Theresa Maggio in The Stone BoudoirMaryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.comBlogger2111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-80170469993357266542009-03-19T21:09:00.007+01:002009-03-20T23:24:13.297+01:00

It only took me four and half years, but I finally got to see the inside of Catania's Castello Ursino. The interior is a museum of sorts, although the randomness of the collection make it hard to say what it is supposed to be. Nonetheless, the architecture of the interior just by itself is quite interesting, and old, old, old! Originally, it was on the sea, but the centuries of destruction and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-46131475013618569482009-03-01T12:48:00.003+01:002009-03-01T13:00:26.982+01:00

The February 2009 edition of National Geographic has a feature on the uniquely Sicilian custom of preserving (mummifying) bodies for public viewing. The article is called "Where the Dead Don't Sleep."The author writes: "In Europe the desiccation and preservation of corpses is a particularly Sicilian affair. There are other examples in Italy, but the great majority are in Sicily, where the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-69219793447924138792009-01-18T21:38:00.003+01:002009-01-18T21:57:28.847+01:00

Having been here for five and a half years, I thought I had seen it all as far as driving in Sicily. In fact, I wrote about it way back in October of 2004. Just last week, though, I was on my way to work and thought I would be clever and take a shortcut. Instead, I got stuck behind a garbage truck that was stopping at every dumpster on the one-way, narrow street we were on. A long line of

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-32600135209555173382008-12-11T19:12:00.012+01:002008-12-11T20:22:18.651+01:00

I recently read Rick Steves' Top 10 Travel Memories of 2008 and thought, "Hey! I can match that!" At my age, though, they may not be the "top" 10, but just any 10 I might recall! So here we go (in no particular order):1) Eating granita and a warm brioche for Sunday breakfast in August with friends at my favorite local bar here in Nicolosi. Technically, this is not "travel," but it is Sicily and I

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-77677696984220930212008-10-19T20:42:00.014+02:002008-12-07T14:15:11.259+01:00

Over the Columbus Day weekend, I flew with my friend Michael to Romania, a place neither of us had ever been. It came about like this: I was looking for cheap airfares from Catania and on MyAir.com I found roundtrip tickets to Bucharest for less than ten euros each! In the end, with taxes and fees, each ticket came out to 69 euros, still slightly less than $100. I had always wanted to see the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-24558641080128116622008-10-19T15:55:00.003+02:002008-10-19T16:24:39.155+02:00

When Alison arrived in Sicily for the start of her R&R from Iraq, I was in Romania, so my friends took care of her for the afternoon. Kendra picked her up at the Catania airport and whisked her away, top down, of course, to Lisa and Onorio's house. It was Lisa's birthday!Here is Lisa's description of the lunch: "Well, we started with a prosecco. Onorio was out grilling the beasts we were about

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-37535036501884095582008-10-05T12:21:00.021+02:002008-10-05T14:26:56.238+02:00

Some of my friends have been after me for quite some time to organize a roadtrip to Scoglitti, on the southeast corner of Sicily, a sleepy little beach town where our friend and auto mechanic Tony owns a restaurant. I had been there once before and told them how much I'd enjoyed it. Finally, we settled on a day and arranged it with Tony, who would meet us near Ragusa and guide us around the area

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-73218126766701778762008-09-17T20:19:00.007+02:002008-09-17T20:42:27.688+02:00

I'm back! I have been back in Sicily for a month, but frankly, I did not have a thing to write about because I didn't do anything. That was mostly because of the heat, which was in the 90s and even 100s almost every day, and work, which always gets in the way of fun. The heat isn't the problem as much as the sun. I've developed a nasty sun allergy since I moved here and have to pretty much stay

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-38223838658792503552008-06-16T10:06:00.009+02:002008-06-16T10:36:48.620+02:00

I am referring, of course, to my cats--Pete and Repeat, above left and right. Yes, they are still around after almost four years and pretty much thriving. A Sicilian friend here has called them "the luckiest cats in Sicily." I don't know about that, because I do make them live outside most of the time; however, they seem to like it that way. They only want to come in to eat and visit a little

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-709783779335599292008-06-13T19:10:00.020+02:002008-06-14T14:10:01.026+02:00

Sicily is famous for its beautiful, hand-made ceramics, and Caltagirone (KAHL-tuh-gee-RO-nee) is the most famous "city of ceramics" in Sicily. And, lucky for me, it is only about thirty miles from Sigonella, making it an easy shopping destination. CERAMICS R US! Everywhere you look, you see them. It's a hill town, and even driving up the hill to the town, there are ceramics decorating the walls

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-15784758723768942202008-06-07T20:56:00.017+02:002008-06-08T14:05:33.576+02:00

For some crazy reason, I thought it would be a good idea to take my AVID students on a fieldtrip to see an ancient Greek play in the ancient Greek theater in Siracusa. You want culture? You want a unique experience? This is IT. I had been there twice (first, second) and enjoyed the experience immensely. Of course, I had been there with adults who were friends, we had great (reserved, padded)

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-57769719323910646622008-06-04T21:41:00.009+02:002008-06-06T06:26:13.278+02:00

I recently went with my friend Michael to visit our friend Steve Jonas (of Sicilian Mama fame) in the Sicilian city of Sciacca (SHAH-kuh), which is located about 150 miles away, on the south coast of the island west of Agrigento. Sciacca is a pretty little town that is known for a famous carnivale parade in February, for its ceramics, and for its beaches and vacation homes. It gets very crowded

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-23252186079786892482008-05-19T18:40:00.002+02:002008-05-19T18:46:38.402+02:00

Luckily, this is taking place on the opposite side of Etna from where I live!"Mount Etna Flows Back to Life" from BBC News, Wed., May 14, 2008Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna, continues to spew lava for a fifth day since erupting on Saturday.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-84712491576764004102008-05-17T21:20:00.005+02:002008-05-17T21:31:15.348+02:00

All the earthquakes tremors from the past several weeks really were a prelude to some volcanic activity on Etna again. These photos were taken this week. (How many photos do I have of Etna? Hundreds! And I keep taking more!) Above is a morning view of the top I took on the way to school on Wednesday morning. It had rained and turned cold, producing a lot of snow. But notice the dark gray cloud on

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-42187037005779055772008-05-10T22:50:00.008+02:002008-05-11T17:15:19.344+02:00

Our Italian-American friend Rose took us to the nearby town of Trecastagni to see a whole parade of painted Sicilian carts this weekend. I had seen single carts occasionally and randomly before, but this was a real parade with about 15-20 of the beautifully painted carts complete with decorated horses and musicians playing old Sicilian folk music with flutes, accordians, and tambourines all the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-4588542092589918032008-05-03T08:39:00.006+02:002008-05-03T22:46:53.217+02:00

Today's price for gas per gallon in Atlanta, GA, is $3.30 for regular and $3.63 for premium. Everyday I hear or read about Americans complaining about these prices. It has even become a campaign issue.Whatever the reason for the prices, it's unlikely they will come down. They never do. But Americans, count your blessings! Everyone else in the world pays a lot more, especially Europeans, and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1380898882184337592008-05-03T08:31:00.001+02:002008-05-03T08:35:06.655+02:00

From La Sicilia (translation by Google). I felt this is as I was playing on-line Scrabble last night. My whole house shook violently. See reference to Nicolosi in first and third paragraphs:Trema EtnaThree aftershocks, the last one recorded in the afternoon at Nicolosi, on the northern side of the volcano: no consequence. Mild earthquake also between Lipari and Salina.CATANIA - A swarm of

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-68575335730688665312008-04-22T21:00:00.003+02:002008-04-22T21:17:14.237+02:00

It's that time of year again--artichoke time! All over the streets and in the markets, you'll see these little 3-wheeled trucks loaded down with artichokes, which are sold in bundles of like . . . twenty-four! You can't just buy one, or even ten. And they are cheap, something like three or five euros for that many ($4.50-$7.50). These green, hairy artichoke monsters can be seen all over Sicily.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-15540250450130602182008-04-20T14:32:00.011+02:002008-04-20T15:28:21.792+02:00

As if there weren't enough turmoil in Nicolosi this morning with the Catania-Etna auto race snarling traffic and extra people jamming our usually quiet bar, a pretty big earthquake rocked our little town. Several of us were sitting out on the patio grousing about the blocked roads, no parking, the crowd of race fans and drivers at the bar, and especially about the noise of the dozens of race cars

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-72901507416051911252008-04-17T17:25:00.006+02:002008-04-17T17:42:40.574+02:00

Over spring break, I again was able to visit Agrigento and the Greek temples. They have finished all work on them at the moment, and they look great! My new Olympus SP-55OUZ did a spectacular job with the temples of Concord (above) and Hera (below) at night from my hotel room at the Colleverde Park Hotel. I used no special settings at all, just set the camera on a little table-top tripod on the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-2201615430004959652008-04-07T08:29:00.004+02:002008-04-07T23:55:36.578+02:00

"Should you only have one day to spend in Sicily and you ask me 'what is there to see?' I would reply 'Taormina' without any hesitation. It is only a landscape but one in which you can find everything that seems to have been created to seduce the eyes, the mind and the imagination."--Guy de Maupassant, 1885, from "Towards the Golden Skies," diary of a journey.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-64087692810857947872008-03-30T15:57:00.010+02:002008-03-30T17:46:34.914+02:00

On Tuesday of this past week, my colleague and fellow AVID teacher Jan Sibayan and I took twenty-some 7th and 8th grade AVID students on a walking tour of Catania. This was Jan's plan, and she orchestrated the whole thing. It's quite fun to see things through their eyes instead of adult eyes. Some go to Catania every week for the market, and others had rarely been there (and only with school or

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-32118003811765737222008-03-23T20:01:00.008+01:002008-03-23T20:38:36.211+01:00

Guess who came to cappucino this morning at the Papaveri Papere Bar in Nicolosi? The Easter Bunny! Here he is with Lisa, Rose, me, and Kendra. And, yes, he drinks cappucino, too. Check out the latest creation from the candy maker there today--chocolate egg people!

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-42158318970929736942008-03-19T20:13:00.011+01:002008-03-19T21:01:20.222+01:00

Yesterday and again today, I saw something over Mt. Etna that I had never seen, or perhaps noticed, before, a "flying saucer" cloud. The person who pointed it out to me said they only form over volcanoes. Well, it turns out it's not just volcanoes, but actually mountains, and the conditions have to be just right. I did a little googling and found out that this cloud is a lenticular cloud and that

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-75069951350745415402008-03-15T16:11:00.011+01:002008-03-15T17:12:16.101+01:00

I got to thinking about this yesterday when I found myself wearing a down jacket, zipped-up, on a sunny day in 65 degree temperatures, and being completely comfortable! I've been Sicily too long! If we had this weather in Germany or Illinois I'd have been out in shorts, t-shirt, and sandals!Feel free to add more in COMMENTS, my American friends in Sicily!You know you've been in Sicily too long

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-14240119114005936762008-03-05T19:44:00.007+01:002008-03-08T22:35:47.162+01:00

"I love this town immediately. There are three thousand years of history under my feet in Syracuse. It's a place of such ancient civilization that it makes Rome look like Dallas. Myth says that Daedalus flew here from Crete and that Hercules once slept here. Syracuse was a Greek colony that Thucydides called 'a city not in the least inferior to Athens itself.' Syracuse is the link between ancient

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-62288988009642065252008-03-05T18:32:00.012+01:002008-03-05T19:37:01.834+01:00

I am finally getting around to reading the bestseller Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert thanks to the glowing recommendations of many of my friends. It is very entertaining and fun to read--at least the Eat part, which is about the author "feeding her body," literally and figuratively, in Italy.She spends four months in Rome, with occasional side trips to sample the cuisines of Naples, Bologna

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-72957102958486967592008-02-20T19:23:00.016+01:002008-02-21T21:07:02.305+01:00

Unlike Germany, where castles are a dime a dozen, Sicily has only a handful of them, and, of that handful, the vast majority were built by the Normans in the 12th century. (Some notable exceptions are the Greek castle in Siracusa and an Arab one at Donnafugata.)So, once again, who were the Normans, and what were they doing in Sicily? Looking back, I see that I wrote a pretty good description of

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-28157206083924731282008-02-19T20:21:00.003+01:002008-02-19T20:27:50.301+01:00

I captured this at about 5:30 this evening, just as I got home from work. Apparently, one of the craters toward the north side of Etna (I'm on the south) is shooting up these little gray clouds of ash. It's a nice contrast with the snow and the light of sunset.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-72577971210852455962008-02-16T20:43:00.020+01:002008-02-17T16:22:59.298+01:00

The British World War II Cemetery at Siracusa doesn't have the beautiful location of those at Catania or Agira. It's right on the highway going into south Siracusa, no great views in any direction. It is, nonetheless, a moving place to visit. Almost one thousand soldiers, sailors, and airmen are buried here. Like the others, most were in their early 20s and privates. There are Christians and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-28225908894126495452008-02-14T20:40:00.007+01:002008-02-16T20:31:39.856+01:00

It's a bit off the beaten path but well worth the search to find the World War II Canadian Cemetery here in Sicily. I have never seen a more beautiful location, a fitting place for these 500 Canadians who gave their lives in Operation Husky in 1943. Most of them perished in fierce fighting around Mount Etna in the last week of July. They were part of the British forces who faced the strongest

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-71520508421299529982008-02-11T21:27:00.000+01:002008-02-11T21:55:42.785+01:00

I've had my eye on a mountain that looms in the west every day when I drive home. It is so high, I knew I had to find it and go to the top. I just knew there had to be a great view of Etna from up there. I did some investigating on my map of Sicily and narrowed it down to two peaks. One was a "scenic view" and the other not, so that made it easy . . . I wanted the scenic one, which lies across

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-46621998299546218192008-02-08T19:41:00.000+01:002008-02-11T21:11:56.565+01:00

In Sicily, horsemeat is a common meat right up there with beef, pork, and lamb. In the big supermarkets, it's just another meat counter, labeled EQUINE. Many people really like the meat, as it is very lean and free of hormones and other things they have in beef and pork, for instance. There are all kinds of cuts (see butcher photo in a horsemeat shop), but it seems best cut very, very thin and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-74249539512496539172008-02-05T19:53:00.001+01:002008-02-07T19:54:29.841+01:00

Finally, in my fourth year in Sicily, I got to see Sant' Agata (Saint Agatha) in Catania! It was all I had hoped for and easier than I imagined.Sant' Agata is the patron saint of Catania, a legendary Catholic saint of rock star proportion, who brings out well over a million people to see her for three days every February. Agata was an early Christian virgin from a wealthy family who refused to

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-28898484155573288602008-01-30T18:54:00.000+01:002008-01-30T20:05:15.044+01:00

TindariMost Americans never get any closer to an ancient Greek temple or theater than the Travel Channel. SegestaHere in Sicily, we have the chance to see them, walk inside them, feel them, and see performances in them. And all of these I have been privileged to do.Herakleia Minoa, under an ugly cover to protect itAfter attending my second performance at the Greek theater in Siracusa in June, I

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-48830260373123437672007-12-22T20:17:00.000+01:002007-12-22T22:18:00.163+01:00

When I leave my driveway, I see the top of Etna. I live at 3,000 ft, and Etna is another 7,000 ft. high. As you can see, there is a lot of snow on it in winter. Leaving town and heading down the volcano, I look to my left, to the east, and often see a beautiful sunrise like this with a hillock from an ancient volcanic eruption in the foreground. All the way down, I have glimpses of the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-64192130100639190222007-12-16T14:32:00.000+01:002007-12-16T14:59:14.649+01:00

It's looking more and more like Christmas at the Bar Papaveri Papere (The Family Duck Bar to us) in Nicolosi, where my friends and I gather every Sunday morning. Not only do they have a big tree outside and beautiful pastries inside, but it even snowed today! Check out the chocolate Nativity cake and Yule log cakes above!

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-56634810690969896642007-12-15T21:22:00.000+01:002007-12-15T21:42:51.325+01:00

Rick Steves, my favorite travel writer, released a new article about Sicily on CNN.com called "Sassy, Spicy Sicily." I think he does a remarkable job of capturing what I consider to be some of the charm of Sicily in this short article.He writes: "If you like Italy for its people, tempo and joy of living -- rather than for its Botticellis, Guccis and touristic icons -- you'll dig Sicily."Sicily,

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-15081618447553728772007-12-13T20:24:00.000+01:002007-12-15T21:22:25.288+01:00

As if a trucker strike and gas shortage weren't enough, these poor guys dumped an entire truck of fresh oranges right outside of Sigonella's NAS I today. Oranges were rolling down the gutters for about half a block! By the way, the strike is now over and things are starting to roll again. More stations open, more cars on the road, speeders out speeding.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-30496535034029462722007-12-12T17:22:00.000+01:002007-12-12T17:30:55.418+01:00

Here are some photos I took on the way to work this morning, before 7:00 AM . . . people trying to get gas. The strike is supposed to continue for another two days, and even then, when will we have fully-supplied stations?

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-58039093609016520662007-12-11T21:57:00.000+01:002007-12-11T22:19:24.744+01:00

I received a phone call this evening from one of our office staff saying that our principal, who is, by the way, out of town, activated the Emergency Phone Tree. When I asked her what the emergency was, she said, "Fill up your gas tank." (Point of humor: We don't HAVE an Emergency Phone Tree this school year due to our "Xtrem School Makeover" in administration and office staff. Hahahahaha!)

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-36566869299797236692007-11-30T20:58:00.000+01:002007-12-01T23:51:13.132+01:00

The mosaics in the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina (said to once be the hunting lodge of THE emperor) are undergoing an Xtreme makeover! A grant from either UNESCO or perhaps Italy is paying for the cleaning, restoring, and preservation of this fabulously rich archaeological site. See an earlier post by me HERE. And see my old photos on FLICKR.I was there today with more than thirty of our AVID

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-32045601219075377242007-11-26T21:17:00.000+01:002007-11-27T06:12:04.283+01:00

Of course, AAA (or ADAC in Germany) does not exist in Sicily. Luckily, though, I have something better than both of them--Tony, my personal mechanic!On Friday, my friend Awilda from Heidelberg and I started out to meet friends in downtown Catania for lunch. It's only about fifteen miles, all downhill, but right smack dab in the middle of the city, my Mini suddenly started making a horrible sound

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-59379267417171053332007-10-21T21:36:00.000+02:002007-10-21T21:55:37.387+02:00

I saw this wine on sale at Carrefour (large supermarket) for .99 Euro ($1.41) recently and thought, "Hey, for that price, I should try it, and if it's bad, I'm not out much money." They had cases of it and lots of Sicilians were buying it. So I bought a case of six for less than six Euros. I opened it that evening, not expecting much.I LOVE THIS WINE! It's a great Nero d'Avola, the most popular

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-84232490726988864622007-09-30T18:35:00.000+02:002007-10-01T06:21:17.839+02:00

I love the little book Top 10 Sicily. I bought it soon after arriving here and still refer to it when I need a quick reference to find something. I also love the idea of "top ten" and even use it in my teaching. I have a Powerpoint for AVID students: "The Top Ten Ways to Succeed in AVID." And I just briefed my new principal with a presentation entitled "The Ten Most Important Things to Know about

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-83089796349936468522007-09-11T19:00:00.000+02:002007-09-11T19:06:42.322+02:00

I was honored to recently be interviewed about Sicily by Maria Tuttocuore for her website/blog Sicily Guide. Go HERE to read the interview!

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-9093435838534350262007-09-04T20:27:00.000+02:002007-09-04T21:23:22.962+02:00

These photos were taken just moments ago, between 7:00-8:00 PM, September 4. My friend Kendra called me from her house to the east, on the coast, to ask if ashes were falling in my yard. She said it was raining ashes on her house from Etna. Luckily (for me), there is a strong, strong wind out of the west, so it's moving away from us in Nicolosi.I went to Rob and Jacque's across the street and got

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-82197864440329563762007-09-03T18:54:00.000+02:002007-09-04T20:45:50.401+02:00

This weekend, I had the pleasure to meet Sharon Barresi, author of the blog "Respiri di Vita." I found Sharon through her blog (or she found me, I don't remember which), and we began to correspond about a year ago. She is much more regular in her postings than I am, usually writing just about every day about life as an American ex-pat here in Sicily. Sharon was recently interviewed for a website

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-24270091011210703482007-09-03T10:57:00.000+02:002007-09-03T19:26:47.731+02:00

About a year ago, Susan and I were at the Papaveri Papere bar here in Nicolosi one weekend morning and we noticed a blonde man who was obviously an American waiting politely for his turn. (That's how we knew he was American, along with his clothes, shoes, blonde hair, military haircut, stance, and no sunglasses.) When he finally turned around, Susan beckoned to him and we got him to come over and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-17881667906583058732007-08-23T21:41:00.000+02:002007-08-23T21:53:20.498+02:00

Before leaving for the States this summer, I took delivery of my beautiful new lava table! It's 80 cm. in diameter, perfect for a breakfast bistro table. Here it is . . .

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-53313364957691225972007-06-16T09:18:00.000+02:002007-06-16T12:32:13.640+02:00

Hercules went mad and murdered his own children and wife in Siracusa on Thursday night. This was the Greek play "Heracles" (aka Hercules) by Euripides, written in 421-416 B.C. and performed here in Sicily in 2007 in the Greek theater in the archaeological park in Siracusa. The theater itself is over two thousand years old, but still in remarkably good condition.Why did he go mad and do this you

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-6801474465092068942007-06-09T23:05:00.000+02:002007-06-09T23:34:41.229+02:00

One of the unexpected benefits of my many trips to the dentist's office in downtown Catania was the discovery of the beautiful black lava shoreline and its interesting rock formations. It just so happened that my dentist's office is located a little north of downtown Catania and right along the water. We were able to explore the neighborhood when I had some spare time before an appointment.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-49254103155703268662007-06-01T20:47:00.000+02:002007-06-01T21:33:44.262+02:00

"It's horns, Vespas, sunglasses even though the sun's not out, cigarettes, litter, family, and lots of strutting. It's a little kid wearing two shades of orange clothes and his dad with the same two shades on his cone. It's a guy who rides by with a cardboard license plate taped to his scooter and a micro fender-bender in the street and the Italian-style arm flapping that goes with it."It's a big

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-85299897566598356872007-04-29T21:55:00.000+02:002007-05-05T19:38:01.395+02:00

A couple of smallish earthquakes and lots of steam during the past week should have given us warning that this was going to happen. First, Christine and Matt called me, I called Jacque and Rob, Darcy called them, and we all had a pajama/photo party on their patio. Then Pat called me, Matt called Phil, and even all the Italians were out watching it! Here's the view from Jacque and Rob's patio (my

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-41024127795198959782007-04-22T14:04:00.001+02:002008-05-04T08:33:04.534+02:00

Yesterday, I went again to look at lava tables with friends. This is now the fourth time I've been to this place and I've yet to buy anything. I'm on the verge, though! We brought a new customer for them, another DoDDS teacher and power shopper. She ordered a table, chairs, and several other items, taking no time at all to make up her mind!What is a lava table? It's a table, usually with

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-60782810583032937872007-04-22T13:53:00.000+02:002007-04-22T14:04:10.359+02:00

Monte Etna has been pretty quiet for some time now, unlike the fall and early winter when it was shooting fireworks and flowing lava every day. Today at the cafe, though, the Sunday morning cappucino and granite group noticed it is putting out a lot of steam. It's a gorgeous sunny day here, with the kind of blue sky you only see in Sicily . . . .

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-76108164744750732712007-04-13T21:28:00.000+02:002007-04-22T14:03:13.340+02:00

Everything is in full bloom in Sicily, and it's YELLOW everywhere you look! In Heidelberg, we used to say we looked at the world through rose-colored glasses because everything was built from the pink rock of the area. Here, we look through lemon-colored glasses . . . . Me with scary giant fennel plant.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-77637322204761481382007-03-27T20:23:00.000+02:002007-03-27T21:21:19.113+02:00

Nicolosi has a great volcano museum, which I finally got to visit this past Saturday. It's called the Museo Vulcanologico dell'Etna. Although I've known about it since last summer, I never went there primarily because I couldn't FIND it. However, Susan learned where it was and so we finally got there. (For those of you who want to easily find it, turn right at the Esso station on main street

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-49110363922538251662007-02-02T14:07:00.000+01:002007-02-02T14:40:38.032+01:00

Anyone who has lived in Europe (the continent of extension cords, adaptors, and transformers) will appreciate this message to staff from our computer guy today:Greetings,With the move to the new building, we have an issue with plugs.We have many German style plugs from the old building that are not supposed to be plugged into the sockets in this building without an adapter.German plug, DO NOT

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1169889301973361242007-01-27T10:05:00.002+01:002009-09-18T21:20:39.468+02:00

Tindari is a place that has it all --breathtaking scenery, Greek and Roman ruins, mosaics, the famous Black Madonna of Tindari, myths, and miracles. Driving along the autostrade from Messina to Palermo on the northeast coast of Sicily, you will see a striking church high, high on a cliff. This is the highest point of the Cape of Tindari, above the town of Patti.The Black Madonna of Tindari is one

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1169145766937155262007-01-18T19:11:00.000+01:002007-01-18T20:36:38.306+01:00

One of the most memorable events of my stay here in Sicily was attending a performance of an original Greek play by Euripedes in an original Greek theater in Siracusa last May. Every year, or maybe every other year, the National Institute of Classical Drama produces two such classical plays in this theater, which is much like the other theaters I've seen at Taormina, Segesta, and Tindari. The

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1168884504349088852007-01-15T19:00:00.000+01:002007-01-15T21:23:15.303+01:00

Vendicari (ven-DEE-cah-ree) Nature Preserve near Noto in southeast Sicily is the "last autorest on the autostrada of migration," according to the Italian naturalist who was our guide, meaning that all the migrating birds of northern Europe MUST stop here on their way to Africa. Thus, it is a birdwatcher's paradise, and a great place to try out the new binoculars that Susan gave me for my birthday

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1166386782658287812006-12-17T20:52:00.000+01:002007-01-07T21:42:05.116+01:00

Many Sicilian men still make a living as fishermen, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the town of Aci Trezza (AH-chee TRAY-tsa), a charming village just north of Catania. Here you can still see the boats, the men, the shops, and the fish market. Oh, and they even now have a museum of fishing history! Thanks to my friends Jan and Flint, unofficial tour guides and marketers for Aci Trezza

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1166302317013080582006-12-16T21:44:00.000+01:002006-12-17T20:36:29.453+01:00

A few years ago, after seeing Roman mosaics and then Greek temples, some visitors of mine kept kidding me with the question, "When are you going to show us something really old?" If they come back to Sicily, I can do that!Imagine cliffside burial caves that date back as far as 1300 B.C.--that's over 3,300 years old!Then imagine over 5,000 of them located in one huge gorge here in Sicily!Now

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1164574188409808232006-11-26T21:35:00.000+01:002006-11-26T21:49:49.173+01:00

Imagine our surprise on Friday when we saw Etna spouting a huge plume of gray smoke (volcanic ash)! It seemed to be drifting to the east, which was good, since I live to the south of the crater. Sure enough, on a drive to Taormina, the sky got darker and there was definitely ash drifiting on the road and on parked cars, etc. Later, we heard that there was a possibility of the Catania airport

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1163712902972419612006-11-16T22:29:00.000+01:002006-11-16T22:35:02.986+01:00

Susan took this photo today from my street in Nicolosi. You could see the eruption shooting straight up in the air from more than twenty miles away. Every night, the lava streams are different. I have got to find a way to get up close to it!

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1161860346497842842006-10-26T12:55:00.000+02:002006-10-26T12:59:06.536+02:00

Check out this story from NBC complete with video, sound, and slides! POSTED: 1:24 pm PDT October 24, 2006CATANIA, Italy -- Italy's Mount Etna has erupted for the sixth time in two months.Authorities continued to allow sightseekers on the volcano to take pictures on Monday, despite the lava and steam clouds that spewed from the mountain.The latest eruption caused two lava flows. Experts recorded

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1159950507994932942006-10-04T10:28:00.000+02:002006-10-04T10:33:47.623+02:00

From: Brickley, JoyceSent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 8:28 AMTo: #Sigonella ES All Staff; #Sigonella HS All StaffSubject: lava flowAs we were leaving for work this morning and I looked up at Etna, I turned around and ran back into the house to grab my camera. This is the first time I have ever seen a flow in that much daylight. I didn't have time to get out my tripod and set it up, so the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1158177823187868352006-09-13T21:13:00.000+02:002006-09-17T21:19:51.253+02:00

(Above: Volcanic Ashfall from Etna, 2002)One day last week, I was excited to find an Emergency Management (EM) Public Awareness Info Kit in a large ziploc bag in my teacher box at school! Inside, it said, "This bag is provided to help you prepare for and deal with a potential major emergency, be it a natural disaster or man-made event." ("Man-made event" = War in Iraq/on Terror?)The Emergency

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1158003452319293062006-09-11T20:52:00.000+02:002006-09-13T21:07:01.983+02:00

This weekend was the 42nd running of the Catania-Etna hill-climb race here in Nicolosi. Why "Catania" is in the title, I have no idea, because it actually starts here in Nicolosi and goes up the volcano for 9.2 kilometers. I don't know all the details of it, but I'll tell you what I know.There are several classes of competition, ranging from "Teeny-Weeny" to "Major Big Professional" race cars.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1157911338266460922006-09-10T19:55:00.000+02:002006-09-10T20:03:37.660+02:00

Added to my granite knowledge base today: this is granite served "in brioche!" They actually cut open the sweet bun and put the granite right in it, add a little plastic spoon, and there you go! This makes cones (as in ice cream cones) totally pale in comparison! Here you see my friend Matt having chocolate and almond granite "in brioche." He would be smiling, but his mouth is full of granite at

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1157481251804804422006-09-05T20:14:00.000+02:002006-09-05T20:34:11.820+02:00

I recently assigned my tenth-grade students an on-line article about Sicily and the Arab influence. Afterwards, they were to post their reflections on it. Here are a few of the more amusing ones:"Oranges were also introduced by the Arabs? I had no idea how much the Arabs influenced Sicilian foods and I am mainly shocked by the Oranges. They are like the main fruit of Sicily. You have your blood

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1157313040135784982006-09-03T21:36:00.000+02:002006-09-03T22:15:06.853+02:00

My friends Jan and Flint gave a great Mojito party this afternoon. I brought up the idea of making Mojitos soon after arriving back in Sicily two weeks ago. I had a couple of them on the flight (a Delta special!) after being introduced to them by my daughter Alison. It just so happened that Jan and her friend Theresa were Mojito aficionados and experts! So, Jan volunteered to create a party

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1156927226965219222006-08-30T10:38:00.000+02:002006-08-30T10:40:26.976+02:00

I got this email from Lisa, the new granite-freak:"I saw the Granite truck in Mascalucia and I began following it. OHMIGOSH!! I think I am hooked!!"Poor Orazio, the granite man, was being stalked by a crazed person who could only say -- granite -- I want a granite -- (in Italian, of course). Anyway, I turned left on the way to school, but was thinking of that granite all day. this is worse

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1156679926930054852006-08-27T13:58:00.000+02:002006-08-30T09:25:35.990+02:00

I'm back in Sicily, and it's been hotter than Hades--perfect weather for enjoying granite (grah-NEE-tah), which is served everywhere at this time of the year.Incredibly, our friend Lisa (above on right), who has lived for a total of SEVENTEEN years in Italy and is married TO an Italian, just discovered granite! How she missed it, we are still trying to discover, but apparently it is not available

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1152670929383957292006-07-12T04:16:00.000+02:002006-07-31T13:05:03.160+02:00

create your own visited countries mapor vertaling Duits Nederlands

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1146316233766484932006-04-29T15:09:00.000+02:002006-05-03T20:20:32.536+02:00

Last week, Kendra and I again took the tenth-graders from our Integrated Honors World History/English class on a World War II fieldtrip to the British War Cemetery near the Catania airport, the German War Cemetery near Misterbianco, and then to the World War II museum in downtown Catania.The cemeteries are immaculately maintained by the countries whose men are buried there, England and Germany,

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1145466910929690832006-04-19T19:03:00.000+02:002006-04-19T19:15:11.003+02:00

Thanks to my colleague and resident expert, Lynn, for this delicious addition to the artichoke saga!Ciao Maryellen,I, too just bought a "fascio" of carciofi. A group of things put together is a fascio! I remember the first time my husband bought a fascio!! I was shocked . . . having no idea what to do with 24 artichokes, which is the normal number. I noticed a truck selling artichokes, and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1145304679617212142006-04-17T21:57:00.000+02:002006-04-17T22:17:44.866+02:00

Three euros buys you 25+ artichokes at the moment here in Sicily. That's $3.60. From what my friend Susan tells me, that's close to the price of ONE artichoke in Atlanta! Anyway, she and I wanted just a couple artichokes and ended up with two giant bags of them when we stopped at a roadside vendor in Lentini.I had never cooked one in my life, but recently I had them grilled at a restaurant, so I

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1144400423462495632006-04-07T10:46:00.000+02:002006-04-08T07:30:11.353+02:00

Etna, our scion,Everchanging light and lifeRising over us,She bears us fruit and chestnuts,Guardian of our Island.My AVID students discussed tanka poems in their tutorial group and then wrote this one together. Tanka poems are written about nature, seasons, love, sadness and other strong emotions. Simply take a haiku (5-7-5), add two 7-syllable lines, and you have it.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1143486279135270812006-03-27T20:47:00.000+02:002006-03-27T21:37:53.843+02:00

View of Carlentini from Borgo Nocchiara(looks nothing like Omaha!)This past weekend, my friend Pat invited me to stay overnight at an agriturismo call Borgo Nocchiara near Carlentini, between Catania and Siracusa. We were meeting a group of other friends and colleagues the next day for lunch at yet another agriturismo in that area, so I agreed to the mini-getaway. We drove there after school on

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1142195169844792532006-03-12T20:57:00.000+01:002006-03-13T22:09:06.910+01:00

Another tiny town that Theresa Maggio writes about in The Stone Boudoir is Linguaglossa, which happens to be just on the other side of Etna from where I live in Nicolosi. A few Sundays ago, my friend Pat and I took our cameras and went for a ride all the way around the volcano, stopping occasionally to take photos. We were several thousand feet up on Etna, so it didn't take all that long to drive

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1141804696442774202006-03-08T08:45:00.000+01:002006-03-08T22:50:50.880+01:00

Imagine my surprise when it began to snow on my way home from work yesterday. The flurries quickly became almost a blizzard, and this was happening down at sea level, not just up on the volcano. I was a little concerned about getting home, but it melted on the road so there was no problem. By the time I got home, it was nearly stopped and nothing had accumulated but a dusting on the trees. The

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1141590563984850062006-03-05T21:21:00.000+01:002006-03-05T21:29:24.046+01:00

"Sei niente senza rispetto!" You're nothing without respect! Thanks to my friend Mary and her friend Ruth for alerting me to this great website, Only in Italy, where you can actually buy a Mafia threat to be sent to anyone in the world by priority mail! And the cost is only 6,99 Euro, or $8.12 today. They take VISA, of course. Each letter is handwritten (time permitting) on the business

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1140606644075242722006-02-22T12:10:00.000+01:002006-02-25T13:41:35.190+01:00

My trip to Torino to the 2006 Winter Olympics had its highs and lows. Seeing the USA men's hockey team play Slovakia and hob-nobbing with athletes along with their families and friends were the highlights, for sure. Lowlights were missing two events for which we had tickets--freestyle women's aerial skiing and men's curling.Not only was this Olympic hockey, but it was my first live hockey match

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1139774867493537472006-02-12T21:06:00.000+01:002006-02-21T14:21:39.526+01:00

Every February, the Feast of Sant Agata (St. Agatha in English), is celebrated in Catania. It is Italy's largest religious festival, drawing over a million visitors over the course of the week. Here is a first-hand account by guest bloggers Jan and Flint Sibayan, who this year witnessed the beginning of the massive procession that wends continuously through the city for days:0600 Saturday,

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1138647220337859852006-01-30T19:45:00.000+01:002006-01-30T20:33:05.206+01:00

I had heard horror stories of BMW Catania before I ever had any dealings with them. In fact, I didn't WANT to have any dealings with them after hearing how they directed one friend to back his Mini right into another car in their own parking lot, how they charged another 800 euro (a thousand bucks) for a regular service on her BMW, and how a colleague had hers returned minus the radio. ("There's

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1138432308518988582006-01-28T08:06:00.000+01:002006-01-28T15:37:49.490+01:00

I didn't fall under the charm and spell of Siracusa until about my third or fourth visit, and it was Ortigia (aka Ortygia), an island and the oldest part of Siracusa, that did it. I was afraid Siracusa was going to be another Oberammergau, a place that everyone raves on and on about it and I always thought, "This place is boring. What's all the fuss about?" But, no, Siracusa came through and

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1137866223950569702006-01-21T18:35:00.000+01:002006-01-21T19:22:14.846+01:00

Today I went to a Sicilian puppet show. This is no ordinary marionette or hand-puppet show. The Sicilian puppets are old, traditional, huge, and violent! They are hand-crafted in solid wood, wear metal armor, and brandish swords.We had an explanation of the theater and the puppets and later got to see just how it was all done behind (or above) the scenes. The puppets weigh as much as 60 lbs., so

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1137609534946246852006-01-18T19:27:00.000+01:002006-01-18T22:46:43.500+01:00

Scicli, pronounced SHEEK-lee, is a strange little place. On the one hand, is it a beautiful little Baroque city nestled in the rock hills in the southeast corner of Sicily. On the other, the rock hills are riddled with ancient caves, dating back to the Second Bronze Age (1500 B.C.) Like Sperlinga, some of the caves are still occupied, or at least used by people! The town is named for one of the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1136924086234286292006-01-10T21:03:00.000+01:002006-01-21T18:33:10.120+01:00

It's that season again again--my favorite fruit season in Sicily--the season of blood oranges! If you've never been to Italy, you might not know about blood oranges. Most of them are grown in Sicily and we who live here are the lucky vitamin C recipients of them.A California website had this to say about them: "Classified as a sweet orange, blood oranges are thought to have originated in Sicily

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1136748782484942842006-01-08T20:27:00.000+01:002006-01-09T09:01:17.280+01:00

I went into school a mid-day to get some things ready for my sub tomorrow. I was in my classroom on the second floor of a four-story concrete and brick building only a few years old when the building definitely started to sway . . . one, two, three, four times! I grabbed my jacket and glasses and was about to run outside when it stopped.A little later, my friend called and said it had caused her

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1136668345417425172006-01-07T22:09:00.000+01:002006-01-07T22:12:25.430+01:00

Sicily might lose its reputation as a 2 1/2 world country if it's not careful. On November 23, 2005, the first real MALL on the entire island opened to huge crowds. It's called Etnapolis, and best of all, it's located between my house and my school! Woo-hoo!It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside--oh boy! It's a shiny, American-style mall, even better than anything I've seen in

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1136496261704966922006-01-05T22:17:00.000+01:002006-01-14T12:20:41.856+01:00

A colleague who was evacuated from her house in Marinai sent these to me . . . Over two hundred families have apparently already been moved back in and they hope to have the rest back in the next two weeks. Oh, be SURE to look at this little video clip . . . it comes on automatically for you.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1136187618640236382006-01-02T08:39:00.000+01:002006-01-25T19:23:46.436+01:00

Aurelio's Gallery of Naive Sicilian ArtBellini Theater in CataniaCatania History and CultureCatania Official Turism Site--In Italian onlyFontanarosso Airport in CataniaHistorical Earthquakes--Many Sicilian earthquakes are includedIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)--Volcanic information about EtnaJewish Tours in SicilyMorgantina in Archaeological World magazineNatural Parks in

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1135236600500355502005-12-22T08:04:00.000+01:002005-12-23T20:22:47.856+01:00

Another seafood eating extravaganza took place yesterday afternoon at Trattoria (trah-tor-EE-uh) Incognito in Acireale (AH-chee-ree-AH-lee) down by the sea. My friend Pat used to go there years ago, and she knows the whole family who runs this tiny little hole-in-wall place. They all call her by her first name, and every time a new dish was brought to our table (about every five minutes), the

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1135100196659461322005-12-20T18:10:00.000+01:002005-12-20T18:40:48.106+01:00

Well, the Simply Red concert in Acireale on Sunday was simply fantastic! Except for the tight and uncomfortable seating and the noisy Italians who wanted to talk aloud during songs and take cellphone photos throughout, it was probably the best live performance I have personally ever seen. Mick Hucknall sang for over 90 minutes and every song was a masterpiece of delivery, starting with slow

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1134857137642886872005-12-17T23:01:00.000+01:002005-12-17T23:05:37.656+01:00

See this link for another story and some interesting photos of the flood: Stars and Stripes . We heard yesterday that 200+ families were relocated to hotels and temporary lodging facilities. To see a great shop of Mt. Etna covered with snow from the rainfall, look at Phil and Aja's blog, "Sicilian Newlyweds" in the sidebar.

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1134712957115634842005-12-16T06:57:00.000+01:002006-01-07T07:37:31.200+01:00

Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy The military housing complex of Marinai at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, was evacuated Thursday morning after days of heavy rain and thunderstorms flooded the area, which sits in a valley. The complex houses about 475 families, all of whom were safely moved to area hotels. Some houses had up to 3 feet of water inside, officials said.“The only way to get into [

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816694.post-1134681066956392062005-12-15T21:55:00.000+01:002006-01-07T07:38:15.476+01:00

It's worse than any of us expected. Several hundred families ARE being evacuated from the one of the naval housing areas (Marinai Housing) here. My friend and colleague Anne and her two daughters were among the victims. She showed me the photos today of "the flood" that crept up, up, up as they helplessly watched from the roof of their house. Her husband is deployed to Kuwait and due to get home

Maryellen Pientahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15616933745082415951noreply@blogger.com1