While Michelle and I are working and learning a lot, we have tons of fun here in Calatafimi! A couple nights ago, we went out in a nearby town to celebrate Jack's time WWOOFing with us. (Incidentally, every bar in Calatafimi was closed, so we weren't actually having fun in our town...tomato tomato [toe-MAH-toe].) The guy in charge of the land here, Nicola, took us to a happening place where the live band included an accordion player. It was SO FUN! (Michelle and I wondered what Nicola's wife thought of the fact that he was out with four 20-somethings while she was at home with two kids under the age of three...but I digress.)
Speaking of Nicola, he took us to meet a drummer one night. Michelle and I had no idea this would be taking place. We just got in the car with our fellow WWOOFers and followed Nicola. He had us park outside a cafe, and we walked through a normal-looking door into a music studio. Amund got to play the drums for a minute, which was really therapeutic for him, I think, as he normally plays the drums for hours each day. (Side note: Amund is a drummer, composer, music engineer, etc.)
We WWOOFers were also able to tour the unfinished Greek temple in the area called Segesta. We saw an agora, a theater, and the only mosque in Sicily on this ancient site. Parts of the excavations were from the fifth century BC, so this particular piece of earth was rife with the history of Sicily.
Wouldn't you know that you get one day off a week and wind up seeing your cousins in Palermo! It is one of the most lovely things in the world to see people you know in places where you don't expect them, or really just where you're not used to seeing them.
We (when I say "we," I mean Michelle, Amund, Corbin, Mallory, and I) had a fantastic day buying fruits and veggies, walking the streets of the city, and visiting the Palatine Chapel (which, according to Angus, is the most beautiful place in the world). Palermo is quite cool architecturally, and the sweet people Michelle and I met early on during the harvest provided great recommendations for Corbin and Mallory to enjoy the end of their Italian honeymoon. Tutto era bellisimo! (That verb was Google translated, as I've neither studied nor learned the verbs.)
 |
| This is nicknamed "the fountain of shame" because there are a bunch of naked statues surrounding it, and the commissioner had it built right in between two churches in 1575. The churchgoers were appalled, but it's actually quite lovely. |
 |
| Cheesing it in front of the Quattro Canti (four corners) |
 |
| The outside of the Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel: look at all those different architectural styles! |
 |
| Inside the chapel |
 |
| You can't tell that I enjoyed my Islamic art and architecture class in college, can you? |
 |
| Outside the Massimo Theater, for all you Godfather fans. |
No comments:
Post a Comment