Sicilia!

Ok so I realize that it’s been a bit since I’ve written, I am just having so much here I don’t have time to write! Haha ok so I think I left off with the pulcino. Unfortunately he died last Monday ☹ Michelle was very sad; as was Aldo at first Aldo thought the Pulcino was sleeping because he had a fever. Oh another piece of baddish news, so while Aldo was running outside he fell and scraped his face really bad, he didn’t cry and there wasn’t blood but he was in shock and he sort of had the Phantom of the Opera look going for him. But when I got back on Monday his face was muuuuuuch better! I was worried it would scar really bad, but I don’t think it will, which makes me very happy!!!
Ok so that was Monday, Tuesday Cesar’s cousin came over for dinner. She goes to the University of Cosenza, but it was tons of fun because she doesn’t like dialect so we all spoke Italian the whole night, which was really nice because I could more or less understand everything!!! That night was fun. Wednesday was entertaining (every night is entertaining) we were all at Michelle’s (my friend who lives with Vanessa’s mother) and they found an Italian phrase book and we were teaching them some bad English words, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder! Haha the phrase is true that “tutti sono Tucci, tutti sono pazzi!” Everyone is tucci, everyone is crazy! Oh but I learned a new word in dialect “ciodu” or pronounced for all you people that cant speak Italian “chiodu” meaning pazzo or crazy. I am learning a few word in dialect but when people speak dialect I still cant understand anything.
Thursday me Michelle Andrea and Shayna all ate lunch outside in a park and we finally got some sun! Then we went to the Tucci garden that has all the fresh vegetables that we have been eating (My favorite dish so far has been this Zucchini puree that Vanessa made, its amazing!!!) all their vegetables are super fresh and delicious!
Ok so this weekend our program went so Sicilia! Friday we were in Reggio Calabria (the toe of the continent) but part of the autostrada was blocked by a land slide so it took 2 hours more to get there so we missed the museum but we saw the bronzi which are these famous ancient Greek bronze statues found in the sea near the coast of southern Italy. They are in amazing condition for being from 500 BC give or take.
Saturday we took a ferry to Sicily, the ferry ride was suuuuuper windy! I was literally being pushed around from all the wind! But it was really fun. Then we stopped for an hour in Messina, which is the first town you get to in Sicilia. At noon everyday there is a sort of Small Worldesque spectacle on the big clock tower in the center of town that I think tells some sort of story, but I’m not sure exactly what it was, I know there was a rooster and a lion and a priest and angels and some ancient king guy but it was cool nonetheless. Saturday afternoon we went to Catania which wasn’t my favorite city I’ve been too, it’s a little to industrial for my taste, but all the buildings we made from the black lava rock from one of the eruptions of Mt. Etna. So that was cool. After that we went to this little (and quite dirty) beach, but it was sooooooo windy and cold this weekend! But I did go swimming it was sooooo cold! Much colder than Santa Cruise, but it was fun to at least be at the beach.
Sunday was super fun! Sunday morning we hiked mount Etna!!! I was expecting it to be a rigorous hike so I wore shorts because I figured I’d be hot, however it was sooooo windy and freezing!!! It was so cold I had to drink a coffee before to keep warm (which I actually liked! At the moment I am drinking café lattes with lots of sugar but I am determined to like coffee before I leave!) But despite being super cold it was tons of fun! I wish we could have done a rigorous hike, but we only had our guide for 4 hours. Mt. Etna was definitely my favorite part of the trip. Afterwords we went to the beach, but it was cold and cloudy. BUT this weekend we are going to Tropea and its supposed to be sunny!!! I am having sooo much fun here, and i love my family and i am sad that we only have 3 weeks left! :-( I love and miss you all!
Un bacio (how the italians end their messages, it means one kiss)
~Alyson~
:-)