Castello Ursino

Castello Ursino in Catania is a thirteenth century castle that once stood by the sea, but since the eruption of 1693, it is now inland, as lava surrounded it. It is a solid looking thing and still in good repair, with four round towers at each corner. Not far from the centre, it now houses some modern art and some ancient artefacts.

I thought it was a pleasing space to walk around, as the conversion to an art gallery has been sympathetically done and so you can still get a feeling for the castle building itself, whilst looking at the paintings and sculptures in a light and airy setting. There are three floors; the top one being an exhibition space.

The art was mostly twentieth century Sicilian artists, alongside some ancient Roman or Greek carvings, statues and some display cabinets with urns and other bits and pieces. I wasn't particularly blown away by much of the art - perhaps I was not in a very receptive mood that day - but I kept an eye out for an artist my mother had asked me to look for, namely Renato Gattuso.  His were the best thing in there, in my opinion.

I also liked a figure of a sheep with curly wool (headless).

And these octopuses reminded me of some certain squid.

dreaming spires

It has gone back to raining a lot, which is boring. I tried to use the day to do useful things, like looking up information about a student I have who is clearly different to the other students. Looking online it seems likely she has something like ADHD, something I knew nothing about. ADHD makes it harder for the person to concentrate on things for very long and they find it easier to learn in some ways than others, for example, using visual learning rather than writing and reading. Luckily I found a whole paper written by a EFL teacher, who had had experience of students with ADHD and suggested many ways of teaching in order to make their experience more fulfilling.

I have been enjoying watching episodes of Inspector Morse - I have never seen that many of them but seeing Oxford makes me feel happy, as I really liked living there, over two short periods. The first was two years ago, for the wonderful CELTA course, and the second was summer 2013, when I tried TEFL teaching for the first time, less successfully than now. However, I did meet Clare and Tom there, and I saw red kites fly overhead regularly. I felt very happy in Oxford, it is a lovely city with a friendly feel to it and, although it was swarming with tourists, it always felt like a comfortable place to be. Sadly, very expensive, and still far from family, but perhaps one day I will be able to go back. I enjoy catching a glimpse of a few places I recognise when I am watching the programme.

Last weekend I went to the Castello Ursino, which is now a museum and art gallery. More on that next time...

In love with a Harris hawk

Today was excellent as we got out of Catania (always a good thing) and made it in time to the coach station and caught the coach to Siracusa (Syracuse). It took about an hour and twenty minutes. Just on the edge of Siracusa is an impressive amphitheatre; we were all ready to get off the coach and visit it but the coach did not stop there, so another day maybe.

going from Siracusa to Ortigia

Me with Harris hawk

I say Siracusa but in fact we walked across the bridge to Ortigia, a little peninsula connected to the mainland. It was a lovely sunny day and so we wandered around the narrow streets, which have pretty balconies and architecture. The whole place was much quieter and cleaner than Catania. It is surrounded by sea. On our way through a piazza, there was a man with a bird of prey. I've never held one and he didn't seem fussed about how much it would cost, so I put on the glove and the bird hopped on to my arm. It was a beautiful bird, not heavy at all, with a lovely white and brown tail and big yellow talons. I really enjoyed being so close to such an intelligent bird. I have just contacted the Hawk and Owl Trust on Twitter and they kindly identified it for me as a Harris hawk. Jo also had a turn holding the hawk.

We stopped for pizza in a small restaurant. I had a delicious ricotta and spinach calzone; Ella thought she had ordered a pizza with salmon on but when it arrived there was no sign of the salmon. Instead it turned out she'd ordered one with pear on, yes pear - and had asked originally for extra onion. The Italians may turn up their noses at our version of pizzas with pineapple on them, but pear? I tried a piece and it really was unpleasant. The pear was cooked and just tasted slimy.

We wandered along the coast and went down to the sea. The sun was shining and it got quite warm. The water was very clear and the shore was shingly, with a fascinating mix of pebbles. Some were pieces of house tiles, like Jo and I have seen before at Giardini Naxos. Jo and Sticky, Ella's mate who is visiting from the UK, are excellent at skimming pebbles. I gave it a go and was pleased just to manage three skims, the one time. As usual, we all found pebbles or shells we wanted to bring home, and yet they never look as good once you get back.

As we were walking around the coast, with the sea below us, I saw a sudden flash of unmistakably electric blue - a bird, it must have been a sort of kingfisher, was perched halfway up the sea wall. As everyone tried to see what I was looking at, it took off again and the blue flashed for everyone to see. Jo and Sticky seemed interested even if Ella and Luna weren't! It flew on to a rock in the sea and then away.

On our way back we stopped for ice cream (Ella wasn't tempted by the pear) but I chose a bad combination of strawberry and turron. Having to match flavours is not my strong point, despite getting practice whenever I can!

Ella's aunt has sent her a "selfie stick", which is an extendable stick for your mobile phone so you can take photos of yourself from a distance - because your arms aren't long enough to get a good shot. So we had to (on her orders) get into lots of group shots, but it was nice and she got some good pictures of the five of us. It was a really nice day because we all got along well and it felt really good to be out of Catania. Everyone was keen to do more trips so I hope it happens more regularly in future. There are plenty of places in Sicily that we would all like to see and the coaches seem to go everywhere.

                        

The Festival of Saint Agata

La festa di Sant'Agata has been taking place all week. Her saint's day was yesterday, 5th February. She is the patron saint of Catania, and boy, do they love her. There have been 3 days of festival, culminating yesterday in a massive celebration which attracts, it is said, up to a million people, into Catania.

Saint Agata was a martyr in the third century, who, as a teenage girl, refused the advances of a Roman prefect. She was imprisoned and tortured, which included them cutting off her breasts. The story goes that St Peter healed her again. But she died in prison.  A miracle occurred, some centuries later, when the lava from Etna was in danger of engulfing the city, . The veil was held up and St Agata stopped the lava.

Olivette (left) and minnuzza

Minnuzze

I was told the story of St Agata by several people and it is clear that they all believed it, even those who claimed they were not religious. Yesterday's celebrations were fascinating to me, as we do not have anything which comes close in the UK, not being religious en masse. It was intriguing to see everyone turn out to see their patron saint. The event was huge, bigger than Christmas, and it felt very exciting.

It was a long day and could have been even longer. I met my student friend Giovanna, and sea shepherd volunteers, Luigi and Azzurra.  They were keen for me to try the traditional sweets which are eaten on St Agata's day, a cake (minnuzze di Sant'Agata) to represent her breasts (no, really) and some little green marzipan-type sweets shaped like olives, and covered in chocolate. There was also a delicious thin pastry thing. The minnuzza is very sweet with icing, a sweet cream and sponge inside, also with some green colouring, which is the colour of St Agata. It was very nice but quite sickly. No one else was eating so I made a valiant effort to eat all of them.

Sant'Agata's bust in procession    Credit: isolainfesta.net

There is a bust of Sant'Agata that only comes out for her feast day (it was once stolen from the cathedral so is now kept safe). She is covered in jewels and is taken through the streets of the city by devotees. As far as I understood from my friends, the carriage is pulled with ropes and it takes ages for the procession to go up through the town and back to the cathedral square. Giovanna decided it would be better to see her in the morning as when the procession starts around 5pm, the crowds mean you cannot move. I was amazed at how many people were already in the main street, Via Etnea, it was crazily busy. All along the streets were people selling sweets, balloons and rows of long candles which you could buy to give to the saint as an offering.

candles for sale

Many people were wearing the traditional costume, which is a simple white outfit with a soft black cap. From what I understood, only those who have made a special dedication to Saint Agata can wear this outfit. They reminded me of the outfits that butchers wear.

Sant'Agata. You can see her as well as I did

We managed to squeeze into the Duomo, which was very busy and I had my only glimpse of the bust of Sant'Agata, which was to be honest, miles away, at the front of the cathedral. I could just see her. It was too busy to push any nearer. But at least I saw her before she set off.
Outside the cathedral we saw the candelore, some large ornate structures which represent different trades, such as bakers, fishermen etc. They are carried by men as part of the procession.

Candelore outside the duomo. Men in traditional white dress

Footprints in the lava

Giovanna took me to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. (More on that in a later post).  We came back through empty streets (quite bizarre in this busy city!) and met up again with the others in the square at the far end of the route. We went to the prison where Sant'Agata was kept, which was a small dark room carved in the lava rock. There are supposedly two footprints (or printfoots as Giovanna kept saying) which were made in the lava rock by Sant'Agata herself. I was all ready to scoff at this claim but when I looked at the impressions in the lava, they really did look like small feet. When we came out it was about 5pm and there were lots of fireworks in the nearby square - this meant that Sant'Agata had started her procession through the streets. We saw some of the fireworks over the roof but getting any closer would have meant getting caught up in all the crowds, so we headed back up to the square further away.

A large candle

The streets were covered in sawdust, as many of the (mostly young male) devotees carry varying sizes of candle, across their shoulders as part of the procession and the sawdust soaks up the wax that drips onto the road. I have never seen such large candles. Some of them were like logs. It was an amazing sight, later on in the evening, when one entire street was full of an orange glow from the flames. It would never be allowed in England, can you imagine anyone being allowed to wield anything remotely dangerous? Everyone had said to us (me and the other teachers) that the festival is full of mafiosi because of the money aspect - all these things cost money and I suppose they are where the money is. I don't pretend to understand it all.

We had a pizza near the square (I chose traditional Norma, a Catanese recipe named after an opera, with aubergine and ricotta salata cheese). All day long we had been trying hard to talk to each other - me in slow and painful Italian and the others in English. I think it worked quite well and I am sure we learned lots. The only thing is, it is very tiring to keep listening to another language and to try to speak, so by the time of the pizza everyone had reached the point where we were too tired to say anything to each other, at least, in a different language. It's a strange experience, everyone talking in Italian.

A candelore in the procession

After the pizza we returned to the square and were delighted to see the candelore had arrived! So we stood and watched them as they went right by our noses - Giovanna said she'd never been so near. It was quite a sight and they looked heavy, but pretty with flowers and pennants. The men make a sort of swinging movement as they walk which makes the candelore look like they are dancing.

By this time it was getting late and Sant'Agata still hadn't arrived. The procession moves very slowly it seems and Azzurra thought it would be about another 5 or 6 hours until Sant'Agata arrived in the square at about 5am, so we saw the men with their candles coming up the street and then decided to call it a day. It was getting decidedly cold.
I admit I was a bit sad not to get a good look at the Saint as she went past but there is plenty of footage online and masses of pictures, stories etc, if you google Sant'Agata you will see loads and there should be some footage from yesterday on YouTube soon.

Candelore

I had a wonderful day and it really felt like Catania had come alive, under the bright moon, with a real sense of excitement and fascination. I don't generally like Catania but yesterday I did, it felt like it had a beating heart and I felt part of it. It was amazing to see how everyone acted all because of this story about one girl and they seem to believe in her powers. My Australian friend, Agatino, is named after her, of course.
When I got home, Ella and Jo were still up and we had a lovely chat about what we'd seen - they'd been to town in the afternoon too and managed to see some of the fireworks and Sant'Agata as she was on her procession.

Lights were all the way down Via Etnea

At 5.25am I woke up to the loud and rapid sound of fireworks which went on constantly for ten minutes - Agata had finally reached the piazza al borgo where we had been waiting. I found myself smiling because it was nice to know she had arrived there. And from there she heads back to the Cathedral today. So if you ever visit Catania, February is the time to come!

My new Italian friends

There is life in Catania

I was both pleased and relieved yesterday to discover a new side to some of the Catanese people. My fellow teachers and I agree on the general traits of Sicilian people we have met and the students we have spoken to, regarding things such as their knowledge of other countries, their hopes and ambitions. Many people seem to think and do similar things.

However yesterday was a real revelation. A student of mine, the one who helped me with my Italian, kindly agreed to help me set up a post office account, so that I can transfer money without losing it in commission and the exchange rate next time I have some saved up. She came round to help me register for the account on line. She knew that all things Italian are less than straightforward so I was very grateful that she had taken me along to a friend of hers who works in the Post Office, earlier in the week, and he explained how it all worked. He was very nice and she asked me afterwards if I'd noticed his rather striking blue eyes. Yes, I did happen to notice them and had to concentrate hard on what he was saying rather than let them distract me.  I also noticed his a) wedding ring and b) religious figure under his computer screen, so that helped me focus. But he was very helpful and we have to return next week to set up the account.

So after we had registered online yesterday, Giovanna took me along to a talk that was connected to her course at university, on gender studies. There was a woman writer who had been an active feminist throughout the last 40 years, attending demos in Catania. Catania, of all places! I never knew that such things existed here: the general feeling is that most men are in the dark ages and that they've never heard of feminism. So to hear that women were actively standing up against this was wonderful to know. We went along to a small room in a centre that seemed to be an alternative sort of meeting place - I am very keen to see what other events they have there. The women there weren't the usual type who look you up and down if you are wearing inferior outfits or haven't brushed your hair. No they seemed to be normal women in alternative clothing and after the talk (if we'd been able to stay) there was a VEGAN dinner! VEGAN! I haven't even heard the word in Catania, and had earlier had to pick bits of ham out of a supposedly vegetarian arancino - it was amazing! Giovanna's lecturer was there and she was a delight to meet - she has lived in the UK for 8 years so spoke English fluently. We gabbled away together and I discovered she'd worked at Warwick University and so of course knew of the internationally important Cultural Studies Centre which had been at Birmingham University until the stupid place closed it down. So that was fabulous. And she asked if I liked Catania - Giovanna said no, I hated it - and she totally understood why and said she'd had to return and had now got stuck there. So it was marvellous to see liked-minded intelligent people who up to this point have been nowhere on the radius.

Afterwards things just improved. We went to a talk - I had no idea what it was about as Giovanna and I take a while to communicate anything! - and it turned out to be on an international group called Sea Shepherd, who patrol the seas and oceans and actively fight against people like the Japanese who are still whaling, often illegally. We had missed some of the talk and it's probably a good thing because there were clips of poor dolphins being killed. I can do without seeing that. But there was a wonderfully inspiring clip of a Sea Shepherd patrol stopping a huge Japanese whaling ship which was trying to refuel. There were two tiny Sea Shepherd boats against this huge bully of a ship. The Japanese ship started to ram the tiny boat and the captain told them he was not moving and that if they continued to ram, they would turn the boat over. Eventually, the Japanese vessel had to give up, because they presumably could not justify killing anyone in their bullying tactics. This lad said about standing up to bullies - and he was right. It was great to see people defending the lives of our intelligent sea creatures with such dedication and passion.

There is a Sea Shepherd group in Siracusa, down the coast, which is patrolling the waters and protecting the sea urchins and other creatures, who are protected in that area. You can read more about it on this blog and also here. I missed them explaining this so I asked Giovanna's friend afterwards, who gives up his time to volunteer. He grabbed his English-speaking friend and pushed him towards me so the poor chap got the job of explaining everything to me. However, his English was excellent (his mother is an English teacher) so he and I had a good natter about things - turned out he'd spent some time in Bath of all places! He and his friends are Environmental Science students! So afterwards Giovanna and her friends and I hung out for a bit and it was so, so nice to have met some interesting and intelligent people who care about the same things as I do - I really hope we can all meet up again and that I can continue to find new things to interest me.

Oh, and many Sea Shepherd members don't eat meat either!!! :-))))) You don't know how happy this makes me feel.
http://www.seashepherd.org/

Lungomare

First view of the sea

It is nice to be on the coast, as who doesn't like to look out to sea, even on a day where there's no sun? It takes about 5 minutes, if that, to walk down to the lungomare, where everyone walks or jogs up and down. Couples strolling along, kids with families, dogs on their walks. I have tried to do some walking every day recently, to keep the endorphins hanging around and to keep cheerful. Couldn't the other day as we had a terrific storm with lots of hailstones that looked like snow on some roads, lightning and torrential rain, and thunderclaps that shook the doors.

Where is Etna? Hidden from view

But back to the lungomare, where you still have to tread carefully thanks to careless dog owners, and where you can walk alongside the sea until you reach a spectacular view of Etna. Last post you will see her rising above the city. Last weekend, however, she was nowhere to be seen, hidden behind grey cloud, as if she wasn't there at all. Yesterday you could only see some of her and there appears to be more snow, following the storm.

There is a little harbour area with boats: I even thought it looked nice yesterday so I must be feeling more cheerful this week. There is also a little building with a sign saying it was a Spanish defence post, or something, from a few hundred years ago. It doesn't look that old to me and has graffiti over it so I didn't take a picture.

Quite pretty for Catania

Last weekend the weather was grey and the sea was being blown by the wind. I stood and watched the waves hitting the rocks; always quite mesmerising. The surf was being blown up in tiny droplets, into my face. It is normally much calmer.

January blues? And how to buy shoes

I haven't blogged since I returned, because I have been finding it difficult since I came back: the inevitable result of two weeks back home with Christmas films, snack items and the family.  But I am back into the teaching rhythm now, and this week's lessons mostly went well. I was focussing on pronunciation with one level, which was rewarding, and another group made some nice comments. I have some new students this term which has changed the dynamic in some classes.

The sailing boats

Coming back to the sun is one good thing, although even that was missing when I first arrived. The last two weekends have been warm and sunny and so I have taken to walking along the lungomare, the sea front, and then sitting for half an hour or more to soak up some vitamin D and warmth. I took my coat off last weekend (it was way too hot) but many of the Italians still feel the need for an added layer and they can spot that I am foreign and ask if I am not cold. Today I walked up to the end and I think I saw two cormorants fishing in the sea. There were some boats on the water, as last Saturday; I think they are people having sailing lessons.  At the end of the lungomare Etna rises above the city - she really does have some strange hold over people. You can't help but stare. There is always wisps of smoke at the top (last week grey, today white) and a bit of snow on the side.

See what I mean? You can't take your eyes off her

The sea is about 12 feet or more below the road so don't get the wrong idea, there are no nice beach walks. The most we have is some scrappy bit of grey sand and these enormous boulders - you look in the sea and there are more round rocks there too. There's also some weird, huge concrete blocks in two places. Ella, Jo and I sat on one the other day and listened to the waves.

The round rocks

The sun on the sea is dazzling, and one night last week it was the moonlight that looked beautiful on the water.

It is harder than I ever expected to live somewhere else, specially not speaking Italian well. I am determined to improve - which is not helped by the fact the promised lessons have not materialised - but I have got books and people willing to help and I have been practising as much as I can. Today a really nice girl, one of my students, helped me; we talked about how to buy clothes and then mooched around some shops and she made me speak to the shop assistant...she'd make a good teacher!

I want to meet more people my age. My housemates/fellow teachers are all lovely, but I am not into the same things. There is a conversation group that meets when I'm teaching plus there are people who want to meet for conversation exchanges so I will see what happens.

Sun on the water

It being Sicily, you expect romance, what with all the dark, good looking men. But by their own admission, Sicilians are not the best choice. Too many jealousy issues, affairs and men living with their mothers. My January blues involved affairs of the heart. I really liked someone, he really liked me, but for simple reasons it's a no-go. One second it was yes, the next, no. And it has been hard because we can't communicate well. So I'm afraid I let it send me into a gloom. But that's life, I guess, and it is not a stupid film where love wins the day. But I have had some invaluable support from people back home and for that I am very grateful.

Perhaps it's because it's an island, but most Catanese love Catania and have no interest in venturing outside it. It feels a bit claustrophobic. I have just finished watching Sue Perkins's trip up the Mekong River - what a wonderfully interesting and thought provoking series. She really challenged her own and the viewers' perceptions and learned so much from visiting such different places. Totally recommended viewing and a welcome reminder that there is life outside Sicily.

Finally, I am hoping today won't be my last blog - I have a bureau in my room where the lid falls open if you don't lock it. I was bending to clean (of all things) when it fell open and whacked me hard on the head. There's a small bump there and it's still sore even now.