Super Sicily
Jan Migenda
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In 2017, my university in Germany did a study tour to Sicily ... I will give you lots of history and photos from this intercultural place!
Blog posts
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![Taormina]()
Taormina and the Bay of Naxos
Here's another view of the bay of Naxos ... you can see the beach! This picture also shows some ships in a lagoon ... dolce vita! Here is the theatre again, but with a wider view of the hills in the background ... On this peninsula, there seems to be a white villa...
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![Catania]()
Catania Museum / Castello Ursino
In a museum close to the theatre, we saw this marble sarcophagus decorated with city scenes and flowery motives. Renaissance art in the form of still lives with fruit were a nice change ... ... this one also had a fountain in the background. The Norman castle...
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![Enna]()
Mountains of Enna
After passing Megara Hyblaea, we went up the mountains to see Enna, also known as Belvedere because of the nice view around. In 139 BC, a slave war erupted here, but the leader Eunus was defeated by Roman troops ... The city lying on a hill, we could see very far over...
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![Catania]()
Etna 2
Meanwhile, we had come to a point where thick fog was everywhere ... we looked like survivors in an apocalyptic film. More and more of our people emerged from the grey fog, and we marched onward. Every now and then, we made a break on grassy patches, the last plants...
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![Catania]()
Etna Station
As we went on, the ascent became very steep below the lift ... for every step you went, the ash made you slide backwards a bit. We definitely did not skip leg day here ;) The rock formations had very sharp edges, and sometimes, you could see vapour rising from holes...
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![Catania]()
Etna Sign - YOU SHALL NOT PASS (?)
Near the end of the trail, we reached as sign saying "Access forbidden" because the paths would not be regular anymore and the peak would be too close ... however, we took a photo behind the sign just 'cause. Thug life - no risk, no fun. :P Here you can see a troll...
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![Catania]()
Etna Peak
After 90 minutes of hard work, we finally arrived at the highest point we could reach - close to the peak! The summit itself was hidden in clouds, but it was amazing to think that we were so close! From time to time, the clouds went away so we could see some snow on...
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![Catania]()
Catania City
On our last day in Catania, we saw these painted silos near the port. These bronze statues near the sea were missing a part, so I decided to hop in ... did I do it well? You decide! This is the town hall of Catania, opposite the main building of the university, at...
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![Catania]()
Climbing the Etna: First Steps
The Etna is, with about 3,300 metres above sea level, the highest active volcano of Europe. UNESCO accepted it into its list as World Natural Heritage! According to mythology, the god Hephaistos/Vulcanus has his forge under the volcano; also the philosopher Empedocles...
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![Taormina]()
Naxos
Passing this island in the sea (a good place for a castle?), we went to the bay of Naxos. At home, we have some dried rose leafs from there ... it would be a promising place! The idyllic villages in the hills watch over the bay while a great ship rushes into the...
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![Taormina]()
Taormina City
In the colourful city of Taormina, we saw these crafty porcellaine heads ... the style clearly shows oriental influence, although the artwork in itself remains European heritage. The massive facade of the cathedral was rounded and blank ... a pretty common style in...
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![Catania]()
Catania
The second last day, we finally arrived at Catania, the island's second largest city. Since 2002, the historical part of the town is UNESCO world heritage alongside with other cities of Val di Noto. Poets like Ibykos whose sensual poems were received by Schiller and...
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![Taormina]()
Taormina - Goethe was here!
The next day, we went to see Taormina where Goethe famously was for a bit. The entrance gate greeted us in red and with some columns in front of it. We actually have a picture of this in our living room, and only now I realised what it really was! Behind the blooming...
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![Italy]()
Crotone 4 - Classical and Roman Age
From the Archaic and Classical Period, we can see these meandering patterns which were used on walls for decoration. This Roman mosaic shows a bear hunt with dogs - dangerous! On this red-figure vase, you can (again) see a man chasing a woman ... ah, these...
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Crotone 3 - Bronze Age
The third part of the museum showed us parts from the Bronze Age, for example this spear. These bronze swords are typical of these times with their ornamental handle. Paintings like these reconstructions of Bronze Age people help visualize the times. Entering the...
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Crotone 2
In the next part of the museum, we saw this terracotta dragon's head. This is a gravestone for a beloved woman: It reads D<3M Fabia Sperata Sallustis; the rest is not legible anymore. Apparently, they had also invented leetspeak back then ... just kidding. This is...
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Crotone
After passing the Capo Colonna, we arrived at Crotone, where we saw the Archeological Museum. Here you can see early ceramics with animals such as goats drawn unto them. This black-figure vase showed war scenes (maybe about the Trojan War as so often). This...
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![Italy]()
Scylla
Driving by bus, our view was always nice: Wide landscapes like this bay opened up before us in the sunshine! Passing by a village, we saw the beach ... ... and we arrived at the castle (again of Norman origin). Now for the main attraction: In the sea around this...
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![Italy]()
Tindari
Tinadri greeted us with this colourful mural ... Italians know their country and their arts! The famous cathedral looks very modern and fake with its shiny facade ... indeed, it was rebuilt, yet I think it's still beautiful! Inside, they keep a black Madonna statue on...
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Messina: Castello Milazzo
Messina has a long history which is basically the same as the rest of Sicily's: Early Greek colonisation, Carthaginian and Roman assaults, Goths and Byzantines, Arab and Norman conquests, Swabians, Aragonese, Habsburg, Bourbons, Garibaldi and lots of destruction in...
