Daily Updates
Week Five: 18 October
18 October. Kyle Jazwa Reporting:
With many of us waking up with the sun for the first time this entire trip, we were all tired, but ready to travel to the island of Sicily. We all met at the Largo Argentina, just a couple blocks from the Albergo Sole, took a tram to the Trastevere Train Station, and took a train to Fiumicino Airport. With a couple of hours to kill before boarding, most of the FSPers decided to get some authentic Roman cuisine - McDonalds French Fries and Cheeseburgers.
We then boarded the Air One plane and after an extremely quick flight, we arrived in rainy, but beautiful Catania. With an oversized bus, all of us stretched out and tried to catch up on sleep. However, the lure of an Autogrill and their delicious panini couldn't be ignored and we stopped for food. A short ride later, we arrived in Siracusa and made the long trek to our hotel.
With a 2 hour break, many slept some more, watched tv, caught up on journal entries, or went running along the winding Sicilian cliffs. We then assembled for a quick walking tour of the city. We first visited an archaic Doric temple dedicated to Apollo. This temple seemed very squat and unusually long. With thick columns relative to its height and a six by seventeen column width to length ratio, this temple would have supported a large pediment making it seem extremely top heavy.
We then walked to the Duomo. This building was built in the 5th century AD after Siracusa expelled the Carthaginians. This temple seems a lot taller and was later converted into a church. The cella walls had doorways punched through the giant limestone block masonry. Even the entrance orientation was changed from the east to the west.
For the rest of the evening, some of us took advantage of the kitchen at the hotel and cooked dinner, while others took to the streets and went to a restaurant. Then some walked out to the shore, while others stayed at the hotel to catch up on some work. Needless to say, everyone was exhausted by the end of the day.
Walking to the evening lecture in Ortigia.
Temple of Apollo at Ortigia.
Temple of Athena in Ortigia, now a church.