| Sicily's scenic beauty continues to amaze me. | | | | island. I commented that Sicily is just totally |
| Yesterday's excursion by train to the medieval | | | | predestined for unconventional tourism and |
| town of Cefalu was just one more example of | | | | perfect for hiking, biking, horseback riding and |
| the stunning urban and rural beauty that this | | | | other nature pursuits. Francesco and Franco |
| Mediterranean island has to offer. I walked | | | | enlightened me a little about Sicily, its history and |
| downstairs from my comfortable room in the | | | | its unique character. They explained that hiking is |
| five-bedroom student apartment to the offices of | | | | actually not very popular with Southern Italians at |
| Laboratorio Linguistico, the Italian language school | | | | all; Francesco joked and said that Sicilians like to |
| that provides the rather unusual yet fabulous | | | | drive up to their destination, not walk there. While |
| opportunity to learn Italian on a sailboat. Just last | | | | climbing around the rocks we talked about the |
| week I had sailed together with six other people | | | | mafia and Sicilian mentality. Francesco described |
| through the gorgeous Eolian Islands and studied | | | | Sicilians as individualistic and fatalistic, an interesting |
| Italian, just off the coast of Sicily. At the school's | | | | combination of traits. My tour guides also |
| office I met Francesca, the wife of one of the | | | | educated me about the plant life up here at an |
| co-owners, who also handles student affairs and | | | | altitude of about 2000 m: the tree cover consists |
| logistics, as well as Sonia, a young lady from | | | | of hazelnut, chest nut and cork oak trees, all of |
| Switzerland, who handles administrative support | | | | which have commercial applications. In addition, |
| for the school. Franco Zodda, the other co-owner | | | | they showed me a corral for goats that was |
| of the school, was also there and showed me | | | | made of stone. Franco explained that the goats |
| around the premises. I witnessed a three-person | | | | get herded into these stone enclosures at night |
| Italian class, saw several classrooms, a lunchroom, | | | | which incidentally keeps them safe from foxes |
| and the computer facilities which provide free | | | | and other predators. Shortly after we indeed ran |
| Internet access to the international language | | | | into a huge herd of goats, all of whom looked at |
| students. Everything was very well organized and | | | | me kind of funny when I started snapping |
| the staff is extremely friendly. After exchanging | | | | pictures of them. Another 20 minutes or so by |
| my photos with Francesca I headed off to the | | | | car later we had arrived at our second destination: |
| supermarket to buy some basic provisions to | | | | Montalbano Elicona, a typical authentic Sicilian |
| make myself a lunch. Back at the apartment I | | | | mountain village that is perched on a hilltop. We |
| met another international language students: | | | | parked our vehicle and started walking through |
| Trevor is a 19-year old high school graduate from | | | | town. The main square opened up around a big |
| Cleveland, Ohio, whose great-grandparents | | | | church, and on this Monday afternoon, dozens of |
| emigrated from Sicily, to be more exact, from | | | | people were sitting next to the church, in the |
| the Palermo area. Trevor mentioned that he | | | | patios in front of various bars and on benches |
| graduated from high school last year and worked | | | | surrounding the square. Now this was a real Sicilian |
| the whole year in order to save enough money | | | | town without tourists. According to time-honoured |
| to go on a seven-month language study trip to | | | | Sicilian traditions, the older men sat together on |
| learn the language of his forefathers. He was a | | | | the side of the church, younger women sat on |
| very well-mannered personable young man who | | | | the front steps of the church, children were |
| really wanted to learn about the culture of his | | | | playing together on the piazza, and older women |
| ancestors. Naturally he was also a bit nervous | | | | were hardly to be seen. We walked past the main |
| since he was traveling for the first time away | | | | square to take a little walk through town through |
| from home, so he asked me basic questions | | | | narrow cobble-stoned streets that led us up to an |
| about how the supermarkets work and similar | | | | ancient castle and old churches. Most of the |
| practicalities. I was very touched by this young | | | | streets were very quiet and many streets were |
| man's desire to connect with his roots. My next | | | | so narrow that they would be impassable for a |
| adventure awaited me at 3 pm: I was invited to | | | | vehicle. Back on the main square we ourselves |
| go on a local country excursion with Francesco di | | | | sat down to grab a few refreshments. I was a |
| Santi and Franco Zodda, the two co-owners of | | | | bit hungry, and the bar we chose had a display |
| Laboratorio Linguistico. Both gentlemen have a | | | | case of local fast foods, so I ordered an "arancino |
| language teaching background, and in addition | | | | di funghi" - a rice ball spiced up with mushroom |
| Francesco is a licensed captain, so he runs the | | | | bits that has a crunchy orange-coloured crust. |
| language study trips on the sailboat, now in | | | | This little morsel was actually very tasty, and I |
| hindsight a truly unforgettable experience. The | | | | could have definitely enjoyed a second one, but |
| two Francescos packed me into their car and we | | | | decided to restrain myself. Ever since I have |
| started driving past the outskirts of Milazzo into | | | | arrived in Sicily I have been fascinated by these |
| the winding roads of the Nebrodi Mountains. I had | | | | authentic mountain villages that always feature |
| already had a chance to discover the interior of | | | | large groups of older men, many of them wearing |
| Sicily a bit about two weeks earlier during my | | | | berets, and animatedly discussing topics of |
| driving tour around Mount Etna and found that | | | | interest, which probably include soccer and politics. |
| Sicily's countryside is extremely beautiful. We | | | | So far I had been to shy to take pictures of |
| drove about an hour into the mountains and | | | | them, but I asked Francesco to make a request |
| arrived in an area above the tree line that | | | | for photos on my behalf. Sure enough, with his |
| featured a variety of strange sandstone | | | | Sicilian charm, he explained that an |
| formations. To me the Rocks of Agrimusco had a | | | | Austro-Canadian traveller was requesting to make |
| natural Stonehenge quality, and they have indeed | | | | some photos of these unique characters and they |
| been used for centuries, maybe even millennia, as | | | | complied. Some of the gentlemen actually did not |
| places for ritual celebrations. The view from this | | | | want to be photographed and hid their faces |
| area was astounding: a 360 degree panorama | | | | behind their neighbour's head, but the vast |
| unfolded that included the Eolian Islands in the | | | | majority of them was game and even gave me |
| north, the continuous mountain chain of the | | | | a smile for my pictures. After finally having |
| Nebrodi and Peloritani Mountains, running east-west | | | | snapped some pictures of authentic Sicilians I was |
| on the north-side of Sicily, and straight south we | | | | very happy and we started to head back |
| were looking at the imposing cone of Mount Etna, | | | | towards Milazzo. The sun was already setting and |
| Europe's largest volcano. In one word, a magical, | | | | the country houses were bathed in golden light - a |
| enchanting environment. Some of the rocks | | | | fitting ending to an interesting excursion. At 9 pm |
| reminded me of paintings by Salvador Dali, and | | | | my tour guides dropped me off at Laboratorio |
| Francesco pointed out some large, perfectly round | | | | Linguistico's apartment and I settled in for a quiet |
| inclusions in the rock that looked as if cannon balls | | | | night, getting ready for my last full day in Sicily. |
| had melted into the sandstone. Having grown up in | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web portal |
| Austria myself, I found myself continuously | | | | for unconventional travel & cross-cultural |
| reminded of the Alps in my birth country and was | | | | connections. |
| blown away by the picturesque quality of this | | | | |