Sam, Ariel, Julie, Claudio, Angela, Ivana, Tess, May, Janet (left to right)
Written by Janet Lawrence
, Resident Director for CET Intensive Language and Culture Studies in CataniaGreetings from Catania! Only one week has passed and the group has already begun to enjoy la bedda vita siciliana - local dialect for living the good life, Sicilian-style!
For our Welcome Dinner we chowed down on some Pizza alla Norma -- yummy thin-crust pizza topped with tomato and eggplant, a Sicilian delicacy. Then during Orientation, the students traversed the city for a Caccia al Tesoro (treasure hunt). They interviewed residents, i Catanesi, to learn about local sites like the Roman Amphitheater, famous citizens like composer Vincenzo Bellini, and what exactly is an aperitivo (a pre-dinner snack or drink). Photos to come!
To top off the first weekend in Sicily, the group took in the long-faced portraits of Modigliani at an exhibit in the Castello Ursino (built in the 13th century!). Claudio and Ivana, the group's Italian roommates, came along. The show's organizers were excited that American students visited and snapped the above photo as a memento!
More to come!
