Hello
from Sicily: My Italian Language Learning Adventure - Exploring the
Beauty of Sicily and Sailing through the Eolian Islands
Sicily – the name alone conjures up images of an exotic island,
a mysterious and fascinating past. I have wanted to explore Italy
for some time now since I had not been there for a long, long time,
and when I was pondering which region of Italy to explore Sicily came to mind. I figured this island would offer a combination of
fascinating history, rich culture, scenic beauty, and an opportunity
for a wide variety of activities. One activity I definitely wanted
to pursue was to combine my journey with language studies: my earlier
language study trips to Havana
and Cuernavaca, Mexico,
not only got me closer to the Spanish language, but these on-site
language learning experiences really allowed me to explore the culture
from within.
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The famous Torre dell'Orologio and the Wünderbar in Taormina
So this time I was going to focus on learning Italian, and I was
able to locate two language schools in Sicily that would both provide
a totally different experience and a different way of exploring
the island. Armed with no prior knowledge other than having read
through an Italian grammar book, I was going to see how much of
this beautiful language I would pick up in my three weeks in Sicily.
Entrance to the Palazzo Corvaja in Taormina
My first eight days were spent in Taormina,
a gorgeous mountain-top town on the eastern side of Sicily, whose
main distinguishing feature is an ancient Greco-Roman Theatre that
is still in use today. The town itself has to be among the most
picturesque destinations anywhere, with its beautiful buildings,
narrow streets and passageways and stunning views of Mount Etna and the Mediterranean.
View of Taormina from the mountains above
Shortly after my arrival I got to meet the people at the Babilonia
Language School where I would be learning Italian for a week
and exploring the culture of Sicily. My accommodation was in a lovely
13-room privately owned hotel that has been operated by the Sciglio
family for more than 50 years.
Lookout over the Med from the "Tempietto" at Hotel Villa
Nettuno
Mr. and Mrs. Sciglio are in their mid-eighties and continue to
work extremely hard, without even a thought of retirement, and their
son Salvatore works with them. In an interview I learned more about
the hotel’s history and the family’s involvement in
this business. On the second day I joined my first guided excursion
with the Babilonia language school: a guided hike
to the ancient village of Castelmola which was followed by a
tasting of Sicilian delicacies in a local bistro.
A Sicilian smorgasbord
My first weekend in Sicily promised to be great: an excursion
to the ancient town of Siracusa and an exploration of the gorgeous
coastline just east of Taormina, including the town of Mazzaro
and Isola Bella. The following Monday was my first day of language
studies: first we went through the placement test, and then
we had our first lesson which included some unique yet effective
teaching methods. The next day was May 1, Italian Labour Day and
a national holiday: a perfect opportunity to rent a car and drive
into the countryside surrounding Mount Etna, Europe’s
largest volcano, which by the way, had erupted the night before.
The Cathedral of Siracusa
The next day it was back to school, and Alessandro, the director
of the Babilonia language school, gave me a personal
history lesson about Sicily and also explained the origins of
that famous Sicilian institution, the Mafia, to me in detail. That
evening I joined in a cooking
class in a private home offered by the language school. I was
going to see first-hand how a real multi-course Italian meal was
prepared, using authentic, locally grown ingredients. And of course,
I would have a chance to taste the finished delicacies afterwards
and partake of a nice meal with other language students and the
local Ferrari family.
Rocella Valdemone - a typical Sicilian village
My language studies the next day
were followed by a visit to a local pottery painting artist, as
Babilonia also offers pottery decoration courses, in addition to
hiking, biking, golfing and diving programs. Perched on the rooftop
patio of a Taormina hotel, with a perfect view of an ancient palazzo
right next to Mount Etna, I learned about Sicilian pottery painting
techniques. In the late afternoon I joined another excursion to
hike up the southern flanks of Mount Etna. A visit to a winery and
a nice dinner followed.
A interesting cooking lesson and a great meal
Then I had reached my last day in
beautiful Taormina and after my final language lessons it was
time to say goodbye to the folks at Babilonia, and to my co-students,
whom I had gotten quite fond of. With the exception of the occasionally
grey and drizzly weather, my experience in Taormina had been great:
the language learning, the interesting excursions and activities
and the interaction with my international co-students had been a
really great experience. I was a bit sad to leave Taormina where
I had gotten so comfortable.
Coastline in Mazzaro, at the foot of Taormina
But a new adventure was about to begin: I took the train to Milazzo
on the northeastern side of Sicily, where the next day I would embark
on a seven-day sailing trip through
the beautiful Eolian Islands, offered by Laboratorio Linguistico,
a Milazzo-based Italian language school. After meeting some of my
six shipmates, who were really cool by the way, we were off on our
sailboat, the 4 cabin "Solitaire II", to our first destination:
the island of Lipari, the largest of the Eolian Islands, and an
extremely scenic place.
Sailboat harbour of Lipari
Our expert skipper Francesco, a licensed captain, also happened
to be the co-owner of the language school, and one of our two resident
language teachers on this sailing trip. After Lipari we continued
our sailing trip to Salina, a neighbouring
island, where three of us went on a driving tour to see local villages
and also the house where “Il Postino” was filmed. An
Italian lesson on the backyard patio of a bar was our first introduction
to Laboratorio
Lingustico’s language teaching program. Of course Francesco
and Franco, our second teacher and co-owner of the school, conducted
all conversations during the entire sailing trip in Italian only,
which allowed us to be fully immersed in the language all the time.
After we had nourished our brains, a Sicilian seafood feast capped
off our second day on the boat.
Church in Salina
On the third day we set sail for the island of Stromboli,
which is still an active volcano. The town of Stromboli features
such narrow streets that they are impassable to regular vehicles.
No wonder the local “carabinieri” (Italian police officers)
have to ride in golf carts.
Isn't that a great police vehicle?
After a somewhat turbulent late-night voyage from Stromboli to
Panarea we arrived late and anchored in a bay off the island. On
a gorgeous morning the next day we first had another language lesson
– where else but on the outdoor patio of a bar in Panarea,
surrounded by gorgeous sunshine and beautiful flowers. Panarea is
an extremely photogenic destination and offered great opportunities
for hobby photographers like me.
Panarea - a photographer's dream
Our voyage continued to Lipari again where we would end an eventful
day with a scrumptious outdoor feast on the main square. The next
day three of us went on a driving tour of this beautiful island
and from the south end we already saw our next destination: the
island of Vulcano, which also features
an active volcano. We anchored in a bay off this island, enjoyed
some Italian lessons on the boat and after a delicious on-board
dinner, our shipmates Franco, a gifted guitar player, and Agnieszka,
a talented singer, entertained us with soulful melodies by candlelight
on the back of the boat – magical moments that I will not
forget for a long time.
Night descends on the bay off Vulcano
Then our final day on the boat arrived: we hiked up to the “Gran
Cratere”, the active crater of Vulcano.
Yellow rocks and thick clouds of sulphur announced that the forces
of geology were indeed active right underneath our feet. And the
view from the top over the six other Eolian Islands was breathtaking.
After another Italian lesson on an outdoor patio overlooking the
Mediterranean we had to say goodbye to the Eolian Islands and start
to head back to Milazzo.
Our crew from the "Solitaire II" on the summit of the
Gran Cratere in Vulcano
Just as I thought our 7 day sailing trip would come to an anticlimactic
end, one of my shipmates announced “DOLPHINS!!!”, and
indeed four of these playful sea creatures were accompanying our
sailboat, jumping in and out of the water, and having fun with us.
The excitement continued when we ended up catching three tunas on
a fishing line we had been dragging behind our boat. The following
decapitation and evisceration scene though was a bit hard on my
tender vegetarian soul…
Dolphins!!!
So we had reached land, and to celebrate the conclusion of a wonderful
sailing trip and one of my shipmates’ birthdays we enjoyed
another big Sicilian feast in Capo di Milazzo. The next day, we
had a chance to relax a bit in our five-bedroom apartment conveniently
located above the Laboratorio Linguistico Language School and do
simple things like laundry and sit on the balcony. Franco, our language
teacher took us on a guided walk of
Milazzo which features a huge fortification that dates back
more than 1000 years.
The ancient Castello di Milazzo
After saying goodbye to my roommate Claudia I spent my final Sunday
in Sicily in the picturesque medieval
town of Cefalu, about a two-hour train ride from Milazzo. That
city’s medieval core and huge Norman cathedral together with
the ruins of an ancient castle on top of the rock that towers over
the town left me with many vibrant treasured memories. Now I only
had two full days left in Sicily.
The Gothic Porta dei Pescatori in Cefalu
Following a tour of the Milazzo headquarters of Laboratorio Linguistico
I went on a country excursion
into the surrounding Nebrodi Mountains with my two Italian teachers
Francesco and Franco. We visited the Rocks of Agrimusco, a cluster
of mysterious-looking rocks on a high plateau with a gorgeous view
of Mount Etna. Then we headed into the hilltop town of Montalbano
Elicona, an authentic small Sicilian town, completely untouched
by tourism. I finally had a chance to snap some pictures of the
locals who love to congregate next to the church and discuss important
issues of the day.
Village scene in Montalbano Elicona
My final day in Sicily had arrived
– I had to say goodbye to the great team at Laboratorio Linguistico
and board the bus towards Messina and from there to Catania from
where I would catch a plane in the early morning the next day. After
my arrival in the late afternoon I had a chance to briefly explore
this city, the second-largest city in Sicily, and get ready for
my flight home.
Baroque church in Catania
On this trip I found out that Sicily is gorgeous, and a visit in
the late spring around April / May is perfect since everything is
in full bloom and the hoards of tourists do not really arrive until
June, July and August. Sicily has remained amazingly authentic and
is fortunately free of many of the signs of mass tourism that mar
other Mediterranean coastlines.
Coastal scene in Panarea
Taormina and the Eolian Islands are all stunning destinations,
but the Sicilian hinterland in itself holds many hidden treasures.
The history, architecture, culture and scenic beauty are astounding.
And seafood lovers will definitely fall in love with this destination.
Fish, anyone?
I myself really enjoyed the language learning experience at Babilonia
and Laboratorio Linguistico – as a matter of fact, my three
weeks in Italy took me all the way up to Intermediate level and
when I came back I was quite capable of communicating fairly competently
in this new language.
A Fiat Cinque Cento, in front of the Chiesa Vecchia di Quattropani
(Lipari)
The people were great: the staff at both language schools was very
helpful and knowledgeable, and the interaction with my co-students
from all different countries was a real treat. Our crew on the sailboat
in particular came together really nicely and some close personal
bonds had developed after this experience.
Isola Bella, at the foot of Taormina
Without a doubt, language study travel is one of the best forms
of travel in my opinion, giving you the chance to learn, to expand
your mind, and to really discover the local culture. And without
a doubt I’ll be back in Sicily – this fascinating island
has so much more to explore.
Sicily in bloom
Interesting and useful books about Sicily:
Useful links:
Sicily
Tourist Information
Taormina
Tourist Information
Babilonia Italian
Language School
Hotel
Villa Nettuno in Taormina
Eolian
Islands Tourist Information
Laboratorio
Linguistico Italian Language School
Related articles:
My Italian language learning adventure
in Sicily in 2007
Hello from Sicily: Arrival in Taormina
Hello from Sicily: An
interview with the Sciglio family from Hotel Villa Nettuno
Hello from Sicily: A hike to Castelmola
and a taste of Sicily
Hello from Sicily: An excursion to
ancient Siracusa
Hello from Sicily: A leisurely
Sunday at Isola Bella
Hello from Sicily: Language
studies in Taormina and a walking tour
Hello from Sicily: A country driving tour
around beautiful Mount Etna
Hello from Sicily: A private lecture
about Sicily and the Mafia
Hello from Sicily: A Sicilian
cooking class in Taormina
Hello from Sicily: A hike up Mount
Etna a few days after an eruption
Hello from Sicily: Goodbye Taormina
- Hello Milazzo
Hello from Sicily: Starting my sailing
trip through the Eolian Islands
Hello from Sicily: Discoveries of Lipari
and Salina
Hello from Sicily: A driving tour of
Salina and Italian studies on a patio
Hello from Sicily: Explorations of
Stromboli, featuring an active volcano
Hello from Sicily: Beautiful Panarea
and a nice dinner in Lipari
Hello from Sicily: A driving tour of
Lipari and arrival at Vulcano
Hello from Sicily: Conquering Vulcano
and a final dinner in Milazzo
Hello from Sicily: Discovering Milazzo,
its long history and architecture
Hello from Sicily: An excursion by train
to the medieval treasure of Cefalu
Hello from Sicily: Discoveries
in the Nebrodi Mountains
Hello from Sicily: My final day in
Catania
Presenting:
The Babilonia Italian Language School in Taormina
Presenting:
The Laboratorio Linguistico Italian Langauge School in Milazzo
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