This summer, 10 Students and two faculty members are traveling to Italy to examine the Etruscan, Greek, Roman, medieval, renaissance and modern footprints on the Italian peninsula and in Sicily. Please enjoy this blog post below from Joshua ’26 where he shares about the groups Sicilian adventure from exploring ancient mosaics to a surprise detour in Catania and ending with the best pasta of the trip
This morning, I woke up bright and early. I went into the courtyard that my hotel shares with a restaurant and trotted on to have breakfast. At this hotel there is more of a classic Italian and American fusion served in the restaurant. Shortly after we went to the bus and headed for the hills.
Our first destination for the day was at Villa Romana del Casale where we explored the site of what was believed to be the summer home of an emperor. The villa was constructed in the 1st – 3rd century CE and renovated in the 4th century. Throughout the villa there were mosaics inspired by Byzantine architecture depicting many different scenes like a hunt and chariot races.
After this we went to have lunch in a nearby area where I enjoyed a classic ham and cheese arancini with a limonata to quench my thirst. I also ordered french fries for the table to share.
After that we loaded up in the bus and went towards our next destination, the archeological site (Morganatina). Little did we know that a surprise was awaiting us there. They were closed! The trip leaders Ms. Delwiche and Doc alongside our guides Rafaella and Sophia thought quickly on their feet and came up with a solution. We rerouted to Catania, an ancient port city on Sicily’s east coast, where we stopped to get the famous Italian summertime breakfast, granita and brioche. For granita—which I am happy to say by this point in the trip I have become an expert on—I ordered lemon and strawberry which seemed to be the most popular option. While there we explored a cathedral and learned the significance of Saint Agatha, Catania’s patron saint. She was the first female martyr in Italy.
Finally, we headed out to our final destination of the day, Siracusa. We arrived at about 7pm and were given groups and free time to get our own dinner. We browsed the streets until we found a nice restaurant that we all agreed upon. Spoiler Alert: biggest waste of time ever! We waited so long for the food that I was genuinely wondering if the chef had gone into the ocean to catch our meal. And when it arrived, I felt tempted to ask the waiter where the rest of it was. But if I am being honest, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t worth it. It was simply the best pasta I have ever had. Despite the delightfulness, I still craved more on the way to the hotel. We stopped at a small cafe and ate a margherita pizza before checking in for the night.
