Today, we took our first field trip. The day's blogpost was written by
Brianna Haberyan.
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| Our Ride up to Piraino |
Today was a very eventful day! We went to three different churches, a crypt, and a medieval tower. We started the day by leaving the convent and walking down the very steep hill to get our lunches from our chef, Carmelina. Then we got on the bus to head to Piraino. We were very surprised to see a large charter bus! I was expecting something much smaller. We all got on the bus and began our adventure!
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| Meeting Padre Carlo and Dr. Marcello Mollica |
The bus ride to Piraino was, for the most part, uneventful. When we got closer to the town, we realized how steep and curved the roads were. A few of us (myself included) were very nervous about this part of the trip, but we made it safely and we were all very impressed by the bus driver. When we arrived, we were met by Padre Carlo the main priest of the town. He was very excited to see us, and took many pictures throughout the day. Before heading to any churches or crypts, we stopped at a local cafe for granitas and brioche. I had an "Angelica" granita, which is strawberry and lemon together. After admiring the amazing views from the cafe, we headed to the first church. It featured many old fresco paintings. We also learned about the history of Catholicism in Sicily and about the nature of the paintings featured in the church. Next we headed to the second church, where we spent a majority of the day.
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| Chiesa del Rosario (Church of the Rosary) |
The "Mother Church" was a beautiful church that housed some of the most elite crypt spaces of the city. When we walked in, Padre Carlo was playing on an authentic organ that he restored. This church also featured a crypt for saints and some of the wealthy. Before going into the crypt, we had a lecture by local cultural anthropologist, Dr. Marcello Mollica. He described the history of the church, crypt, and the complicated process to get buried there. After the lecture we went into the crypt! We learned about the preparation, storage, and upkeep of mummies. We also compared the similarities and differences between this crypt and the ones we visited in Palermo and Santa Lucia del Mela. For me, it was really helpful to discuss the reasons behind the differences such as how the mummies were stored (vertically vs horizontally) or level of decomposition.
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| Dr. Piombino-Mascali shows off his musical skills. |
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| Dr. Mollica tells us the history of the Mother Church |
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| Brie goes down into the crypt. |
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| Dr. Reinhard feeling pumped about the mummies! |
After visiting the crypt, we paused for lunch and then headed to a medieval tower. We climbed up a some spiral staircases and were met at the top by an amazing view of Piraino and the surrounding area.
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| Climbing the tower after climbing the hill. |
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| Visiting the last church. |
For our last stop in Piraino, we went to another church. It was a small chapel featuring a room full of wall paintings. These paintings depicted Jesus's life and crucifixion. While it was a small church, it added more depth to our understanding of Catholicism in Sicily.
Finally, we ended the day with a trip to the beach. We swam in the Mediterranean Sea and hung out at a local restaurant. It was a really wonderful way to end a busy day! The best part of relaxing at the beach was knowing that we would have another fun-filled field trip the next day.
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| A beautiful sunset to complete the day. |
