Laura

These were a few days that outshined my expectations. It was so worth it to take the water taxi to both Murano and Burano. I highly recommend that. The islands are worlds unto themselves rich in history and so beautiful to visit. Of course, there is already so much to see in Venice, so it is good to have a goal and make your way. Be prepared to get a little lost, that seems to also be the fun of visiting Venice.

On Murano we were able to see a demonstration of glass blowing that has been perfected through generations of artists and families. I don’t want to misquote the information we were given, but I understood the factories were moved to the island because the high temperatures required for glass was causing fires in Venice and the factories were established on Murano. They import sand from another part of Italy and have developed a recipe that makes Murano glass some of the most renowned in the world. It was so special to watch them create these masterpieces and then shocking to see them destroyed.

Nearby we were able to make our own fused glass pendants from Murrina Millefiori glass which was special. The photo above shows it as it is starting to cool after being fused in very high heat. In the same place, I found a Murano glass bird to take with me on my travels who may appear in some of my photos.

The beauty of these few days astounded me. It is not something I get to see every day. So much so that it is difficult to choose any one photo as a sample.

Stop #2 of 5 – Lucca – This continues the sequence of my journey to the North of Italy journeying through Arezzo, Florence, Lucca, Venice, Murano, Burano, Cremona and then Florence again before returning to Messina, Sicily. This is the Second Stop – Lucca. I did go from Arezzo to Florence first and also went through Florence again on the way back, so that is the final stop in this story. It was a very interesting stop, for sure. I was encouraged to see Lucca over the last 4 years by at least 5 friends. Debbie and Andy told us about their amazing experience, even in the dripping heat of July, Michelle, Ansano and Linda told me of their family homes outside the walls of Lucca and Cyndy told me of her mystical time touring Lucca. With all of this, I had to put Lucca on my list. And I am so glad I did. What a beautiful part of the world. My tour guide, Diletta, told me so much about the city and it’s history that I am sure I only retained a portion what she said. But its richness of history and beauty did not escape me. Here is something of what I experienced:

While the video seems long, it actually took quite a bit of time to cut down hours to just 14 minutes. Lucca is known as many things but also as the city of 100 churches because there are many. It is quite a fun experience to walk around corners and discover new beautiful churches. It is said to be impossible to see them all in one day. There is a comic and games festival in November too which I think would be fun to take a video class to someday to document. This is one of my favorite photos in Lucca because it seems like its possible to see into a beautiful window of the past.

Then there is the photo of the campanile from the outside which shows what a big walk that was on the inside!

Thank you to the people who I mention at the end of the video and above who encouraged me to visit Lucca and thank you to an amazing tour guide, Diletta, for her knowledge and kindness in sharing her city with me.

While living in Messina, I have lived and learned about this beautiful part of the world. There is beauty here and there is also struggle. I have been invited to see the beauty, living in various houses, attending poetry readings and finally living in my own apartment with a view of the sea. Yet, I have sensed the struggle, my own and the regions with looks and questions and a sense I don’t belong. My question of whether I can stay for the year was recently answered quite definitively by the Questura, and then by a CAF office – If I don’t have a reason (Job, School, Family), I can’t stay beyond 3 months, even with an EU passport. I don’t have those here yet so I will continue my travels elsewhere and hopefully return for my remaining 3 months of my journey in March – June. Meanwhile, I took a trip to see more of this beautiful country. There were places I knew I needed to see, that I’ve never visited before. This installment is about Arezzo and Andreina’s Mosaic in Indicatore, Italy. What a beautiful day I spent in this part of the world. This is the first of 5 stories from this journey.

This video is produced for the middle school students in my video, media and coding classes that worked so hard with me on our school news show over the last 5 years. We have a project called My Story Your Story and this video builds on that. Today I have been in Messina nearly 2 months though I took a quick trip home for a family reunion in the July. It has been a daily adventure but also an opportunity to slow down. Life here does not rush. Someone told me: “Calm is a Sign of Strength” is a traditional saying. So for the last few days, I’ve spent time, reading, resting, editing and just going slower. The temperature has been in the 90’s. I am lucky to have a cool breeze blow through my apartment from the sea. Here is a 6 minute look at the last 2 months:

There are some funny moments and some slightly uncomfortable moments in this video. At one point I ordered the most wonderful 2 slices of Focaccia for dinner and ended up instead with enough Arancini to feed a family of 5. I didn’t discover the error until after a 2 kilometer walk uphill to my apartment so I had to try to fix it the next morning. Everyone was very nice when I showed up to pay more for the dinner. Then I had enough to last several days. Another moment after waiting for hours in very hot weather and knowing I had hours left on a hot sticky bus across Sicily, a bird pooped on my skirt. I couldn’t believe it. I had been sitting next to a student who was going to Enna on the bus and he quickly said, “That’s good luck”. That was the last thing I was thinking at the time. It put everything in a much better perspective.

The Vara di Messina procession has a very quick moment in this video. It is a spectacular event on August 15 every year. This video shows what happens more fully:

It was very difficult to film this video in moments because my place at the beginning of the procession was in high demand for the people who had stayed on the street when they were told to get off the street by the police. Yet, I hoped to keep my place where I could film easily. It involved a lot of negotiating. I say that in the kindest way possible. The procession recognizes the Assumption of Mary and is a feast day in Italy. I’ve seen that it started in 1535 as a welcoming procession for a King after a military victory. After August 14 and 15, everything in Messina seems to shut down for Feria and windows of shops say Chiuso per Feria 14/8/23 – 27/8/23. You can still get groceries and go to some restaurants and shopping is available in the tourist section of town, but almost everything else is closed.

My goal has been to get to know different parts of Messina. My attempts to find out more about my family and what they may have experienced living here is temporarily on hold until the end of Feria. Meanwhile, I am staying in a B&B in different parts of town some different nights to get to know people and places. One place was Pietro Castelli. It is up a hill in another neighborhood and there are so many apartments in that area. I was stunned to see them rise up out of the hillside. The host was kind to book a reservation at the Sicilia restaurant and it was a wonderful meal, one of only 2 I have had at a restaurant in Messina so far. Overall, there is a lot for me to learn here on how to slow down and experience the day to day without really knowing what to expect. Sort of like my new friend, this bird who I see perch on a rooftop during the day.

The last few weeks have been a learning experience. This is just a short look.

The temperatures are hot and here you stay cool with the water and the beach. The shade and the wind also create cooler temps. The streets are empty in the hottest times of the day as people retreat for siesta. At night there are many people walking in the cooler temperatures. It seems like a regular way of life.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn how to use so many different things, from keys to front doors to coffee pots to stoves and washing machines. So many things are a learning opportunity. Even asking for items in Italian at stores and bus stations is an adventure. Learning every time as I’m exposed to new experiences.

Walking out the door, knowing I will be experiencing these moments, takes courage. I don’t know how I will always succeed. Overall, it works out and I enjoy the walks and the sights and what I am learning of the history of this beautiful part of the world. Those first steps take courage.

I’ve learned of a new favorite poet. Her name is Maria Costa. A few of her poems are in this video. Her books are unavailable, though I hope to find one. Her poems are profound. She lived here in Messina, in a house that used to be on the beach. It is a preserved house. A UNESCO site. I met there with people who are working to preserve her words and her home. Then I found her poems online. Here is one:

I have met people from Slavic countries living in Messina as I reached out to a Sicilian mosaic artist from Belarus when I learned of her work in the streets of Messina, Irina Belaeva. Due to her inspiration, I hope to create a tile mosaic one day to leave as a gift to this beautiful citta.

These are some of the treasures I’ve found in Messina. Another treasure: the beautiful old buildings that I hope can be preserved. I saw this one last night along the waterfront. It is in such need of care and looks like it has had a prominent place in the history here. I don’t know it’s story and hope to know more as I wander these streets.

Of course there are the most iconic structures too and so many churches (chiesa’s) They are majestic and beautiful. And wrapping it all up is the treasure of my son Conor’s music. In this video, I’ve chosen to use his song for his group Cosacchi that’s called “Steady”.

Living in Messina, Sicily – A Day to Day Experience

This is my second week in this beautiful city. I am trying to immerse myself among Italian speakers so I can learn the language better. I do think I am improving. Ciao. 🙂 I can communicate better than I thought I would. I am staying in quaint B&B near Antico Centro, a block from the Duomo with the mechanical show at noon every day. There have been fireworks the last few nights on the hill by Chiesa Montalto. My purpose has been to live through the seasons here in Messina as my Dad’s Great Aunts and Grandfather and their parents did many years ago and to discover as much as possible. I don’t expect to meet family but I know I am crossing paths that they crossed so many years ago.

I discovered that it is important to try to have a purpose for each day. There is an artist from Belarus in Messina who has made sidewalk mosaics. When I saw the story, I was so impressed, I reached out to her and we became friends. It is nice to know another person in this large city. I visited the large cemetery in Messina and was overwhelmed with the expanse and may visit another time. I visited the museum and was so impressed with how much art has been preserved, many of the artworks adhered to wooden boards that have withstood time. Again, it is an expansive museum and I will return to see it all. I hope to help Irina leave a little art here in Messina too over this next year. She has a project with a poet society for Maria Costa and I attended their meeting and it was good to see and hear this history. I hope to find a book of Maria Costa poetry somewhere soon. Her poetry tells the story of Messina’s strength, beauty and fortitude through so much adversity.

From Wikipedia:

Costa 1926 – 2016 lived all her life in the neighborhood of Case Basse (Deep Houses) in Paradiso (Paradise, a village of fishermen near Messina). In her poems, most of which are written in the Messinese dialect, she defended the cultural heritage of a town which was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1908.

Her verses are gathered in different volumes, such as Farfalle Serali (Evening butterflies) (1978), Mosaico (Mosaic) (1980), ‘A prova ‘ill’ovu (The egg examination) (1989) and Cavaddu ‘i coppi (Cups Horse) (1993).