Savoring Sicily

Although only a small slip of water separates Sicily from the mainland of Italy, the island seems centuries away from the culture of popular tourist cities such as Rome and Florence. Sicily’s beauty is natural and earthy, unchanged by the Renaissance and modern civilization that transformed most of the peninsula. The name itself, from “sica” meaning scythe, testifies to its agrarian roots which still dominate the landscape. Fields of wheat, vineyards of grapes, and groves of olive trees cover the island while the Mediterranean surrounds it, providing its bounty of seafood and sea salt.

Near Marsala on the southwestern coast of Sicily lie the shallow lagoons called saline. These salt pools have been there for thousands of years -- since the Phoenicians first took advantage of the scorching sun, wind, and lack of tides. Pure, natural sea salt is harvested from these salines at the end of each summer, and that salt flavors and preserves food all over the world. While we often take this seasoning for granted, in ancient times salt was a luxury. In fact, the English word “salary” has the same root as salt, “sal.”

by Beth Watts Department of World Languages Class of 1992

Anthony Bourdain perfectly expressed the desire for my summer 2022 trip to Sicily - something to soothe my shattered soul. Shattered may sound extreme, but every teacher knows that “shattered” is a perfect description of that utter exhaustion in May. And Sicily offered much more than good pasta.

The Vergilian Society and the American Classical League gave me the opportunity to spend 12 days studying Roman poetry in the land that inspired the poets themselves. Sicily and Italy did not disappoint. I loved being a student for two weeks, soaking in the knowledge, interacting with other Classics enthusiasts, and conversing with the ancient authors on their home turf.

This trip breathed new life into Roman poetry and its mythology. In Sicily, we focused on the myth of Persephone - Hades’s kidnapping of her and Ceres’s search and mourning for her. From the Rocca di Cerere in Enna, I saw a field where I could imagine Persephone innocently picking flowers when Hades ascended from the underworld and kidnapped her. All over Sicily, we traced Ceres’s frenzied pursuit of Persephone as recorded by Ovid in Metamorphoses 5 and Fasti 4. It was truly amazing to read the pleas of Cyane as I looked down at the spring of Arethusa in Ortygia and to gaze up at Mount Etna while recounting the story of Typhoeus. We also studied Vergil’s Aeneid: its beginning at Erice where Venus plots with Juno, Aeneas’s journey around Sicily, and Anchises’s burial at Trepani. I have read and studied the Aeneid for years, but reading the words in the places that inspired the poet made the words leap off the page. The next time that I teach the Aeneid, my lesson will be full of photos and stories from my adventures in those same places. Additionally, we looked at the Phoenician influence on Sicily in Motya and Marsala, reading Aeneid 4 to relate the story of Dido and her curse on the Trojans.

Going to Sicily is better than going to the moon.

- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Lastly, we read Cicero’s account of the riches of Sicily that Verres stole from there. Everywhere we went in Sicily, we found traces of the Roman authors.

We finished the tour in Naples and the surrounding areas, looking at Aeneid 6. While sitting next to the Cave of the Sibyl at Cumae, we read Vergil’s account of the underworld. We discussed the temple doors of Apollo and the myth of Daedalus after we had climbed over the ruins of the temple of Apollo. My understanding of Vergil’s words has increased immensely and will be evident in how I teach his poetry.

But more than the teaching of poetry, I was uplifted by the other group members. Since I am the only Classics teacher at Prep and one of only a few in the state of Mississippi, I am encouraged to now have fellow lovers of Classics all over the nation, easing the isolation that I often feel. I came home with new colleagues, new teaching ideas, and a whole list of book recommendations.

In addition to the Vergilian Society tour, I spent a week in Rome, visiting sites that I had never been able to before. I explored the baths of Trajan, toured the Villa of Hadrian, and viewed the Etruscan artifacts at Villa Giulia. I was also able to take advantage of the night activities available in the summer: an opera in the Baths of Caracalla, a sunset tour of the colosseum and its underground, and a “Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in the Roman Forum. From the Villa Barberini to the Capitoline Museums, I immersed myself in ancient Rome as much as possible. These three weeks filled my mind and nourished my soul. I am so excited to be in a new school year and to share my adventures with my students. I am thankful for this opportunity to travel, to learn, and to grow.