A Kitoto Look-Alike

Today I met a dog that is officially Kitoto's doppelgänger. Wouldn't they make adorable Kitoto babies?! I've got to find this dog again so that they can have a meet up.

Kitoto

Kitata

Just as crazy too.

Day Two in Sicily: Parco Archeologico, Labrotorio Pupi, and Cake

Day two in Siracusa was spent mostly in the rain. We still managed to get out to the archeological site though! It was amazing to be basically the only tourists at these large sites. 

Our view by the hotel. 

Before you start giggling let me say that Pupi = Puppets in Italian. So a Pupi Laboratory builds puppets.

Puppet making is a Siracusa speciality. They are so detailed!

Feeling silly in my poncho...

Getting over it...

And then embracing it completely 

Kitty! Sorry you got stuck in the rain lil' buddy!

These pictures are from the Parco Archeologico. This is the Greek Theatre 

This is a picture of the ceiling in il Orecchio di Dionisio. The cave had an amazing echo and you could hear the coos of pigeons amplified. 

The entire cave was created as miners quarried rock. It's huge!

Pistacchio and Chocolate cake. So good!

Night view of the ocean.

The Parco Archelogico was definitely a good way to spend a rainy day even if we did soak our shoes and pants a bit. 

Day One in Sicily - The Necropolis, Santa Lucia, and Kindess

I'm now in Sicily! I've been enjoying the fresh air and the landscape so much! Here are a few pictures of my first day...

Pantalica is a necropolis near Sortino. People would bury their dead in small cutouts of the rock during the 13th and 10th century BC. The rectangular openings lead all the way down the valley.  

This pool was really cool! The water was such a pretty blue.

Kitty! He followed us around for a bit so we gave him some cheese. 

A chocolate nativity. Just what I wanted for Christmas.

These rusty tools are actually made out of chocolate! What?!

The Christmas lights are everywhere now! 

So on our first night there was a special event for Santa Lucia. The heavy silver sculpture had been gone to the cathedral for a week and on its return, hundreds of people came to the main church to welcome her back. Here you can see her being carried in.

The people in the green hats were in charge of carrying her in.

The people in Sicily are maybe the nicest people I've ever met. When we got lost in Sortino, a man jumped in our car to lead us into the main town center. He walked with us to three different restaurants before we found an open one.  

Today it was raining really hard and we sort of got stuck at an archeological site (more on that later). One taxi driver was busy with customers, but after dropping them off he returned to pick us up. Then he helped us find a lunch place by personally getting out of his car and checking with the owners to see if there was space. 

Everyone has been so lovely! It's been great! 

Siena

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Siena. It was a very cute town and I loved the winding streets with very few cars. Although it's a small place, Siena holds much to see including famous frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, a lovely Cathedral, and a large market. 

The flying bench with Lulu! 

This is Donatello's "Feast of Herod". He did the relief in bronze and you can see the depth he created for a continuous narrative.

This market was active during our stay. It's set in the same pattern as the medieval market.

Piggies!

Alpacas!

The view of the market from the top of a tower.

Climbing up the tower! 

The cathedral of Siena is huge!

This is the cathedral from ground level. 

The floors were covered in intricate designs. Sadly, only a few scenes can be seen in one visit because much of the floor is covered by carpeting for protection. 

These heads are high up on the walls of the cathedral. Kind of creepy 

The library of the cathedral is covered in frescoes and ceiling decoration. 

Fist-bump knocker

Siena was a beautiful place to visit for a weekend and I only wish I could have stayed longer. 

The Pope

Hello! Although this may come as a surprise, I have seen the Pope three times during my semester here. The first time was a brief (maybe 5 second) viewing. I waited about an hour and a half outside a convent where he was seeing some nuns. He drove out and waved to all of us. Short and sweet. 

The second viewing was at the Vatican on a Wednesday. He was giving an early morning mass. Before he gave his speech, he drove around the Vatican square waving to everyone. He was moving pretty quickly and the driver made some quick turns so I hope he didn't get dizzy. 

This is a bit of the crowd outside the convent. Everyone was excited.

I'm sorry for the quality of this picture, but it all happened so quickly. One minute I was waiting and the next I was waving and trying to take a photo. 

This was at the vatican when we were waiting to see the Pope.

Papal policeman. The Swiss police serve as bodyguards to the Pope and must fit many specifications. For example, they must be between 19-30 years old and must be above a certain height. It is said that the bright uniforms were designed by Michelangelo. 

That's the Pope!

Even though it was a cold day, hundreds of people came out to see and hear the Pope. 

Sadly, I have no photos of our third encounter because it all happened very quickly. I was walking in Piazza Venezia and there was some commotion while crossing the street. The motorcycles and cars sped past us, but I spotted the Pope waving. 

I still have about a month in Rome, so I'll be sure to keep my eyes open. 

Luisa