A Lull in the Action: Caltanissetta: Day Three

On the Third day in Caltanissetta we woke up around 11, had a meal, and then went out to a nearby city called Enna to do some sightseeing. Enna is a really old place, and is also the highest town in all of Sicily. At the highest point in the town is an ancient medieval fort that the people of Enna used to protect the city from invasion. We walked around the ruins of the fort, and then climbed the watchtower to take beautiful views of the hills and mountains of Sicily.

We learned lots of history from Riccardo and Claudio while we were there. We learned about all the different groups of people that had conquered Sicily throughout the ages including the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Greek, and the Romans. They showed us how the soldiers used to hide behind the fig trees (eating figs all the while) to wait for the enemy to arrive. We also learned about the slave revolt led by a slave called Euno to try and free the slaves of Sicily. He took over the town, but eventually Roman soldiers came and killed him.

After our tour of Enna we returned to Caltanissetta to rest and change before leaving to go to the baptism of the Ginevra’s cousin’s baby. The baptism was held in a tiny church that used to be a Norman Abbey. There was lots of history inside the church. The ceremony was all in Italian (of course) but it was interesting for my mom and I to see the differences between an Italian baptism and an American one. In Italy, the babies are baptized naked and their bodies are submerged in the water, rather than just having water poured on their heads. The baby, Daniele, was so cute, even though he cried most of the ceremony. After the ceremony Riccardo and the priest gave us a tour of the old parts of the Abbey, which was pretty interesting.

After that we drove to the house of their cousin for the family party. They served some really delicious Italian foods, including pizza and rice balls filled with meat, rice and cheese covered in a fried breaded topping. And they had about 6 different types of cake as well!

After the party we went home, and then I went out again with Riccardo and Guillermo to a Sicilian discotheque, where we had fun comparing dancing styles in different parts of the world.

My mom and I were sad that it was our last day in Italy, but we know we will come back to visit again someday since we had such a wonderful time!

Julia Marie