So after going into Palermo, its definitely not as good as Rome, but it has its moments.  It’s the type of place I think needs to grow on somebody, if they are not used to it.  The city itself is actually pretty cool, but the walk there from our hotel was… shall we say… less than desirable.  In laymen’s terms, “It was so sketch!” (I may or may not have just quoted something I said to my roommate.)

We spent yesterday at Segesta and Seliente, both great for viewing temples!  There are a lot of temples in Sicily, thanks to the Greeks (proof we Italians did NOT steal from the Greeks… they freely gave them to us to improve! (I kid, I kid… maybe… teehee).

The temples at these places—huge! And a couple not even finished!  Others fallen down.   An amazing additional professor who just knows everything about the architecture—it really helps to enhance the experience, even if its just slight knowledge.  Learning about how temples were built, what exactly was in them (no sacrificial altars by the way.  Sacrificial BBQs must be held OUTSIDE (where else would you BBQ?)).  I’m so glad that many of these temples have been restored, because it truly, along with the professor’s enhancing lectures, help to envision how the temples truly looked, what pieces were modernly made to help reconstruct it, and what’s missing.

However, this isn’t to say that the fallen temple weren’t awesome as well.  I have successfully learned how to climb and scramble about giant piles of old fallen temples in a skirt.  Definitely a skill everyone should learn—it makes life a little more fun.  I wasn’t on the top of a built up temple, just its ruins!  But this pile, this temple, it just kept going, and at the top it was so high with a ridiculous view!  I’m glad we were able to climb about, it really helped to make an impact of how much stone was really needed for these buildings, which makes it the more impressive that a people with no technology near ours could build such things.

Seliente also had the foundations for a whole town by the temples we looked at there, and they were in pretty good shape as well.  It was amazing to see the foundations of the places that whole families would live.  An early Levittown was built in Seliente.  There was also the remains of the city walls, which, when built, made Seliente a city that went from being a defenseless city in the midst of swamps, to one of the most defendable cities in Sicily (not enough to keep out the Carthaginians but we’ll let that slide).

Segesta also had an amphitheater, which is one of the best preserved that we can find.  It was really cool to be able to sit in an actual ampitheater, even if it was missing some parts (just the stage building really).

Today, we walked around the ancient city of Agrigento, to see more Temple (four, though there were 10 around.  The heat probably would have killed us past 5, though its not nearly as bad as New York… We’re all laughing and thankful we’re here, if only for the “cool” weather).  It was interesting to realize that all temples were put on the outside of the cities they were built in.  An impressive welcome to visitors, and proof of protection from foes.  Not surprising, but nothing I ever thought about.  When visiting the temple of Heracles, it was disappointing that the statue of Heracles was missing.  Not due to any modern temple robber, but due to an ancient Governor, Veres.  Cicero was able to get him removed from his post and exiled, but the pieces he stole from private citizens and from the nearby temples, including the Temple of Heracles.

When I think of past acts taking away physical objects to help us study the past, I tend to think of things like quarrying in the Colosseum, destroying it for stone and iron.  I don’t tend to think of greedy governors stealing from the people for their own delight.  It’s a pity that it was stolen, because it was suppose to be gorgeous, the most beautiful statue Cicero had ever seen.

I sincerely hope that when we get to Siracusa, or, Syracuse, that we are able to find more complete sets of things.  It’s a pity to only know about a statue from writings, and not from seeing.

Peace, love, and Italian fruit drinks (Amita Pear juice is very nommy.  More of a puree than a juice, and it was quite delectable!)

-E.M.M.