My Impression of Sicily at the End of the Program by Denise Nickels

After having spent four weeks in this charming town my view of Sicily has changed a great deal. When we first arrived arrived I was facinated with the appearance of Taromina, the food, the lifestyle and all of the stuff on the "surface". However, after having studied the migrations that took place in and out of Sicily and the acient history with regard to Greem, Muslim and Roman influence my view has completely changed. After having studied the some of the influential acient culture that took place here, I began to walk around inspecting my surroundings much more closely then when I first arrived. As we dug deeper and deeper into the courses it was amazing to see the history before my eyes. I came here blind to the culture and being introduced to the art, history and culture has been an experience of a lifetime. At times the art and history was overwhelming, but it only makes me want to come back and learn more. Taromina was the ultimate location for this program because it offers everything. It offers the coast and an atmosphere condusive to holiday. It offers ancient ruins free of cost all throughout the city. (Many other cities in Sicily charge to view the sites.) In Taromina the acient history can be absorbed by simply walking a few blocks. Taromina historically has been blessed in that it has not experienced any natural disasters, unlike many of the surrounding cities which were destroyed from natural disasters and war. However, Taromina is like a museum in which one could come to Sicily and only visit this city and experience a tremedous amount of ancient historty, together with the modern day Sicilian culture. Overall, after having submerged myself here amoungst all of this art and history I find myself not wanting to leave. Ciao Sicily! Baci Baci