I love Sicily so much and am excited to host two back-to-back Hatha Yoga retreats there this fall.
September 27-October 4, 2014 Gentle Hatha Yoga
and
October 4-11, 2014 Intermediate Level Hatha Yoga
This ancient symbol, Trinacria, represents the strength of Sicily
I am in love with Sicily and not just because my parents and my sisters are from there and not just because my roots run deeply in that ancient island. I have been seduced by the island. Read on and you, too, will be seduced. Good thing because there is still space for you in either week:
1. Be seduced by Mt. Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano. Mt. Etna forms the background to much of the eastern part of the island. According to Greek mythology, Zeus imprisoned Typhon beneath Mt. Etna. Typhon was the father of all monsters and is still showing his angry side. Luckily, there are over 300 vents on the sides of Mt. Etna, which help prevent catastrophic eruptions. The slopes of Mt Etna are home to many villages and vineyards. Really something to see!
Distant view of Mt. Etna from the villa where the retreats will be held.
2. Let the weather, sunshine, air, landscape, beaches, mountains, and sea call out to you. The air smells like a mixture of sea, basil, rosemary, and sage. The sunshine makes for beautiful landscapes filled with olive trees, prickly pear, orange trees, almonds trees, and vineyards. The air is filled with the scent of jasmine, lavender, and lemon trees.
The non-native, ubiquitous Prickly Pear, brought over from the “new world”.
3. Visit Siracusa and Ortigia: a town and an island with strong vestiges of its Greek past. Archeological sites abound and mythology comes alive here. Siracusa is the home of the famed mathematician, engineer, and inventor, Archimedes, who invented pulley systems, inclined planes, and screws (to name but a few of his inventions).
The island of Ortigia with its Greek past
4. Admire the architecture of the island, which reflects Sicily’s unique blend of cultures from Europe and Africa, from the Normans to the Greeks to the Arabs.
5. The food, kissed by the sun, is delicious and wholesome. Like the architecture, the language, and the art, Sicilian cuisine reflects the melting pot of past invasions and contributions from Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Normans, Spanish kings, and Bourbon rulers. Olive oil is pure liquid gold. Tomatoes taste like tomatoes! The tastiest fruits and vegetables, gelato, specialty dishes made from seafood, pastas, breads, almonds and pistachios, wine, tomato sauces, and the best ricotta in the world–are all found here.
Mural depicting Sicily’s ancient history of tuna fishing
6. The people are warm, kind, eager to please, dramatic, hardworking, creative, confident, generous, and proud of their culture and their island. They represent warm southern hospitality. Family bonds are very strong. There is a saying, “Sicilians build their churches and houses as if they will live forever, but they eat as if every day is their last day.”
7. Sicily is seductive! Seduction is all around you! This is what you are likely to see: villages, narrow streets, houses adorned with wrought iron balconies and wooden shutters, elderly men in the town piazzas socializing and watching the world go by, unrestrained children running freely, beautiful men and women of every age, elderly women sitting outside, knitting or making lace, neighbors conversing with each other from their balconies. The Dolce Vita allows time to relax and enjoy the finer points of life.
Homer’s referred to Sicily when he spoke of her “wine dark sea”
