Saturday, December 23, 2006
Sicily
I have just started reading 'The Sicilian' by Mario Puzo.
Capital Palermo. Population 5 million. Sicily is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily has been noted for two millenia as a grain-producing territory. Oranges, olives, and wine are among its other agricultural products. Famous composer Alessandro Scarlatti was Sicilian. Prominent folk art tradition, which draws heavily from the island's Norman influence - donkey carts are painted with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems.
Archimedes was from Sicily. The organized crime networks commonly known as the mafia extended their influence in the late 19th century (and many of its operative also emigrated to other countries, particularly the United States); partly suppressed under the Fascist regime beginning in the 1920s, they recovered following the World War II Allied invasion of Sicily.
Originating during the mid 19th century, the Mafia served as protection for the large orange and lemon estates surrounding the city of Palermo. From this, the Mafia began to spread its roots among the landowners and politicians of Sicily. Forming strong links with the government (it is more than likely that many politicians were members or collaborators) the mafia gained significant power.
According to many Sicilians, the real name of the Mafia is Cosa Nostra, meaning 'our world, tradition, values'. Sicily and Sicilian mafia traditions were graphically described in 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo. Many Sicilians are bilingual in both Italian and Sicilian, a separate Romance language, with Greek, Arabic, Catalan and Spanish influence. It is important to note that Sicilian is not a derivative of Italian.
Although thought by some to be a dialect, Sicilianu is a distinct language, with a rich history and an sizable vocabulary, due to the influence of the different conquerors of, and settlers to this land. With the predominance of Italian in Italian schools, the media, etc., Sicilian is no longer the first language of many Sicilians. Indeed, in urban centres in particular, one is more likely to hear standard Italian spoken rather than Italian, especially among the young.
Capital Palermo. Population 5 million. Sicily is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily has been noted for two millenia as a grain-producing territory. Oranges, olives, and wine are among its other agricultural products. Famous composer Alessandro Scarlatti was Sicilian. Prominent folk art tradition, which draws heavily from the island's Norman influence - donkey carts are painted with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems.
Archimedes was from Sicily. The organized crime networks commonly known as the mafia extended their influence in the late 19th century (and many of its operative also emigrated to other countries, particularly the United States); partly suppressed under the Fascist regime beginning in the 1920s, they recovered following the World War II Allied invasion of Sicily.
Originating during the mid 19th century, the Mafia served as protection for the large orange and lemon estates surrounding the city of Palermo. From this, the Mafia began to spread its roots among the landowners and politicians of Sicily. Forming strong links with the government (it is more than likely that many politicians were members or collaborators) the mafia gained significant power.
According to many Sicilians, the real name of the Mafia is Cosa Nostra, meaning 'our world, tradition, values'. Sicily and Sicilian mafia traditions were graphically described in 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo. Many Sicilians are bilingual in both Italian and Sicilian, a separate Romance language, with Greek, Arabic, Catalan and Spanish influence. It is important to note that Sicilian is not a derivative of Italian.
Although thought by some to be a dialect, Sicilianu is a distinct language, with a rich history and an sizable vocabulary, due to the influence of the different conquerors of, and settlers to this land. With the predominance of Italian in Italian schools, the media, etc., Sicilian is no longer the first language of many Sicilians. Indeed, in urban centres in particular, one is more likely to hear standard Italian spoken rather than Italian, especially among the young.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Venice
Ah, Venice. Been there, done that.
Venice is in Italy (see map). Population 270,000 on Jan 2004. The city stretches across numerous small islands. The Venetian Republic was a major sea power and a staging are for the Crusades, as well as a very important centre of commerce (especially the spice trade) and art in the Renaissance.
The Republic lost its independence when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice on 12 May 1797. In 1866, Venice became part of Italy.
Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot. In the 19th century a causeway to the mainland brought a railway station to Venice, and an automobile causeway and parking lot was added in the 20th century. Beyond these land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains entirely on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban car-free area.
The classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Most Venetians now travel by motorized waterbuses (vaporetto). The city also has many private boats. The only unmotorized gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.
Venice is served by the newly rebuilt Marco Polo International Airport, named in honour of its famous citizen. The airport is on the mainland and was rebuilt away from the coast so that visitors now need to get a bus to the pier, from which a water taxi or Alilaguna waterbus can be used.
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles (under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood does not decay) which penetrate alternating layers of clay and sand. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The buildings are often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring.
During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realized that extraction of the aquifer was the cause. This sinking process has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (so-called Acqua alta, 'high water') that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Thus, many Venetians resorted to moving up to the upper floors and continue with their lives.
In May 2003, Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico). An experimental model to lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic sea. This challenging engineering work is due to be completed by 2011. It is expected to protect Venice for 'only' 100 years. Some experts say that the best way to protect Venice is to physically lift the City to a greater height above sea level – by pumping water into the soil underneath the city.
Featured in 'From Russia With Love', 'Moonraker', 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade', 'The Italian Job' (2003) and 'The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.
Saint Mark's Basilica is located on Piazza San Marco.
The Peggy Guggenheim Museum located on the Dorsoduro region of Venice.
The commonest local specialities are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper.
Local cuisine includes polenta (made of corn meal) and risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Machu Picchu
I actually hate travelling. My trip to Turkey last year was quite unforgettable, in a bad way. Lots of travelling on a bus, diarrhoea from unaccustomed food, expensive, time expended, home-sickness, etc.
It just occurred to me that I could just as easily see the sights and learn about places virtually. Saves time and money. You can also visit a different place every week.
To kick-off my virtual globe-trotting, I visited Machu Picchu...
Machu Picchu is an Incan ruin located on a high mountain ridge (2350m above sea-level) somewhere in Peru. It was 'discovered' by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Since 1983, the site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was built by the Sapa Inca Pachacuti, starting about 1440, and was inhabited until the Spanish conquest of Peru in 1532. It was not a conventional city, but a country retreat town for Inca nobility. The site has a large palace and temples to Inca deities around a courtyard, with other buildings for support staff. It is estimated that a maximum of only about 750 people resided in Machu Picchu at any one time.
Machu Picchu was divided into three great sectors: the Sacred District, the Popular District (to the south), and the District of the Priests and the Nobility (residential zone). Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Intiwatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity. In the residential area, a sector existed for the nobility: a group of houses located in rows over a slope; the residence of the Amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the Nustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. Inside the citadel existed a sector assigned as the jail, where the prisoners were punished inside rock niches. The Monumental Mausoleum is a stone block with a vaulted interior and carved walls. It was used for rites or sacrifices.
All of the construction in Machu Picchu uses the classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones. The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. How they moved and placed enormous blocks of stones is a mystery, although the general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes. The Incas did not leave any documentation because they did not possess a written language. The space is composed of 140 constructions including temples, sanctuaries, parks and residences. There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps - often completely carved in a single block of granite - and a great number of water fountains, interconnected by channels and water-drainages perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system.
All visits to Machu Picchu at some point leave from Cusco. Taking the tourist train from Cusco (which takes 3.5 hours to get to Machu Picchu), you have several options. The most common way is to take the train to Machu Picchu in the morning, explore the ruins for a few hours and return to Cusco in the afternoon. The train terminates at Peute Ruinas station, where buses take tourists up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Another option is to hike the Inca Trail, on either a four-day or two-day version, both of which are controlled by the government. They require you to be reasonably fit, and takes a few days, sleeping in tents. Another option is to stay overnight near the ruins themselves. There are many hotels at nearby Aguas Caliente, or the more expensive Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel located at Machu Picchu itself. Buses run from Aguas Caliente to the ruins throughout the day, an 8km ride up the mountain.
