Buon giorno,
I asked for my room to be done today, so I vacacted a bit early to give housekeeping a chance to do their job. I do like wandering around Catania. There are a lot of handsome buildings, albeit a bit run down, and some fun windows to lick.
I went down to the piazzas near Santa Agata because I'd spotted a reliable ATM there. I got some cash. Bleah. The exchange rate is hideous, but it 's also good to have plenty of cash on hand.
My target for today is Il Monasterio de San Benedetto. I don't know why they use the word monastery. It's a convent with enclosed nuns of the Benedictine order. I would not have known about the place except our tour guide on the walking tour I took my first full day here stopped and described it. The novices enter, and if they become nuns, they never leave. The exception is that they may stand by the side of the road to watch the pagent of Santa Agata. Nevertheless, our guide, who has met and spoke to the nuns, described them as very happy. According to the website, they arise early, attend mass, and their days are divided between worship and work.
The site is open just two or three days a week, and I did not see a single nun. They, no doubt were busy at their work and were not interesting in seeing me.
One loads an audio guide on one's phone. I had to keep reloading it because I wanted to take photos. The convent is built on the site of a Roman townhouse.
Then one climbs the stairs to a meeting room.
The main event is the chapel. Remember how austere Santa Agata looked? Here we have the opposite. The art historical concept horror vacui comes to mind. The place is beautiful, and I found the decorations very compelling.
After that I made my way down Via Etnea and did some shopping, but then I had to drag myself and my purchases up a long hill to home. Fortunately my room was done, and I could relax shoveling olvies and almonds down my throat while having a sip or two of limoncello and green tea.
I enjoyed the pasta and pesto so much yesterday, I'm going to have it again.
Ciao for Now
No comments:
Post a Comment