La Spedizione Siciliana

Italian 3008 – Spring 2016 – Professors Barbara Weiden Boyd and Davida Gavioli

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Sicily Trip

Italian 3008 – Latin 3311 - Spring 2016
Professors Barbara Weiden Boyd and Davida Gavioli

Trip Photographs

Day 5 – Montalbano Mania

Day 5: Pirandelliano

Syracuse 3.19.16

Day 6 – Circolo di Conversazione: Contrast of Classes

Day Two: Thoughts on Palermo

Maria Grammatico’s, Erice

Incorporating Ancient Architecture into Modern Sicilian Life

Monreale

Day Four: Climbing Over the Past

Capella Palatina, Palermo

Day 9 – Etna & Catania

Day 6: the day of joy

la spedizione siciliana

This faculty-led study trip, “Sicily: Mediterranean Pasts, Presents, and Futures,” has guided students to an in-depth understanding of the historical, social, and cultural complexities of the island of Sicily, now a part of the nation of Italy but, in the course of its long history as cultural crossroads, home to several early indigenous peoples of the western Mediterranean as well as colonizing Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Spanish, French, and Arabs over the course of more than 3000 years. Because of its strategic location, long history, and a new appreciation for its cultural riches, Sicily is the perfect vantage-point from which to consider the Mediterranean world as a whole, through both historical and contemporary lenses.

In the spring 2016 semester, two Bowdoin faculty members, Davida Gavioli (Italian) and Barbara Weiden Boyd (Classics), offered upper-level courses focusing of various aspects of Sicilian history and culture. Gavioli’s course, Italian 3008 (Of Gods, Leopards, and ‘Picciotti’: Literary Representations of Sicily Between Reality and Metaphor) was organized around literary texts written by Sicilian writers and/or located in the Sicilian landscape, drawn from 20th and 21st century authors; central themes of the course included issues of cultural identity long a part of Sicilian discourse (e.g., is Sicily “truly” Italian? is Sicily really part of Europe, or should it be considered fundamentally Other? etc.) as well as major contemporary social and political issues (the economy; the Mafia; immigration and asylum; etc.). Boyd’s course, Latin 33 (Sicily in the Roman Imagination), was organized around the literary texts commemorating the appropriation of Sicily first by the Greeks and subsequently by the Romans between the 5th and 1st centuries BC. Students read several significant ancient texts in Latin concerning Rome’s occupation and colonization of Sicily, supplemented by readings in English drawn from the many Greek poets and historians who were active in ancient Sicily.

Blog Posts

Theater, Segesta

March 24, 2016 By gmaslak

In Segesta we also visited the remains of an ancient theater, situated on the hilltop just beyond the unfinished temple. … [Read More...]

Day 2: arbitrary amalgam of three cultures

March 23, 2016 By aglynn

  Spotted between a visit to the stunning Cappella Palatina and my first serving of pasta on our trip, signs of this … [Read More...]

Sunday: jet lag and Palermo

March 23, 2016 By abradley

After a long day of travel, we were so excited to reach Palermo. We met our bus driver, Carmelo, who took us to an exhibit of the … [Read More...]

La Giara

March 24, 2016 By djohnso

   Day 5 meant my Italian class would finally get some Pirandello thrown into the mix. Right before my eyes and the … [Read More...]

Temple of Concord, Agrigento

March 23, 2016 By ssim

The Temple of Concord located in the Valle dei Templi of Agrigento is one of the most well-preserved examples of a Greek temple … [Read More...]

Post #5: Agrigento

March 24, 2016 By kvise

Salve guys! Welcome back to the states, hope you're over jet lag by now ( I know when I studied abroad, it took me at least a day … [Read More...]

Sicilian Baroque

March 25, 2016 By gmaslak

In the second half of our trip, we traveled to cities located on the southeastern part of the island. Here in the towns of Ragusa, … [Read More...]

Temple G, Selinunte

March 23, 2016 By ssim

Although some scholars hypothesize that this temple seen in the archaeological park of Selinunte was dedicated to the god, Zeus, … [Read More...]

Post #7: Motya

March 25, 2016 By kvise

Hey guys! I have to say, I'm getting to the last few posts about Sicily and I'm a tiny bit sad. At least we'll be ending with some … [Read More...]

Day 8 – The Horror and Humor of Mt. Etna

April 8, 2016 By jhartley

Mt. Etna has a unique relationship with Sicily, particularly with its surrounding towns. In 1669, Mt. Etna erupted, killing tens … [Read More...]

Day Three: Gaining the High Ground

April 3, 2016 By alamont

Maybe my problem with Palermo was that I felt unsure of the scale/proportions of the place. A general rule of thumb I try to … [Read More...]

Day 6 – Pirandello’s death

April 5, 2016 By mkim

On Day 6, we went to Agrigento where we visited the home of Luigi Pirandello. Again, another fangirl day for me. His house was … [Read More...]

Modica 3.18.16

March 30, 2016 By cdewet

   Modica is delightful little town nestled in the Hyblaean Mountains in southern Sicily. It is known for producing … [Read More...]

Modican Vistas

March 25, 2016 By agorman

    Modica offered one of our first tastes of baroque architecture. It also provided an example of "unique" civil … [Read More...]

Day 3: baby’s first Greek temple 

March 24, 2016 By aglynn

Day three was a special one.   Here's a photo from our fantastic excursion to Segesta, where we saw a beautiful Doric … [Read More...]

Day 1: Letizia

March 23, 2016 By mcolbert

Hello to the readers of this Bowdoin Sicilian Expedition blog. I’m Michael, a senior Romance Languages major, and a lot of my … [Read More...]

The Most Important Mosaic (Selinunte)

March 29, 2016 By vwu

As Professor Boyd declared, this mosaic of the goddess Tanit was the most important mosaic of the trip. While it may only be a … [Read More...]

Day 7 – It’s a Small World After All

April 8, 2016 By jhartley

It is nearly inconceivable that thousands of miles away you might have the chance of bumping into other Bowdoin friends and … [Read More...]

Trip Participants Individual Photo Blogs

  • Anna Bradley-Webb
  • Adam Glynn
  • Angus Gorman
  • Adam Lamont
  • Professor Barbara Weiden Boyd
  • Cameron de Wet
  • Daniel Banks
  • Professor Davida Gavioli
  • Dylan Johnson
  • David Vargas
  • Gregory Maslak
  • Julianna Lewis
  • James Hartley
  • Kimberly Gilmore
  • Kahla Vise
  • Michael Colbert
  • May Kim
  • Sue Sim
  • Victoria Wu
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