Sicily Community Service

DAY 1: NEWARK (FOR THOSE WHO OPT TO TAKE THE GROUP FLIGHT)

As the group flight takes off, the trip officially begins!

DAYS 2 – 13: BIANCAVILLA, CATANIA, SYRACUSE, AGRIGENTO, MT. ETNA

Our group will participate in the preparation and cooking of all meals, an incredible cultural immersion experience and a great opportunity to exchange a few words of English for Sicilian dialect! For the duration of the trip, we will be housed in comfortable rooms at the estate itself. As the only volunteers on the site, we’ll get to know the pleasure of sleeping, eating meals, and hanging out in the very same structures that we’re working to renovate.

You will learn the Italian secret of living simply and well, experiencing the joy of life outdoors under a warm sun and a starlit night with history and natural beauty surrounding you. While the trip is focused on our volunteer project, you will also see some of the most amazing sights in Sicily.  We will visit the Valley of the Temples, described by Henry Adams as "Athens with improvements" because it boasts the best-preserved Greek temples in the world. Syracuse, birthplace and home of Archimedes, offers beautifully preserved Greek and Roman ruins literally side by side.  And Sicily’s beaches provide world-famous turquoise water and white sand, where we’ll swim at an untouched beach wildlife preserve where flamingos stop on their yearly migrations.

Dominated by the tallest active volcano in Europe, Mt. Etna, this unforgettable island offers an ideal opportunity to understand how a myriad of great civilizations have all contributed to forge uniquely Sicilian traditions, language, and cuisine. You’ll learn why we have Sicily to thank for staples like pasta and ice cream!  Millennia of rule by a long list of conquerors including the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spanish give Sicily a culture like no other and a wealth of ancient ruins. Sicily in the summer also means warm sun and unspoiled beaches with turquoise water.

Our Sicilian home is surrounded by rolling green hills of vineyards and fruit trees, and in the distance the gigantic Mt. Etna sits on the horizon. We’re located in the countryside about one hour outside of the bustling city of Catania. Our activities will include a variety of tasks such as painting, building stone walls, tending olive trees and grapevines, tiling floors, using shovels and other tools, cleaning the house, learning to make delicious Italian dinners, and more.

In the evenings, after a day of working on our project, the activity of choice is hanging out on the patio with Sergio and Carmela’s kids and basking in the golden light of the Sicilian sunset. In the darkness, you might see the silhouette of Mt. Etna illuminated by the glow of oozing magma.  The project managers, Sergio and Carmela, live at the site along with their children, aged 10, 15, 19, and 22. Carmela is an internationally recognized mosaic artist who is willing to teach us this ancient art form by giving us the opportunity to help with the decoration of the house.  

Our trip will conclude with an unforgettable trip up volcanic Mt. Etna (don’t worry – although it’s active, it is the most closely monitored volcano on the planet). To reach its 11,000 foot crater, we will go by bus, cable car, giant jeep, and then on foot, finally arriving at its awe-inspiring summit.