Sunday, February 26, 2012

Eraclea Minoa: 23 Febbraio 2012

By Joey

We woke up this morning and the sky was clear for the first time in days. We got going early to take advantage of the illusive sun. Apparently feb in sicilia can be somewhat cold and rainy. (of course cold is relative, think New England in feb). The temperature reading in the rental car said 17 when we got in it.  It's been 10 forever. Thank goodness we saved the beach day for last. I have been so excited about getting back to Eraclea Minoa. Imagine what giant white clay cliffs along the sea mean to a potter. Then to a potter who adores the ocean.

We also wanted to explore some towns south of Sciacca but I asked Bernie if we couldn't just get to the beach right away given the changeability of the weather here. So we did make one stop at Cattolica Minoa to get cappucini and bread. The bread we get every day from a few different Panefico for 1 euro and sometimes it's hot out of the brick ovens. The left over goes to the birds and we get a fresh loaf each day. What a luxury!

We got to the beach at Eraclea Minoa and it was closing in on 20 degrees! Awesome! We saw the ancient Greek ruins at Eraclea Minoa the last time we were here. This time it was great to know all that was on the top of the cliffs but enjoy the beach and the clay only.

I tried messing with the wet clay at the shore but it was filled with stones and difficult to manage on any scale. So, while I haven't done a lot of relief work before, the walls were calling to me. And my inspiration was a sculpture that we had seen the day before in Marsala at the archeological museum. It's a female torso that they found buried on a farm in the countryside that came from a cathedral in Marsala that had been destroyed in 1577. They don't really know how it got there.

Anyway, it's as beautiful as the Venus de Milo. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to carve a representation in the side of an awesome clay cliff on a beautiful sunny day.

While I was carving Bernie was sketching the sea, the cliff edge and the rock slide at a safe distance.

We found a beautiful spot for a picnic and then continued our exploration up to Cianciana























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