A Big City.....in Sicily?

"Agata.....Agata.....Agata..."

We heard these desperate pleas of a homeless woman as we began to enter this sacred cathedral, located in the heart of one of the biggest cities in Sicily, Catania.

The woman, as we soon found out, was asking for help from Catania's patron saint, St. Agatha.

This is Agatha's cathedral, a beautiful structure in the center square of the city. As we went inside, our voices became hushed and our manners reverent-- we felt calm and at ease in this holy place.

Catania seemed to have that effect on us in every place we visited. In the fish market, we grew loud and rowdy, joking with the seamen. In the castle of Frederick II, our eyes became wide as we heard of tales from his reign. We were all so used to being in Taormina, a very small city, that we were overwhelmed with Catania!

One interesting point: Outside of Frederick's castle, there lies an eagle clutching a lamb with its talons. Our guide described this as Frederick's doing-- Frederick himself was the eagle and his people were the lamb. This statue symbolically portrayed the king's reign over his people. This statue intrigued me-- is that how leaders are supposd to act? Tryannical? Dictatorial? It seemed as though Frederick II never got the memo on how to be a good leader. Followers should not fear their leaders-- they should respect and admire them. I'm not sure Frederick II received the respect he could have if he would have tried a different leadership approach.