SiCHilia

Three Long days on this Island that seems to have no contact with the outside world and internet café’s that close whenever they want in spite of their posted hours (remember the endearing traits I talked about in my first e-mail…I’ll describe the first day since it’s mark the real beginning of the tour. It was a long day on the road… We traveled well over 300 km’s and 12 hours from Pachino to Enna in an arc that covered the first day of the amphibious assaults and the push inland.

After we drove to the beach in Pachino (one of Sicily’s roughest and toughest areas – Sicily is home to the Godfather if you watched the movies), we made our way to the American sector – but in between an important stop!

With still no news of luggage and over 70 hours in the same clothes, Lee Windsor (our historian and tour leader extraordinaire (featured in the photos above) was gracious enough to stop at an Italian shopping mall. I’m on 52 Euro for clothes and amenities until they find and deliver my bags (so they tell me…I just have to keep the receipts). Which meant Italian underwear shopping today – let’s just say I’m size Grande here and well grande could be a bit bigger…nevertheless, a day later my luggage arrived and I have a full wardrobe to amuse myself with now...it's almost difficult to pick what I'm going to wear...

back to the tour…

The discussion of the Italian campaign history (and what’s been written) takes on a new perspective from the ground up; decisions are analyzed, not from the comfort of an office with a map and war diaries, but from a bombed out German Pill Box defending the high ground or from the ground overlooking the ravine that the Canadians fought and beat their way through all night to out flank the Axis. It’s a different kettle of fish…

I’ve joked with Shan and those close that we are the all-geek squad (and in many ways it is very true) following the advance of the allied army all across Sicily as best we can. The problem, or perhaps the testament to human nature, is that people are incredible resilient and societies rebuild. As a result, the landscape changes and battlefields become more difficult if not impossible to understand

Case-in-point, where the US first Division landed is now a powerplant. Having said that, the territorial bowl where the US push the Italians and Germans back on their heels is very much in tact. Sitting beside one of the pivotal German Machine gun bunkers is a castle that was built by the nights Templar – though weapons have changed, controlling the high ground has always been a battle priority. Nevertheless, there is no substitute for seeing the terrain it is a real eye opener.

A former professor, Dr. Marc Milner, once said, “For those of you who have now walked the ground you are forever ruined.” He simply meant that we would no longer be able to read accounts without questioning the topographical circumstances that play perhaps the most important role in war. I’ve already thrown a few books down in disgust as another armchair general wants to re-fight the war over in a book without truly understanding the geographical realities of the battleground.

In this case I’m happy to be ruined!

One reality though, is absolutely clear. To control and knock the Axis from Sicily (pronounced SiCHilia here), controlling the HIGH ground was absolutely central and has been for as long as this fertile and desirable landscape has been a battleground – seeing a Nazi Machine Gun box sitting on the same high ground as an ancient castle that once belonged to the Templar Knights during the Crusades is an interesting testament to warfare: The weapons, machines and reasons for going to war have drastically changed but the pieces of land, the military objectives, have remained unchanged for centuries.

We’re a couple of days in and I have a new found respect for the men who climbed those mountains and fought their way through thick bush and ravines in the dead of night to “do what had to be done.” however thought invading this Island was a good idea was certainly sipping coffee somewhere in England...

Almost 65 years later, the views as we drive around this Italian Island are nothing short of spectacular. The mountainous terrain, I spoke of in my initial post, is even more stunning as we slalom up and down the hillside roads. The switchbacks (what we refer to as we the road makes a virtual 90 degree turn back the other way in a slow ascending/descending direction) as we returned to our hotel in Enna, provide one breathtaking view after another – eye candy around every corner and at the top of every mountain.

In Enna, where we have spent the last three nights there stands the ruins of an ancient castle. Standing 3000 feet above sea level, the former Castle, used from the Romans to the Middle Ages, offers a view like so many of hillside communities around this lovely Mediterranean province.

Tomorrow we will be back on the mainland where contact with the outside world is possible…expect a final post to sum up the island and the total cost!

Salute…