About Honors Passport

Ancient Beauty

Sophie Hill captured this dazzling shot of a temple at Agrigento.

Say "Gorgon!"

The group poses beneath the remains of a ceramic gorgon protome -- gorgons decorated Archaic Greek temples to induce fear and awe in visitors.

What Lifelike Statues!

Professors Daniel Levine, Jared Phillips and Rhodora Vennarucci pose as sculptures at the Greco-Roman Theatre in Taormina.

Studying narrative column capitals in Cefalu

The Norman Romanesque cloister was annexed to the cathedral in the 12th century, and is a prime example of a transformational period in Romanesque sacred architecture.

Volcanic Soil Up-Close

A Mt. Etna local joined the audience for Davis Campbell's presentation on the volcano -- then invited the group to his garden to see the volcanic soil up close.

A Day in the Life...

William Motazedi got this great shot of the man's tool collection.

Shadows of the Past

Claire Hutchinson deciphers a Greek inscription at the theatre in Morgantina.

Soaking it in

Slides and textbooks cannot do the Greek Theatre at Syracuse justice! Students celebrate being atop the structure in person.

Becoming architecture

Morgantina was the perfect site to get an understanding of Greek domestic architecture -- here students stand in form columns that would have formed a peristyle around an open courtyard at the center of the house.

Almond granita, anyone?

The Caffe Sicilia in Noto, run by a man known as "Mr. Sicily," is chock full of delectable, locally-sourced creations to revive the students in the middle of a long day.

Market Day

The gang discovers the fish market on Ortygia, the historical center of Syracuse.

Just a splash of color!

Grant Robinson couldn't resist buying a fresh Sicilian orange from a market stall.

A guest speaker at Morgantina

Morgantina is the perfect example of cultural hybridization, with Sicil, Greek, Roman and Spanish influences over the course of its nearly 3000-year-old history.

Smokin'.

Students were rewarded with stunning views of Mt. Etna from Morgantina -- including billowing smoke from the ongoing eruption of the New SE Crater.

In the Olive Grove

Will Motazedi took this picture during a tour of an olive farm, tasting different oils and roaming the grounds -- some of the trees were over 100 years old!

Check out THESE acoustics!

These ancient amphitheaters were MADE for Honors Passport presentations! Or recitations from The Iliad, as Dr. Levine embodies here.

A View from Up Above

Students got a great view of the red-tiled roofs of Monreale from Norman-Arab-Byzantine Cathedral, commissioned by King William II in 1174.

Ciao Belli!

Allison Shildt, Davis Campbell and Lucas Bellaiche smile above the Benedictine cloister at Monreale.

The ladies strike a pose!

Sydney Nichols, Julia Baranyk, Claire Hutchinson, Olga Brazhkina, Alison Fong, Dr. Vennarucci, Caroline Wetsell, Allison Shildt, Dresden Dilts, Nina Andersen, Gigi Powell and Sophie Hill in Segesta.

A fish couscous for the culturally curious

Lunch in Marsala allows students and professors to taste cultural hybridization at work in Sicilian cuisine.

Exploring the Valley of the Temples

In Agrigento, Nina Andersen, Sydney Nichols, Alison Fong and Gigi Powell pose inside arc du soleil burial niches from the Byzantine period.

L'arc du soleil

Gigi Powell stands in a Christian burial niche looking out toward the coast at the Valley of the Temples.

At the North Gate of Motya

Alison Fong delivers her site report at the very spot the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse broke through to conquer the town in 398 B.C.

Arab History and Culture in Sicily

Will Motazedi delivers his site report in front of the Cattedrale del Satissimo Salvatore, Mazara del Vallo's principal cathedral.

Sicily Experience