Licata, Sicily 1999
| Record temperatures, on one day rising to 48oC, did not restrict, in any way, the activities at the camp at Bosco Galluzzo, in the hills between Licata and Agrigento in Sicily. The camp. held between the 2nd and 12th August 1999 celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the First Licata Scout Group of the Associazione
Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani (AGESCI) and was attended by the Scouts
of St Aloysius College who invited the Qrendi Scout Group to join them |
 |
 |
The College Scouts have close connections with the Sicilian Scouts and were specially invited to participate in this event together with Scouts from Italy, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. The theme of the camp was Camelot, based on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. |
| The camp organizers, Igniazio Curella (as King Arthur) and Anna Curella (as Guinevere) welcomed the 500 campers at a ceremony where Patrol Leader Matthew Borg, in a period costume of the Knights of St John loaned from the Ministry of Tourism, poured water taken from the sea off Malta, into a large jug which was full with water from various countries. The Scouts participated in various activities including concerts, campfires, water sports and excursion to Licata and the Greek Temples at Agrigento. |
 |
 |
|
The Maltese Scouts were extremely popular and were invited to the various sites and interviewed by Sicilian television stations. They particularly enjoyed the workshops where various Sicilian folk crafts were demonstrated to them. Halfway through the 10-day camp, the contingent was joined by the Cub Scouts of St Aloysius College from Malta. The Maltese Scouts were told that the parish of San Paolo at Licata had been colonized by Maltese who had let the island at the time of the Great Siege of 1565. They renewed contacts with Scouts who had been their guests in Malta during Easter 1998. During the camp the scout contingent were taken to the
Valle Dei Tempji, a plateau a few kilometers away from Licata that is
littered with Roman palaces, villas, amphitheatres, catacombs and the
remains of Roman civilizations. A Mecca for the archeologist and the sightseer
alike and definitely a place not to be missed. However when visiting the
site do keep a sharp look out for the Museum site warder, armed with a
weapon and a whistle that can be as alarming.
Whatever you do, do not cross over the barriers, step on
the monuments and better still do not let anyone know that you understand
the Italian language unless you are interested in the site warden broadening
your Italian vocabulary. |
|