Hello! Here is Sebastiano, telling you about his great trip in Israel.

I went in Israel with a SYLE project by Servas, in the fantastic family of Ya’al (52), Irit (52) and Ori (15). They have been in Servas for a long time and are used in having hosts. They were great: they made me feel at home, they brought me in every place I was interested to see and they were really kind to me.

I found your country really beautiful. As someone said me before, Israel is like a prickly pear, a bit stubborn on the outside, but really sweet in the inside.

After a day of rest, I went to Jerusalem on Friday. I can hardly explain my joy in seeing such a great place, the Willing Wall, the holy monuments. I really liked the view and the historical value of this beautiful city.

On Saturday I went to the sea and it was great (never thought a sea could have been so warm). Soon after, in the evening, I met an Irit’s friend with her daughter.

On Sunday I went to Haifa (I saw an interesting museum and I enjoyed the view of the temple) and then to Nazareth with Irit, Ori and a friend of her. I liked Nazareth; it is a quite peculiar city on the hills. It seemed very peaceful and quiet.

On Monday I went to the Sea of Galilee, I saw some Christian points of interest and I swam in the lake. It was really good. In the end, on Tuesday, I went to Tel Aviv. I really had different thoughts about it. On the one hand, it is very modern, very open-minded and probably the most Western city of all Israel. On the other hand it is maybe too modern for me, but I liked it anyway.

Finally, I left on Wednesday. I will surely return in Israel in the future, I don’t think a week is enough to fully understand it. I am just amazed: this country is full of possibilities and history.

Thank you for the hospitality. You’re invited to Italy! Our doors are always open!

Sebastiano