Tuesday, Apri 25, 2023 – Day 125
View of the volcano Mt. Etna from Taormina, Italy.
After sailing from Athens, we spent a day crossing Ionian Sea. As we sailed around the “toe” of the “boot” of Italy we arrived on the island of Sicily. The largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean Sea, it is the island that looks like it’s being kicked by the toe of Italy’s boot.
The region of Sicily we visited is Messina.
Arriving in Messina, Italy.
The clock tower of Messina from the port.
The view of the city from our stateroom as we dock in Messina.
We opted for an all-day adventure that would take us to the quaint town of Taormina and on to Mt. Etna. We didn’t get to explore the town of Messina, but we heard from shipmates that it is worth coming back to. By 8:00 am we were off for the 45-minute drive to Taormina.
Arriving at the city gate to the town of Taormina.
Taormina is a town of about 12,000 people all within a 5 square mile area. Built before the time of the ancient Greeks it has had many different cultures here over the centuries.
In we go…
The main town square. We got to town early, so for a while there were not many crowds, that was a treat!
Another view of the square
Built on a hill, Taormina’s side streets are very inviting.
Quaint shops. We didn’t make any purchases, but it was fun to look in windows.
A side street heading up hill.
A seriously skinny side street in Taormina. There is a restaurant up the street and our guide remarked if you eat too much you might not fit to come back down!
This town has beautiful balconies on many of its buildings. According to our guide, the purpose for the shape of this balcony is so that ladies’ wide skirts would fit as they stood out on the balcony.
Our guide claimed that the shape of the black balcony next door to the first one, was shaped like an hourglass so that the entire shape of a lady would fit on the balcony – I have no idea if this is true!
Our guide had pointed out this little shop as one of the best for fresh cannoli. We went in, looking at all the beautiful pastries, but saw no cannoli. The owner saw our puzzled faces and said, “I make it for you” at least that’s what he seemed to have said. There was lots of hand waiving and shouting to the young man in the kitchen. I don’t even think we’d asked for the cannoli; he just knew what we were looking for. It was mighty delicious! We had shared a cannoli & espresso in another shop earlier and then shared this one, as quality control of course. They were both good, but I liked Roberto’s from this shop best.
A very pretty (and pricey) hotel at the top of the town. Next to the entrance to the ancient theater.
Inside the ancient Greek/Roman theater of Taormina. It is still used today for concerts and events.
As we walked back down towards the entrance/exit to the city, we stopped for a bit to people watch and eat our Roberto’s cannoli. These two police officers were standing in the square taking pictures with visitors, letting them sit on their motorcycles for more pictures. They were armed and professional but seemed to be having fun interacting with the public. I couldn’t imagine this happening at home.
Our next destination in the background from a cafe in Taormina.
A distant view of Mt. Etna as we leave Taormina.
Getting a better look on the way there. Mt. Etna is an 11,000 ft high, very active volcano.
Mt. Etna is a ‘stratovolcano’ characterized by its conical shape. Mauna Loa in Hawaii is an example of a ‘shield volcano’, having a fairly flat top. Shield volcanos tend to have a thinner, more fluid lava that flows over great distances. Stratovolcano’s, like Mt. Etna and Mt. St. Helens tend to erupt with explosive force; the magma and gases blast out at high speed with devastating results. The hot gasses and ash from stratovolcano Mt. Vesuvius famously buried Pompei – where we will be tomorrow!
Our lunch venue at 6,400 ft in elevation, a little more than halfway to the summit. We did not go further up.
Mt. Etna has been in a near constant state of eruption/venting since at least the 1600s when record keeping began. In February 2021 Mt. Etna erupted 11 times in 3 weeks, sending ash 33,000 feet into the air closing Sicilian airports. As a result, by the end of that year Mt. Etna was 100 feet taller than it was at the beginning of the year. 2022 saw 3 large eruptions on the other face of the volcano. I’m not sure going up on the volcano was a wise choice, but apparently the vulcanologists have determined there is no current heightened danger. It is a popular hiking and skiing location, and the lower slopes were full of families picnicking.
The remains of a lava flow near our lunch spot.
The crater in the middle of the picture was our next stop after lunch.
This whole area is a very popular hiking spot. The Silvestri Crater is where we were headed.
In the crater, the wind is blowing so hard that our guide determined it was not safe for us to continue to the far rim, so it was a short time in the crater.
This incredible cloud formation came up over Mt. Etna as we were out on the slope. The picture doesn’t do it justice it was spectacular.!
Farewell Sicily! We both really enjoyed our visit. Jeff says Taormina was one of his favor cities yet and I agree it was beautiful! We hope to return to explore more of southern Italy someday.
Tomorrow, we arrive in Naples. We have a city tour planned for the morning and a trip to Pompeii in the afternoon.
It is now less than two weeks until we arrive home! Yike, I have to start thinking of packing!