Mt. Etna--because it is a world landmark. in the news
yesterday and today--because it is a VOLCANO, a
phenomenon that entrances and mystifies--because it is
startingly monumental--and just because it is! The mountain
dominates the eastern coast, drawing your eye no matter
where you are. On clear days, the peak rules, surveying all
that is below--on cloud enveloped days you know that the gods
are up there, in retreat, planning their next great surprise.
mountain toward Mt. Etna. Some travel books encourage readers to go up the north facing side but we would
contradict that as we found the south side to give a graphic understanding of the barrenness and moon like
topography left by volcanic action. The north side is prettier--absolutely true--but I'm not sure that the point of
visiting Mt. Etna is experiencing beauty as much as it is obtaining understanding and knowledge. On the way back
down, we did go another route and saw the remains of what were homes and villages now encased in hardened
lava--clear demonstrations of the unstoppable destructive force of nature that volcanoes can be.
vehicles that take people further up the mountain
toward Mt. Etna--but, even then, you still will just be
viewing the volcano peak. We did not do this. We found it
very interesting and satisfying to get off the cable car
and just explore the dark, barren lava.
recommend the
Frommer's Sicily book
as we found the
information frequently
inadequate or wrong.
This is not our usual
take on Frommer's but
this time we were often
frustrated--it was not
the expected Frommer's
quality.
would be incomplete if we did not pay homage to this force of nature. We are glad we did
as much as we did, plus the topography on the way up and back down (do take the two
different routes) is very interesting as you pass the remains of the destroyed buildings
and communities. At Rifugio Sapienza there are several souvenir shops plus
innumerable wagons selling speciality honey. Note: Because the cable car lift had been
totally destroyed in the last eruption, this whole area was still under construction when
we were there and the new lift had just recently been operating.
Catania, we thought we would spend some time exploring Acireale. But--with our usual timing, all that we wanted
to see was closed--sometimes the Italian time usage can be a real pain! We found a place for a quick bite to eat and
then some wonderful gelato, wandered the main piazza area for a while, got a picture of the duomo (but couldn't
go inside) and then retreated to our villa for an afternoon of leisure and kick back. That night Cettina brought
dinner up to us. She had prepared delicious pasta, lemon chicken, fried eggplant, potatoes, salad and bread--yum,
yum, yum. It was delicious and so nice to eat at home.
would make a beeline up to us and the two of them would be happy. And, wouldn't you know, two of our at-home
nemese which we figured to be safe from for five whole weeks--yughio cards and video games---were proudly part
of Lucio's world. Casey thought that was absolutely marvelous--much more exciting than Mt. Etna, fishing villages
or even museums.
Under Marc's watchful eye, the boys had a great time swimming, playing futbol, studying every minute detail of
the cards and challenging each other at some video game or another. Youth is so universal--too bad we adults
aren't as easily compatible!In this picture, Marc, dictionary in hand, serves as interpretor-- a role he frequently
assumed. By the end of the trip, he was almost fluent in Italian.
if not most, people will disagree with me, but I feel that way about lovely, charming, picturesqueTaormina. If I were to stay there, it would be high up from
Taormina in touching the sky Castelmola.
for 5 long kms. It is so high that you wonder if you will soon
reach the heavens. If our experience was typical, not many people
make the trip up--what a loss! Castelmola is a small village,
perched on a rock. With it's little alley/paths leading in front of
small shops displaying unique,often handcrafted, wares, it's
reminiscent of Ese on the French Rivera or Cordes-sur-Ciel in
southern France. As you stand on the very top, where a castle
once dominated, the view defies words in awesomenss and
breathtaking beauty. Mt. Etna, surrounded with clouds, stands off
in the distance while in the other direction mountains ripple
down to the sea, sparkling under the island sun--incredible visual
memories.
has become a haven for tourists from around the world. This is not a wonder as Taormina's
location high up on the hills overlooking the sea is exquisitely beautiful. I am certain that it
is one of the places--like Positano or Portofino--where being there at night, when day-trippers
are gone, would be the best part of staying there. We didn't do that. So, if you day trip--it
doesn't take long to wander the streets and take in the tour book sites--the ruins of a
Hellenistic Age Greek theater, the Piazza del Duomo, the overabundance of pottery and other
stores and charming alleyways and sidestreets. We enjoyed the stroll but it was not too much
different than strolls in other high tourist spots. I did buy two pieces of pottery that I really
like because I have learned in the past to buy when I see something because chances are I
won't see it again. We had anticipated lunch at a specific restaurant but it was already closed
for the season--disappointing. I should add that the drive up to Taormina is lovely with
bougainvilleas and other colorful plants and foliage along the way.
the season and so there is the decaying air frequently associated with seasonal sea coasts--when the people are gone and the activities are over for the year. This
part of Sicily (the coast from Taormina to Messina) is far different from other areas and seems to be much less historically authentic. This was OK with us as our
preferences are to explore the land and people rather than "holiday."
Peloritani Mountains rather than on the coast. One of our best memories was making the
serendipitous decision to turn off the highway onto a small, winding road that the signage
told us led to Forza d'Angro. Just the getting there was an adventure. Once there we were
captivated by the simplicity of life which seemed to reflect the routine of centuries. But, it
also seemed to be a dying place with many abandoned structures and decaying buildings.
My hunch is that it will soon go through regentrification like many places in the
mountains of the Garfagnana region of Tuscany, becoming holiday and vacation retreats
for younger generation Italians. The views are so spectacular from anywhere you are that
they won't be allowed to be wasted. As with many of these old villages, the ruins of a 16th
century castle attest to the role it once played. Along with Forza d'Angro there are several
other mountain villages which are probably equally inviting--but they are the promise of
another trip for us.
ANGRO
several things we wanted to do once we were there and so thought we could get part of it done ahead of time. Our goal that day was to explore the Ortygia section of
that once great city. It was an easy drive from the villa and so made a reasonable day trip.
We made our way through the streets of Syracuse (Siracusa) and over the bridge to the island of Ortygia which was developed some time before the 6th century
BC.--as evidenced by the remains of what then was the Greek Temple of Apollo. Once across the bridge, we parked in the lot right by the huge market--this was a
lucky choice as if we had not made that immediate decision, finding another place would have not been easy.
little old sea-wizened man poked a
squiggling octopus at Casey--who was
appropriately scared. Then the two laughed
and had fun with each other.
The market was several blocks long and
wide with many fish stands hawking the
days' catch--eel, spada (swordfish), octopus,
sea snails, squid, shrimp, and much more.
Fisherman were hollering and shouting
out to passerbys--a quite boisterous
atmosphere--very alive and exciting--living
up to the idea that Sicilians take a hold of
life and enjoy it.
Along with the fish stands were vendors
selling fresh vegetables, clothes, shoes,
luggage, kitchen wares--anything that
people might want. This was a little
different from the traveling markets
throughout Italy as it is pretty permanent,
particularly the fish merchants.
Travelogues/Photos
China, Peru,
Tanzania, Ecuador,
France, Spain
Portraits of Casey
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