8. Sicily

Today, Wednesday, our port of call is Messina in Sicily. Mr. Corleone made us an offer we couldn't refuse and we took an excursion to Mt.Etna in the morning and the village of Taormina in the afternoon.

We had docked in Messina at 6am and upon opening th curtains, the sky was very black, indeed, the two pylons which lift the electricity cable between Sicily and the mainland was lost in mist and rain. 

However, by the time we were on the road, the sky was not quite so threatening and we were soon making our way along the coast towards the base of the volcano. As we began to climb, the vegetation changed from citrus trees and vines at the bottom, changing into deciduous trees and then firs, before the altitude and climate became too extreme to support anything than short grasses, moss and lichen. The temperature also fell from around 22C at sea level to 13C at our stopping point of 6,000 feet. The mountain itself is around 12,000 feet so we were half way up and also now above the mist and cloud which had been obscuring our view during our ascent.

At this point, we could view, and walk over the vast lava fields of black and red rock. Several mini cinder cones from previous eruptions were also close by, and volcanic rocks of all shapes and sizes littered the moonscape like mountainside. It was just a fascinating place to experience and we can add yet another volcano to our growing list of active volcanoes climbed.

Descending back down the mountain, the mist and rain again enclosed the route, indeed, visibility was no more than a few metres. Finally we got back down to sea level and thankfully the rain stopped before we made a much shorter climb up to the village of Taormina.

Taormina is perched on the mountainside, (a little bit like Santorini), but affords fabulous views over the Sicilian coast and the Straits of Messina. The very narrow Main Street is pedestrianised, and lined with any number of souvenir shops, restaurants, churches, bars and stores, all with balconies typical of the area and covered with brightly coloured flowers. Accordingly, the village is a "must see" for both locals and tourists alike, and very busy.

We stopped at one cafe to buy a light lunch and at another for a gelato before making the most of the numerous photo opportunities, but all too soon we had to make our way back to port as the ship was due to sail at 4pm.

We are now heading back into the Mediterranean on a south easterly course with a couple of sea days in prospect after our busy three days ashore.