Goodbye Sicily

After the last 16 days it was time to say goodbye! We were up before 2 in the morning as we had a 6 am flight from Messina to Rome. Our incredible driver was right on time at 3am with the luggage loaded and ready for the 1 hour drive. Over the last few weeks we have come to appreciate what an excellent driver we had. Walter seemed to be able to navigate the tightest turns and the never ending switchbacks as we moved around to island. There are dual lane highways but once off the beaten path the streets narrow with tight turns. Since we travelled around the coast of Sicily we needed to go through many small towns not designed for the “modern” automobile. Many in our group commented that they would not drive here. Take a tour! and let experienced drivers like Walter and the excellent guides do the rest!

The flight to Rome was about an hour. Etna did pop up into view as we left. We did have an extended stay in Rome (about 5 hours) while we waited for our Air Canada Flight to Toronto. 10 hours in the middle seats of the airplane were made tolerable by the fact that we were going home.

With Senior Discovery tours, we got exactly what was advertised. All tours and guides were part of the package except for the 2 optional tours that we decided to take. Our tour “manager” always had a surprise for us. Gelato, chocolate, cocktails, good stories etc. all made the trip truly a wonderful experience. Having at least 2 meals – breakfast and dinner - a day with the 24 other people enhanced the experience as we chatted about everything. And who can forget the wine with dinners! Sicily is an island with a multicultural past. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans all have left their imprint on the culture and structures to be seen here. Endless areas of vineyards, citrus groves and olive trees can be seen. Thanks to Helen our Tour Manager who counted and recounted the group so that no one was “left” be

A Tour Of Castelmola

<

Today we opted for a tour of a small town high above Taormina called Castlemola. It was only about 45 minutes from our hotel – a distance of about 6 kilometres. However it was another of this hairpin turns and hang over the edge type rides. There were at least 4 tour groups from cruise ships all visiting at the same time. It seems that everywhere we go we have seen group tours. This town had a different feel

to it than some of the other places we have been. Although a tourist attraction, with the small souvenir shops, it did not feel the same as other places. Our guide took us to several scenic overviews, the Duomo, the main squares as well as the steps to the “castle” which was the highest point of the village. It commanded a wonderful view of the coastline. Any group wanting to attack any of these towns had to be very determined. They could be seen miles away. We stopped at one of the places for a tasting of almond wine in a “risky” glass. The wine was very good and we got to keep the glass!

An interesting souvenir. We were back at the hotel around 1 so we decided to walk back up to Taormina and have lunch in a cafe and watch the tours go by. It was not as busy as a few days ago when we had the guided tour of the place. Tonight we had a farewell cocktail party before our farewell dinner. It was a chance to say “goodbyes” because we leave in the middle of the night for Rome! Etna was covered in clouds today. After the farewell party dinner was a step above what we had tasted in the past. Shrimp, Sicilian style after pasta! great meal with wine and toasts.

A Visit To Syracuse

Syracuse was the most important Greek city from the 5th to 3rd century B.C. It remained a powerful city until it was

defeated by the Romans in the 2nd century B.C. This was the last scheduled tour of this trip. Although it took about 2 hours form our base here to reach the city, we had a good view of Mt. Etna that seemed to be throwing up extra plums of smoke this morning. Our first stop was the Archaeological Park Necropolis. It was quite impressive a site which was evident as soon as we moved into it. We walked into the original quarry where slave worked to remove the limestone blocks which were used to build the city. There were massive “caves” where the blocks were removed by hammer a chisel. How they could even do it without modern equipment is amazing. The Ear of Dionysus is the most famous of these quarried caves. The Greek Teatro is very large and was hewing out of solid limestone. It is very impressive. The Romans also built an amphitheatre but it was small in comparison. There were many other sites in the park but we did not have time to visit them.

The second part of the tour was to the island of Ortigia. A short bride connects it to the mainland. Immediately after crossing the bridge we encountered the Temple of Apollo. There are many remaining parts of the structure. The main square has a large Duomo and buildings. We walked the “island” which is the oldest part of the city. It was the end of a long weekend, it was bright and sunny and all the restaurants were very crowded.

We had lunch along the waterfront and treated ourselves to another gelato. On the way back out of the city, we stopped at a cemetery where allied solders were buried. The grounds were impeccable. We did not have time enough to find the graves of Canadians who landed in this area in 1943.That ended the last included tour of this trip.Tomorrow we are taking another optional tour before preparing for our departure.

A Tour To Mount Etna

Today we took an option tour to Mt Etna. .

Almost all of the people in our group decided to go on this excursion. We left around 8 in the morning and did not get back until after 1. The drive from the ocean road to the volcano's south parking lot took about 75 minutes. We picked up our local guide and then started the long climb. We stopped in one of the small towns that was threatened during a recent eruption but the lave flow halted about 4 kilometres from it. The parking lot is about half way up the mountain at around 5500 feet.

Although the “tourist” season is apparently over there were plenty of people at the site. It is a long weekend in Sicily and the guide suggested that many families were out enjoying the nice weather. The weather has been nice the entire time while we have been here. Warm sunny days and cool nights. From the parking lot, it is short easy walk to see the string of popup (button) volcanoes.

The area looks similar to a very small fissure eruption zone. The colour of the ash changed from one location to another. Normally lava is black. Most of the area is that dark sort of surreal landscape. The last cone in the sequence was black as might be expected. The one that we were walking on was a rusty colour. This is due to the iron content in the material which has started to weather. We had a chance to walk the rim of one of the cones but we were not able to go very far because our tour was only scheduled as a half day tour.

It is a very eerie landscape but there are a few low grasses that are starting to grow on some of the lava from older eruptions. The area supports many grape growing areas as the soil is very fertile. The lava contains a variety of minerals. There are a number of lava tubes in the area and we did see one on our trip back. We have encountered a similar landscape before in the Craters of the Moon National park in western U.S.A. The group gathered for cocktails before dinner where we did a few simple line dances. Go figure.

The Godfather Towns

Another full day as we visited the “Godfather Towns”. There are 2 small towns up on the high hills where scenes from the

Godfather movies were filmed. Yesterday we had a number of hairpin turns on our travels. We had so many more today it was not really possible to count them as we went higher and higher to these small villages. The first village was Savoca. We stopped in the small plaza which has a sculpture dedicated to Francis Fiord Coppola. The movies have boosted the popularity of this place. We did encounter another ship tour. We walked to the church where scenes were filmed . As we made our way up the small road we stopped at a shop selling Sicilian wines and olive oil. We decided to make our purchases. The place had many old residences that were damaged in past earthquakes but are slowly being restored as the town get more tourists.

Down the mountain, a short drive and then up more hairpins higher up to the second town of Forza D'Agro where more scenes from the Trilogy were shot. Our guide did an excellent job of describing the scenes, the camera angles used and any changes made to the area since the movies were shot.

Again, churches and plazas were the main items. This town has a much better roadway and probably more room so it has become a favourite for local visitors. We had our pizza lunch in one of the cafes. We did not order anything. They just kept bringing different pizza. First cheese and mushrooms, then 4 cheese, then pizza with pistachios, vegetarian, pizza and fresh tomatoes.

They kept bring the pizzas until we had enough! Unlike Canada, pizza in this part of Italy has a whole variety of things on them. Then it was a walk around town. We saw the castle but did not climb to that position. Finally back down to the coast and a drive to Naxos which is the seafront area of the town of Taiomina where our hotel is located. Eruptions from Mt Etna in the distant past has made it to this area. All the rock in the water were lava flow rocks. It is where the Greeks first established their settlement in this area. Tomorrow many from the our group are taking an optional tour to Mt Etna.

Finally a night shot with the cell phone.

A Day in Catania

After another early start we made our way back to the city of Catania. From our hotel on the side here in Taormina, our drive took us down around the 2 dozen switch backs and hard curves down to the shore line before we made our way back east. Hairpins and narrow streets (lots of them ) do not seem to be a problem with our driver. We picked up our all day guide and headed into the city. It has been destroyed many times over the centuries – living in the shadow of Mount Etna but has been rebuilt many times because of it's excellent position along the coast of southern Sicily.

Again the crossroads of the Mediterranean was emphasized. This city has all the trappings of other cities with the Duomo, Plazas and noble built homes. In the main square was an sculptured elephant made of lava carrying an Egyptian oblast. It is the symbol of Catania. Lava is used extensively in the city. Ash from a recent eruption about 2 weeks ago could be seen throughout the city.

A walk through the “fish” market was part of the tour. It is more than just a fish market and we returned there for lunch at a local vendor. We had him make up a sandwich based on salami, cheese, olives and olive oil. We sat and watched the world go by! Again we tried to get the local flavour of the city. After lunch we drove down along the waterfront on our way back to our home base stopping along the way to have a gelato. Excellente!!! The shoreline itself was a result of the lava flows an upheavals that have occurred for centuries . We arrived back at the hotel shortly before 6 and got ready for our Halloween cocktail party. Judy went as the gypsy queen!

A Day In Taormina

The beautiful sunny view of Mount Etna marked the beginning of our stay in Taormina. We had a half day tour of the

city. The guide was very good as he walked the group through the very large public gardens which were established over 100 years ago. They contain plants and trees from all over the world. the gardens are large enough to spend a long time just wandering. In the park there is a memorial to World War 1 as well as a torpedo from the Italian navy from WW2. The torpedo was very interesting. A frogman actually drove the torpedo to the intended ship, detached the war head and then sped away in the underwater speed boat. The navy did sink 2 British ships this way. The gardens also provided an excellent view of an old monastery which was used as a headquarters by the Germans in WW2. The area was bombed by the Allies but all damage has now been repaired.

Our guide then took us through the old streets of the lower part of the city on our way up to the “Greek” amphitheatre. It really is misnamed because the Greeks were the original builders of the theatre, but it was the Romans who rebuilt the structure as we see it today. The more we travel, the more we wonder at how the Romans knew how to built these structures. The city has “modernized” the amphitheatre somewhat by building a large wooden platform and installing metal supported seats. They continue to use the area for performances. Gone are the days when the wild animals were part of the show. There were many entrances (exits) where the gladiators would appear. We did not enter the backstage or underground passageways where the devices for raising and lowering the props were kept. This is one of the main attractions of Taormina and we crossed paths with at least 4 tours from a Holland America ship which is in Messina. The third part of the tour was a walk down the main street of the town. Of course it was crowded with all the tours in

town. The street ends in a plaza with a wonderful view of the ocean and of course Mount Etna. About 20 of our group decided to stop at the “best” pizza place in town. It was up away from the main street in a very small plaza. We were early enough to be seated at one large table. There were about 25 different types of pizza that could be ordered in the Naples style. We had a very good time just chatting having pizza and drinking a beer!

Finally, Sunset over Mt Etna. Just beautiful.

Agrigento To Taomina

Today was a long day. We were packed and on the bus for the 2 hour ride to Agrigento which is the largest and best preserved of the Greek ruins. Leaving time was 8 am. The ruins date back to around 3rd century B.C.

Leaving time was 8 am. The ruins date back to around 3rd century B.C. Again there were many changes as the Romans and later the Normans had a hand in developing or destroying the temples. As we travelled along the south coast of Sicily around towards the boot end there was. a distinct change in the landscape. Mile after mile of grapes, oranges, lemons and olive trees filled the gently slopping hills. They looked very well kept. The second thing was that the area did not seem to have the protective walls around to house like we saw in the last few days. The temple area tour took over 2 hours. The guide did a very good jobs of explaining to way the temples were build, the materials and the uses of them. One temple was even converted to a church by the Normans. The area has many catacombs that go down 3 levels. There are openings but they are currently closed to the public. Very detailed but after 2 hours in the sun we were ready to move on.

We had lunch at a very nice restaurant happy to sit down for an hour. Then it was the 3 hour drive to Taomina. The hotel is high on a hill and the bus could not get close to the hotel. We had a bit of time before dinner so we had a nice drink at the hotel ba rTomorrow we will do a walking tour..

Wine Tasting in Mazara

Throughout this trip we have driven through many small towns and villages. One thing that keeps recurring is how all the houses seem to be in compounds. They all have stone fences of varying height around them. Even the empty lots have a stone fence, probably a remnant of the original structure that was there. We do have gated communities in Canada and the U.S.A. But not many houses have them. It was a late start today as the main activity was a visit to another winery Gorghi Tondi. The estate itself was

located not far away from our hotel. The estate began over 100 years ago but only recently did the father along with his 2 daughters decided to start bottling the grapes from the vineyards. The estate is in a nature preserve and they seem to be very aware that they need to maintain it today. After a look at the surrounding countryside, we were taken into the production area of the winery. The wine making process is very reminiscent of what you would expect to see in the wineries closer to home.

Stainless steel vats holds the wine for varying lengths of time before it is either bottled. More expensive wines are stored in oak casks for long periods of time. They have over 20 variety of wines. Olive oil is also produced but did not have any bottles available for sale.

As we wandered through the building, there was a shipment of wine packaged and ready to go. The interesting thing about it was the wine was labelled LCBO. It was going to Ontario! We asked if we could buy a bottle of that wine in their store but it is only for export. I found the wine at the local LCBO for around $13.00 a bottle. She said it would be “around 7 euros if they sold it here. After the tour we of course had a wine tasting and a very light lunch. The items served complimented the 4 wines that we tasted. It was a very nice tour. We returned in the early afternoon to free time. A cold bug is working its way through the bus. Everyone seems to take the opportunity to just relax. Dinner tonight was at an off site restaurant. Tomorrow will be a very long day as we make our way around to the island Taormina with a stop at the Valley of the Temples.

Mozia and Marsala

Today we travelled to the south western tip of Sicily for our tours. Our first destination was the island of Mozia. It is an island opposite the town of Marsala. The island was a Phoenician colony settled around the 3rd century BC. Sicily is ideally situated at the crossroads of east west trade as well as north south trade. The island is protected by a shallow lagoon which was an ideal anchorage place for the early trade ships. The water in the the area has a high salinity and the city used the salt marshes to “harvest salt” and use it as a trade item. Today they still use these salt flats for drying the sea water then piling the extracted salt on shore to dry before selling it to be used in industry. Piles of salt from the last harvest were everywhere. The island itself is surrounded by low backdrops and was easily defended. They built a causeway to get to the mainland. Eventually it was destroyed when the island was under siege and eventually destroyed. The ruins had everything

you might expect from a protecting wall, portals, temples and houses. The attraction of this island was that it had a fresh water supply. The ideal trade location, a built in trade item (salt) and a safe anchorage. A very good set of ruins.

The second stop was the Pellegrino Winery. It makes (by agreement) about 25% of the total Marsala wine production. Marsala is a fortified wine (wine mixed with alcohol) and is sold throughout the world. It was an extremely interesting tour. The women presenting is part of the original family that started the winery. She was very proud that women have been in the business for generations. The process for making Marsala is very complex but follows the original mixing formula. Marsala is comparable to a Port or Madeira wines. They do produce many different wines. The big barrels contain up to 6000 litres of wine each. There were many smaller barrels as we walked through the building. All the wine is stored in french oak casks and can only be used for about 15 years. Then they sell them to distilleries for whisky storage. After the tour we were treated to a light lunch and 3 different types of wines including the golden Marsala. A very interesting tour.

After lunch we had a quick tour of the town. More narrow streets! Marsala is where Garibaldi landed with 1000 men (a fact disputed by our guide) and started the revolution that eventually ended in the unification of Italy. Dinner tonight was back at the hotel. Tomorrow will be a bit shorter.

Leisure Day In Mazara

Today was one of those days that are set aside as a leisure day where nothing is planned except for dinner at a local restaurant. There are a number of these leisure days scheduled throughout the tour. We took a bit of time having breakfast as there was no big rush. By the time we got to breakfast it was pretty well over. We decided to try to walk to the end of the pier where all the pleasure boats are tied up. However they was a “sign” discouraging us from going all the way. We backtracked and walked along the river pass all the small craft that are tied up along the water. We thought that as the main fishing port in Sicily we would see the big ships like you would see along the coast of Nova Scotia in Canada. There were a few but apparently they are restricted to when they can fish. You would have to really like fishing to go out in the small ones.

We retraced the route from yesterday along the main street. Today the shops were opened. Then we followed the small pedestrian street where the most expensive shops are located down to the Piazza Mokarta which is near the water. Someone had a mechanical dog – really ingenious – chase other dogs and small kids. Very entertaining.

After a bit of a rest we wandered through the Kasbah again crossing many of the same alleys that we saw yesterday. We did come upon an old “monastery” where an artisan had produced miniature (scale) models of all the churches. Apparently he had spent 30 years at this task. They were quite well done. By then it was mid afternoon and wandered our way back to the hotel, having a light snack on the way. Before dinner the tour manager had us gather where we did shooters compliments of the managemennt. Then off to a restaurant for pasta swordfish and red wine. An of course dessert. All good.

Touring Mazara Del Vallo

Touring Mazara Del Vallo Today was a bit of a relaxing day as we had a half day tour of the Kasbah of Mazara Del Vallo. Before getting to that yesterday when we were Erice a tour group passed. It was clearly from a Royal Caribbean ship, tour group 18. Here we are along the coast of Sicily and a cruise ship passed us. We found out later that big cruise ships are now stopping so that they can visit the same ruins and this town that we had seen. Another ship was stopping today. Also someone on our tour met a neighbour touring with a different company. Small world.

Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing and agricultural area of Italy. Its port has the largest fishing fleet. We started out tour at the portion if the old wall that surrounded the city and then went into the Kasbah which is the old Arab part od the city. However all the groups from the Greeks, Arabs and Normans have left their mark on the city. As we were taken through the “maze” of the area, it quickly became obvious that any invader would get lose here. Lots of twisting narrow “roads” as well as dead ends.

A few years ago in an attempt to “upgrade” the area a series of tiles depicting various historical scenes were embedded in the walls. The original inhabitants were the fishermen and very poor people. We followed the guide through a previously developed walking path. Plazas and churches seemed to be at every turn. There are at least 15 churches and of course the main Duomo.

The highlight of the a museum that has the Dancing Satyr that was found off the port of over 500 meters. It was caught up in a fisherman's net. A head was pulled up and the later the r7est of the sculpture was retrieved. They have determined that it was produced by a Greek artist. A very interesting museum that displayed artifacts that have been caught up in fishing nets. The tour ended with the tour manager treating everyone to a gelato or a cold drink. Having finished with the tour we wandered around the main part of the city but returned to the hotel for some needed rest.

Tonight we went to a local pizza restaurant for dinner. We had a choice of about 20 different types of individual pizza with a whole host of different toppings. I ordered mine with sausage and it came with cut up hot dogs. You can see what they looked like What was really nice was that the whole group was sat at one table. It was another nice mixer. Everyone (26 on tour) seem/s to be getting on quite well. Everyone has interesting life stories Tomorrow is a day at leisure. We plan to wander the town a bit more.

Segesta, Erice and Mazara Del Vallo

Today was a long day with over 10 hours of sightseeing before finally making it to our new location around 7pm. Our first stop was the ancient ruins at Segesta. Sicily is at ts crossroads with many different cultures controlling and occupying the island over time. Segesta is such a place. It is one of the best preserved Greek sites but there are many different cultures represented in the are starting with settlements going back to the 3rd century BC right through the Greek, Arab and Norman domination.

From the Greek Agora, amphitheatres, temples, and Norman churches – ruins can be seen in the area. It is interesting to note that most of the ruins are on the top of the high hills. Just getting the materials up that high was an effort. As we walked around a front end loader was taking limestone blocks up to one of the sites to be used in rebuilding some areas. It passed us 3 times on our upward climb. The Greeks could have finished the temple with that type of aid before war broke out and stopped the building permanently.

Our next stop was a town called Erice which is literally built on a mountain top 750 meters above sea level.. The bus driver did a great job navigating the snaking, switchback filled road. The town itself was another defensive position. Narrow street, churches (Norman) and now plenty of shops and restaurants occupy the site. It is a prime tourist site. Lunch was at a local restaurant. Another great Italian meal. The day ended when we reached our next hotel in the sea side town of Mazara De4l Vallo where we will have a few days of lighter travel before putting in another fully day.

Shrine Of Santa Rosalia and Leisure Time

Shrine Of Santa Rosalia and Leisure Time

Today was a somewhat easier day as we only had a morning tour and the afternoon was free time. We were up Mount Pellegrino to the shrine of Santa Rosalia, a cave where the Patron Saint of Palermo is located. She lived in the 11^th century and wanted to become a nun but opted to live her life in solitude. She died at 28. Hundreds of years later the person who found her bones had a vision. It told him to carry her bones around the city as it was suffering from the plague at that time. They did what the vision said. When that happened, the plague was gone. She became Santa Rosalia .

Inside the Cave

The shrine itself is in the cave where she lived. It has a church built inside. There was a mass going on when we were there but we had a full explanation before going in. 0 This is a very catholic area and she is held in high esteem. Hence the patron saint of the city. That basically took up the morning with stops on the side of the road for overviews of the city.

Once we were back in Palermo, we stopped to view the opera house from the outside. That ended our time with the local guide. It was a convenient place bid farewell. It was in the central part of the city. We found our way back down the main street and headed to the royal palace which we had seen the day before. The palace dates back to the 11^th century is the same style as the Monreale which we visited yesterday. We bought tickets to see the royal chapel which was very much is the same style. Someone said that they had the same interior designer. Very ornate with mosaics, patterned floors, etc.

Royal Chapel

We also had a ticket to see many of the artifacts. It was extremely interesting seeing the foundations under the palace which go back the the 3^rd century BC. A visit to the royal gardens ended our tour.

Having walked “miles” we headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Tomorrow, we are moving to our next hotel in Mazara Del Vallo for a 5 night stay, sightseeing along the way. Packing our bags for the move was not something we looked forward to!

We had another very nice meal tonight. It consisted of the sea food risotto. The main course was a very nice swordfish. Both were very tasty. And of course lots of wine. Check out and travel day tomorrow.

tomorrow.

Monreale And The Cathedral

Monreale And The Church

After a really good sleep we were off for our first day of touring. Last night dinner was a typical Italian meal with 5 courses. Breakfast was the “usual” Italian (?) buffet with more things to eat than you can imagine. No octopus on the bar like last night's salad.We were on the bus at 9 this morning and did not get back to the hotel until nearly 5. Everyone was really tired after a full day of touring on top of the long flights.

Mosaics

Church Interior

Our first stop was Monreale – a church built in the 11 century by the Normans. Of course it was massive. The thing that was really impressive was the interior. I don't think we have ever seen an interior covered with so many decorations. Scenes from the creation of the world, the early bible, the Christian part – it was all there. All were rich mosaics. The church columns were done in tuff (volcanic stone) and marble and it was built with in the Norman style of architecture. The main entrance was bronze with scenes from the bible. It reminded me of the cathedral doors in Florence. As was to be expected, the craftsmanship was outstanding. The entire church was completed in 7 years!
   We next went back into the city and visited the market which influenced by the Arabs when they occupied Sicily This market was mainly food and vegetables. I was expecting a big building but this was basically an alley. Many locals were eating lunch catered by the local stalls. We ordered something – not sure what. When in Rome (Sicily) eat like the locals! 

Eating Like Sicilians

After lunch our next stop was the Cathedral in Palermo which was built much later and was more in the style of the churches we are use to seeing in Italy. It was not nearly as ornate as Monreale and had been redone over the centuries. The whole alter area had been remodelled. It had about 32 original statures and now has about 4. They are all carved marble and were mounted in other places in the church.

Gelato

We thought we were done but the guide then took us on a walking tour of the main squares of the city and pointed out the importance of each. She continually emphasized the importance of the blending of the many cultures in Sicily. By then, were all starting to fade. Helen our guide could sense that so she bought entire group of 23 some gelato! Nice touch! Then we walked some more! Discovery Tours only use local guides who are very familiar with the area. Out guide provided almost too much information. We were using the small receiver which helped keep us up to what we were seeing.   

     Another great meal tonight.  This was the entree - stuffed chicken. And lots of wine.  More tou ringtomorrow to the Patron saint of Sicily.  Only the morning is conducted with the afternoon free time!