Moving Day - Taxi, Plane, Train, Train, Taxi

The day began with a 6.00 am alarm. By 7.00 we were in a taxi taking us from Taormina to Catania airport. The trip on the autostrada was smooth till we approached Catania. These highways are frequently elevated and there are numerous tunnels. Lyn has discovered that before each tunnel a sign tells you exactly how long it is.

Catania's traffic was heavy and we stop-started to the airport. Italian Air is different to Emirates. When Emirates board an aircraft it is a strictly controlled military embarkation. The Italians preside over a free-for-all.

We've become connoisseurs of landings and this one was a 9.5. Then it was a trouble-free ride on the packed Leonardo Express into Rome. We had over an hour to kill which coincided with pannini for lunch. 

The Frecciarossa journey to Verona was a little over 3 hours. The WiFi is free though and we both dozed.

At Verona we caught a taxi to our wonderful apartment. We walked through clean and wide streets with normally-functioning traffic to an Aldi to buy groceries. It's as if we are in a different  country.

In the absence of any photos of a boring day, I've found this news photo from a few days ago when a motor scooter tried to dive into a manhole (tombino) in Palermo.

Isola Bella

A lot of the credit for Taormina's current popularity is the second season of White Lotus. Back in the 1950s and 60s it was a movie star hangout. Back in the 1870s it was discovered by Lady Florence Trevelyan who made it into a must see spot on the Grand Tour. She bequeathed the town her magnificent gardens. She also "discovered" the little island of Isola Bella. (In fairness the first ancient Greek colony in Sicily was planted on this coast in 734 BC.)

Lyn put on her big girl pants and braved the cable car down the mountain. In the cable car there were 4 couples.

"Where are you from?"

"Brisbane."

"Melbourne."

"Kiama"

"Newcastle"

Two of the couples had been driving around Sicily. Respect.

A short walk took us to the sea. We paddled about, crossed to the island, wandered the gardens, read the information boards and bought a gelato.

Then it was back up the mountain for lunch and a dozy afternoon. Dinner out was noodles for Lyn and a burger for me. It was time for anything non-Sicilian!

Relaxing

We have said goodbye to our fellow travellers and now it is time to strike out on our own. We have two full days here in Taormina to relax after a packed 11 days of touring.

We wandered around Taormina discovering whole areas we had not seen previously. Tucked behind S. Caterina was this Hellenistic odeon. The hordes were parading up and down the main street only 50 metres away but almost all of them missed this.

We looked at t-shirts and coffee pots and checked out the cableway. Below us in the bay was a huge yacht.

We had panini for lunch and then moved from our hotel to a bnb up the road. We still have a view!

We plan an afternoon of lying around. Bliss.

Etna etc

It was an hour's drive from Taormina to the beginning of our Etna tour, almost all of it a winding road uphill. Our guide had chosen to explore the North side, (less smoke and many fewer people). The agriculture changed as we climbed: lemons, grapes, chestnuts and finally pine forests, the latter scarred by lava flows.

Once at base camp, we transferred to a 4x4 bus which proceeded to rattle, bump and wind its way through the lava fields. We passed a hotel which had not survived an eruption. 

I would have enjoyed the journey more if Lyn hadn't maintained a death grip on whichever limb was nearest. We stopped twice and also did a short walk. The volcano smoked constantly, the craters were awesome and you could see the great rent in the mountainside which precipitated the last big lava flow.

As time passes plants manage to find a hold. This one is known as Mother-in-Law's Pillow!

Back in Taormina, our lunch restaurant had a Roman house under the floor.

We swam and rested after lunch. Then it was a farewell aperitivo on the terrace, a final dinner together and a walk to see Taormina's ancient theatre.

Tomorrow the members of our small tour group go our separate ways. I hope that we can keep in some sort of contact with them.

Milazzo Castle to Taormina

Our first adventure was exploring Milazzo Castle. Cape Milazzo provides a combination of beaches and harbours which is unique on this northern coast of Sicily. Within sight, to the north, are the Aeolian Islands. To the east, a mere thirty kilometres away, are the Straits of Messina. Human geography can often be summarised simply. A good spot is a good spot. People have lived here since the Neolithic.

The castle was built in layers. The Norman donjon was built on ancient foundations.  Successive curtain walls were added over time. The battles fought here are remembered in displays inside the castle. Also remembered are the tuna. Fleets of fishermen herded and slaughtered the migrating schools of tuna that were headed for the straits. There is an evocative whale exhibit here too. The centrepiece is a sperm whale skeleton. The whale died tangled in rogue fishing net. The nets, and the plastic ingested by the whale, are powerful parts of the exhibition. As we walked, we tried to identify the herbs that grow wild here and marvelled at the the capers that spring from every crevice.

From the top, the views were spectacular. The cape's beaches stretched below. To the far south, Etna was smoking.

At the cafe afterwards, we reached a group decision to forego walking further into Cape Milazzo. There was no shade and it was very warm. Instead we had an earlier lunch and drove on to Taormina. 

Along the way we drove along the famous straights separating Sicily from the toe of the Italian boot. They are startlingly narrow, maybe 4 kilometres. No deadly whirlpools or sea monsters were in evidence. Jason or Odysseus would have had an easy time of it today. 

Our luxury hotel is something to behold. Lyn and I had a swim in the pool. Later our group explored this famous tourist town. It is quirky and pretty, featuring everything from the remains of a Roman gymnasium to the modern wonders of Dolce and Gabana. We caught the sunset from the terrace and had a light dinner. The others continued to wander but Lyn and I walked back for an early night.

Castelbuono - Cefalu - Milazzo

With a collective sigh of relief we left Palermo behind and drove into the Madonie Mountains to Castelbuono. This lovely (and clean) town had a castle, a picturesque town square (nothing new here you're thinking) and a trash-collecting donkey. Its other claims to fame are the first panettone taken into space and a sweet sap called manna. We discovered or sampled all of the above. 

The castle chapel was decorated by the same master who decorated the oratorio in Palermo. This is St Anne.

We drove back to the coast where our luncheon restaurant looked along the coast towards la rocca of Cefalu.

We had a pleasant afternoon exploring Cefalu and wished we had time for a swim. The town boasts a Norman cathedral, la rocca, and medieval wash basins.

Wedding guests were negotiating the cobbles on their way to the cathedral. Some women can walk in heels anywhere, and some definitely cannot!

We are in Milazzo tonight.