A long time in planning – we are finally off to Italy for our 30th anniversary.

First stop is Sicily for Chuck and I. Since we have a long lay over in Naples, we decided to take a taxi into town for a taste of pizza where it all began! The famous antica Michele has a long line up so we make our way to El Présidente. Watching the locals scream at each other across the road is a show onto itself!! While the slice is good, the crust could be better cooked in my opinion. We will try again.

First day in Catania, we decide to walk around the town to see the various landmarks. We are staying on Via Etna which is the main artery with high end brand name stores as well as cute cafe and trattoria in sideway alleys.

We start with the ancien Roman amphitheater that is very close to our hotel. Unfortunately it is closed to the public while they repair the walls and we can not walk down but we have a great view from the street. Very impressive.

Nearby a street market, piazza Carlo Alberto is full of life and….umbrella hanging above the street. As with everywhere, fish has the place of honour. The smell is almost overwhelming. 👃🐠

We arrive at the Piazza Duomo and cathedral Sant-Agatha with its famous black elephant statut (made of lava stone) and beautiful fountain. We walk to the Porta Garibaldi via a street that is fairly rundown area. Lots of small businesses seem to be closed unfortunately.

We stop at Castillo Ursino and visit the museum. This castle was moved after a lava flow covered Catania hundreds of years ago.

On our way back we stop at the Scirrocco fish bar in a small alley where everything seems to be fried. We order the specialty – a cone of fried pieces of fish and a drink. What a treat!! Chuck didn’t like the fried sardines so we will have to try again.

Then we are off to the Bénédictin Monastery that is now owned by the university and we see students in class in medieval classrooms!

We stop at another Theatro Greco, Sam Nicolo Arena, where we can walk all the way up and get a perfect impression of what it would have been to see a fight from those stands.

The garden Bellini is a must stop and yet more stairs to climb up. This is a very hilly town!

Along the way, more alleys with umbrellas and decorations 🤪

We have an excellent dinner at Be Quiet, a small restaurant near us. I have a craving for local tomato pasta and am not disappointed. Flavour is bursting in each bite. Chuck enjoys his grilled mixed fish skewer and of course we share a perfect bottle of Sicilian red wine. We learned that Sicily is the largest producer of wine is Italy!

The next day we have a full day tour to Mount Etna and Taormina.

Our excellent driver Francesco (we purchased the tour on getyourguide), explains the various craters and the particularity of Mount Etna as we take the road to climb to 2500 feet. Lava stones and craters everywhere! He tells us that Catanian are not scared of mama Etna. It is a volcano that creates slow lava flow in contrast to Vesuvius which is explosive so citizens have time to evacuate. The lava flows in return becomes a very fertile ground which provides them excellent produces. They regularly watch the “show” is short eruptions.

Arriving at the station which is a ski resort in the winter, we take the cable car up to 2750. It is a lot colder than expected. I needed to buy a sweater! The mountain currently stands at 3300 feet but this is the highest people can go. The road and cable cars etc…had to all be rebuilt following the last eruption of lava flow in 2001. Apparently they rebuild every time it happens. While some people still live in the park, houses can not longer be built or rebuilt.

At the top we take a bus to an area where we meet a guide that will take us around and explain the particularity of this volcano. We are lucky that there is a short clearing from the clouds and are able to see the top!

We are then driven to a crater that was formed in 2001 and we can still see steam from the heat. It basically was created from flat land at that time. Another hike up but well worth it. We feel like we are on another planet.

Next stop is a lava tube where we can descend to see a sort of a cave that was created in the 1700s by the flow of lava. This is followed by a quick stop to taste olive oil, honey and wine and then off to Taormina.

First, Francesco drop us off to walk the 200 steps down to the beach to see Iso Bella from the sea level. Water is surprisingly warm.

Taormina is very reminiscent of Santorini. Small pedestrian street high fashion stores, way too many people and amazing views of the sea. The Teatro Roman Greco is spectacular. Spectators in the stand would be able to watch the show with the beautiful view of the sea in the background. We are taking in the views from all directions! The best bucket list thing would be to come back to watch a show here! Our guide tells us he saw multiple acts here including Simple minds and Sting. Maybe we come back for the film festival!!

First stop is at Bam Bar for the famous Sicilian granite. We choose kiwi and it does not disappoint!

The pizza at the local trattoria wins the prize so far and the spaghetti with clams is excellent!

On our way back to the hotel for our last sleepover. The boys are boarding their flight from Toronto tonight with much drama about whether Mathew will make it or not 🤦‍♀️

Arrivederci Sicily!