Sicily

Date: September 2023 | Length 43 minutes

Kara, Jeff, Kristen, Evelyn and I flew to Palermo for our first 3 nights. In Palermo we took in a combination guided walking and a foodie tour. We also had a tour of the Opera House and visited the open food market. We took a train to Cefalú for a nice day at the beach while Jeff climbed a nearby mountain. We hired a driver for the two hour drive to Agrigento where we visited the Valley of the Temples, a World Heritage site. We stayed at the nearby Doric Hotel, a highlight, with a view of the temples.

Hired another driver to bring us to Siracusa. Along the way we stopped at two little quaint villages - Ragusa and Modica. The weather continued very hot. A highlight of Siracusa was the marionette show. We also went on a boat cruise where we sailed the coast and had a chance to cool off with a swim. From here we stopped in Catania on the way to Taormina where we were able to time the tides and walk over to the isle of Isola Bella.

Th next day we headed up to Mt Etna. As we ascended the mountain we stopped at some lava caves. We transferred to some giant 4x4 vehicles to ascend as high as we could. High winds had closed down the gondolas. The landscapes high up this active volcano were impressive as were the high winds which made walking very difficult. The enormous lava fields were impressive.

We all flew home from Taormina.