Our rental just south of Taormina in eastern Sicily was humongous and had everything and more than we could ever want! Too bad we had such a tight schedule and hadn't allotted another night or two to explore the city's sights. Two weeks was clearly not enough to tour the island the way Steven and I like to travel.
The night before, we hadn't been able to see how pretty nearby Giardino-Naxos was when we drove there for dinner.
We first spotted towering Mount Etna the previous afternoon from Castelmola. Fortunately, we hadn't tired of it, as we felt no visit to eastern Sicily would be complete without experiencing the fiery mountain up close. Did you know that Mount Etna is not only Italy's largest active volcano and twice as large as Mount Vesuvius, but also one of the largest in mainland Europe? The crater's cone rises 11,014 feet above sea level!
Surprise, surprise—we had another jam-packed day ahead of us. Steven insisted we take the Autostrada south to save some much-needed time, even though we normally preferred the back roads. You sure can't beat the great price of Italian toll roads, as it cost us just .80 for 40 km.
Though we didn't see fiery streaks of lava, the sight of Etna's trailing clouds of smoke will remain with us forever. The mountain, Sicily's best-known symbol, is so important to locals that she’s often referred to as Mamma Etna.
After leaving the Autostrada, we kept climbing through small villages to reach Crateri Silvestri, Etna's moonlike surface. I remember we both said our ears popped when we still had another 30 minutes and 17 km to go!
I can describe the last 12km of the road up to Etna as "snaky," but the photo on Google Maps says it better than I can!
The stark terrain of the lava fields foreshadowed what was ahead.
Near the top of the steep road were two hardy souls on bicycles - I was impressed at their stamina.
We could see where the lava had flowed and ...
a mere two minutes later, lush foliage appeared with no sign of lava. The vagaries of nature!
Crateri Silvestri consists of five extinct craters that formed during the 1892 eruption. They are located on the volcano's south side at an altitude of about 6,200 feet. We noticed that the vegetation changed markedly the higher the elevation. At the top, there were growths of broom and lichen.
Like any major tourist attraction, Mount Etna was mobbed by hordes of tour buses, tacky souvenir shops, vendors selling Mount Etna honey, and promotions for various tours, including quad bikes. I should have expected it but didn't.
Because it was so hazy at the top, the views into the valley were pretty dismal, unfortunately.
A cable car carried adventurous hikers and their guides up to 8,000 feet or to go skiing in winter!
Though we'd smelled smoke at much lower elevations the previous day, we detected no odor at Crateri Silvestri. We figured that was likely due to a change in wind direction. We scooped up a snack-bag size of pulverized rocks as a souvenir from this spot. I don't think they'll be missed!
I read that because Mount Etna, affectionately called Idda or "she" in the Sicilian dialect, is essentially always active, its spewing ash occasionally causes airspace closures. For the locals, she is not considered a constant doomsday reminder but "a living part of the dynamic landscape, loved and revered." Plato sailed close by to catch a glimpse in 387 BC. When it erupted for four months nonstop in 1669, its lava flows reached the city of Catania further south on the coast. Even in this century, the volcano still grabs headlines as significant eruptions have occurred in the last twenty years.
Because of the many boutique wineries on its slopes, Mount Etna has also become a popular destination for wine lovers!
Saying arrivederci to Mount Etna, we drove back toward the coast and the town of Acireale. The area is known as the Riviera dei Ciclopi after the legend narrated in The Odyssey in which the blind Cyclops flung boulders at the retreating Ulysses. As a result, spires of rock or faraglioni were created. Diana and Lynne: Do you remember learning about this from our Latin classes back at Elmwood?!
We drove up hill and down dale, looking in vain for the Belvedere di Santa Caterina, a viewpoint over the Ionian Sea that Lord Byron had visited on his Italian wanderings. We gave up and headed to the town center, which grabbed our attention for its striking architecture.
The extravagant Baroque Duomo dated to the 17th century.
The early 18th-century frescoes were painted by Antonio Filocamo.
In an elaborate chapel near the altar was a 17th-century silver statue of Santa Venera, Acireale's patron saint.
The cathedral's most significant feature was its Meridian Line, a brass band inlaid on the floor that ran from south to north, crossing the width of the church near the main entrance. Its purpose was a reminder of the historical use of the cathedral for astronomical observations and calculations.
The former Palazzo Vescovile was adjacent to the cathedral.
A twisty drive from Acireale's center was the small town of Santa Maria La Scala. Its picturesque harbor with lava steps leading to the water was filled with colorful fishing boats that were just begging to be photographed!
It seems no matter where we travel, Steven and I are lucky to come across couples decked out in wedding attire, or is it because we travel so much that is inevitable?! The pier in Santa Maria was still one of the more unusual locations, however.
The small lava 'beach' would not have been my go-to spot!
After visiting the exciting but mobbed resort of Taormina yesterday afternoon, where visitors don't normally encounter a single Italian except those working in the shops, the fishing community of Santa Maria del Scala felt as real-life Sicily as it gets. I was quite taken with the small town, as you might have guessed
A few minutes drive south was Aci Trezza, a coastal town described as an open-air museum of Mount Etna's initial eruptions. Its lava pillars emerging from the sea were the ones I mentioned earlier that inspired Homer. The Cyclopean seaside is one of the few places in the world where these remarkable columnar basalt rock formations are found.
Aci is a mythological river that flows from Mount Etna to the sea. The Ancient Greeks believed Aci Trezza was born from the love between the shepherd Aci and Galatea. When Aci died, he turned into the river and Galatea into sea foam, so they would be joined together but also apart.
The largest of the Cyclops Islands is the protected marine reserve of Lachea, where we saw people kayaking and taking boats.
The Bambini del Mondo Plaza:
Across the Ionian inlet was the Norman castle of Aci Castello.
Though Aci Trezza was far bigger and more touristy than Santa Maria La Scala, it still retained its small-town roots as a fishing village.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch of stuffed chicken, potato croquettes, a glass of wine, a liter of water, and complimentary bruschetta. That was enough to take us to our last stop of the day!
Next post: A few more miles south to Catania, regarded as Sicily's second city.
Posted from Miami on December 26th, 2024, which is also known to my fellow Canadians and Brits as Boxing Day! I hope to publish the Catania post before the end of the year, but if not, I hope you and your loved ones make the most of the New Year. Please take care of yourself, have fun, and be safe if you're traveling or staying close to home.
As always, sunny skies , wedding scenes and magnificent vistas follow you on your remarkable travel adventures. I find it fascinating that an active volcano is conducive to making fine wines.. who would have known ? xo Lina ox
ReplyDeleteLina, Steven and I were again gobsmacked at this area of Sicily's natural beauty and interesting villages. We didn't realize either that the hills surrounding Mount Etna would be so favorable to growing wines.
ReplyDelete