We got into the port of Messina and where whisked off toward Mt. Etna.
We headed toward the lovely village of Zafferana though a paradise of green vineyards and citrus groves. We stopped at the village to have a beautiful view of the water below and went into church that was situated on the hill. Then we stopped at a store that sold homemade honey and were able to sample all different types of honey.
Next we continued passed through villages that were all closely connected to the volcano's history, and the scenery changed from forest, orchards and vineyards to ash covered roads. The volcano recently erupted ash and the roads still displayed the remnants of the recent eruption. As we continued up Mt. Etna's switchback roads, we saw hillsides covered in cones and craters and the remnants of streams of lava.
At 6,200 feet, we stopped to take in the views of Mt. Etna and the region below. There is still tons of snow left on the mountain at this elevation, but not enough to ski. We learned that the ski season ended a few weeks ago. There was a ski lift to take people farther up the mountain. At this elevation, there was a ski resort, restaurants and shops, all with great views.
We went to the Silvestri Craters and walked around each of the three craters. We saw the 1892 and 2001 lava flows - still a rich black color. It was a beautiful sight!
As we traveled down the mountain, we pulled over to take in the views of Mt. Etna again and to our surprise, the mountain was erupting!! You could hear the bangs coming from the crater! You could see plumes of ash bellowing from the volcano! It was amazing! We stood there for over 20 minutes watching the volcano erupt! Then lava started coming out of the mountain and traveling down the hillside. You could see the movement as steam traveled the hillside.
We then traveled through gravity defying series of tunnels and switchbacks on our way to Taormina. Taormina is situated high on Mount Tauro, overlooking the calm Ionian Sea. On our way to this town, we stopped at a small town on the beach to view Mt. Etna. The water was crystal clear and the temperature of the air was perfect! You could see the snow covered erupting mountain in the background and the beach and perfect water in front of you!
Taormina is a medieval town with many interesting shops and restaurants. The town dates back to AD 39. We saw the Palazzo Corvaja and the impressive theater built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and renovated by the Romans. We strolled along the Corso Umberto, which is the main pedestrian street. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant back on a small side street that you had to walk down several steps to find. The view in front of the church was of Mt. Etna and you could see giant clouds of smoke coming from the volcano and covering the sky. This town was great and the views amazing!
