top of page
After leaving the Catania airport, I drove to Aci Santa Maria which is at the foot of Mount Etna. It is a small town on the side of the mountain near Acireale; but I had no difficulty finding it. I had rented a room in a penthouse apartment through BnB. The apartment belonged to Lucia, a psychiatrist whose 18 year old son is studying in Michigan. I had his room with a private bathroom and balcony overlooking Mount Etna. It was beautiful, with central heating and a duvet.
I tried to call the airport about my laptop; but they were closed for the evening. I will have to call them tomorrow. So I am off to bed and will begin a new “report” on Catania and the rest of my stay in Southwest Sicily tomorrow
As soon as I woke up I called Malta airport and they had my laptop. They would not send it to the Catania Airport (which would have been easy for me to pick up) but would send it to an address in Sicily. So I called Annamaria in Menfi and she agreed to give me her address and I arranged to have them send the laptop to her address by courier. They gave me the tracking number so I relaxed. Lucia made me a great breakfast of juice, cereal, croissants with home-made jam, coffee and we planned my stay. She said that it was safer to go up Mount Etna with an organized group and that she knew of a reputable group that would go up by jeep. It was not the ideal time to go up because there was still a lot of snow and many of the trails were closed. She called and there was a place on the Thursday tour. So I decided to go to Taormina today.
Taormina was occupied by the Siculi even before colonists from Naxos founded the Greek colony of Tauromenion in 832 BC. It was ruled by Andromachus, a benevolent ruler in contrast to the other Greek tyrants of the other Greek colonies. He welcomed Timoleon (who eluded the Carthaginians blocking the straits of Messina) in 345 BC and therefore remained in power until his death. Like many Sicilian cities, it passed to Roman, Byzantine, Arabs, Normans (Count Roger), Spanish, and French control until Italian unification.
Taormina enjoys a dramatic location at the top of Mount Tauro having sweeping views of two bays. It has been a favourite place for artists, writers and celebrities since the 17th century. It is expensive and has an air of exclusivity. Taormina has a strict access policy, restricting car access and parking. So I parked in a large parking lot at the base, and took the free shuttle bus to the town center. The road from the shuttle bus stop to the Greek Theater is a pedestrian mall. I walked through the old main gate and up the road past expensive row houses, restaurants, and tasteful artisan stalls. Taormina has the requisite churches, Greek and Roman foundations; but by far the most important site is the Greek Temple which the Taorminians more accurately call the Ancient Theater.
Most of the theater is made of brick, i.e. made by the Romans, but there are Greek columns still standing. As you can see there were very few tourists there. I guess the walk up was too much. The view from the theater is stunning, with Etna to the south, mountains to the north, and the sea and Isola Bella to the east.
I thoroughly enjoyed my morning there, stopping at gift shops (much too expensive) and for a cappuccino and gelato at a sidewalk cafe. I would love to come back and splurge by staying at the hotel adjacent to the Greek/Roman Theater, attend an opera, and then stroll for a late dinner. Then the next morning I could take a boat ride to Isola Bella and go for a swim with the other “beautiful people” that visit here.
After a cappuccino and gelato, I drove back down to Giardini-Naxos, a popular sea-side resort (a quiet fishing port in the seventies). I had been thinking of ancient Naxos one of the first colonies founded by the Greeks in 734 BC; so was disappointed as it was a small urban center with a lot of shops. I believe it is bustling in the summer with many seaside activities.
I then drove up the SP 185 that meanders north along the Alcantara River to Francavilla di Sicilia. This was the site of one of the bloodiest battles fought in Sicily. In 1719, the Austrians and British fought the Spanish here and 8000 lives were lost. All that is left now is some decrepit ruins on the top of the hill and a Capuchin monastery. The town is quite pleasant with orchards surrounding it and paths to the river where one can swim. You can still see the bridges built by the Romans to withstand the force of the Alcantara River (Alcantara is a corruption of the Arabic word for bridge).
When I stopped to buy oranges from a cart, I asked the farmer if I could go to the small town at the very top of a hill. He said not to bother as I would not be able to get there with my car. He told me to go to the Gola dell’ Alcantara and I am glad that I did. The Alcantara Valley was formed 600,000 years ago but around 3000 BC a massive volcanic eruption of the Mojo Alcantara volcano filled the valley with lava. Over the past 4000 years the river has carved a magnificent gorge through the steel-gray basalt. There is a geological and botanical park on the gorge. You can pay 6 Euro to visit the park and take an elevator to the bottom of the gorge or you can walk down 500 steps (and back) for free. I paid and only found out when I got to the elevator, that it was shut down. There had been too much rain and it was too dangerous to operate the elevator.
So I had to walk (very slowly) because it was ery steep and slippery. It was spectacular; the river had carved fantastic shapes that looked like sculptured columns. All you could hear was the rushing water which was very cold (apparently it is a popular “water park” in summer). A botanical garden (with the plants and trees labelled with their scientific names) meandered along the side of the gorge. I spent several hours there and only met a young family pushing a stroller along the path. I then climbed up the path (still slippery) looking at the beautiful view over the Alcantara River.
I got back at 8:00 pm and had dinner with Lucia. We talked until past midnight, drinking a liquor that she had made with wild fennel seeds.
She is a psychiatrist and explained the psychiatry system in Italy which has been dismantled as a separate service and instead has been integrated within the other departments. Patients are given psychiatric care in a hospital setting for only two weeks (except in exceptional circumstances) and are then treated in a family and community setting. She then phoned the Etna touring company and arranged my reservation.
Thursday, I got up early to meet the jeep at the local McDonald’s. It was a gorgeous sunny day; but I brought my winter coat, hat, gloves etc. They were picking me up first and then we were driving to Taormina (an hour away) to pick up the other tourist. Since they were German, the tour guide told me all about Etna on the way there (in Italian). Etna was well known by the Greeks, who considered it to be the forge of Vulcan. The philosopher/physicist Empedocles lived on its flanks and in an attempt to prove that its vapours would support his body, jumped in the central crater- it didn’t. These physicists – true empiricists! The emperor or Hadrian also climbed to the summit where a tower was erected in his honour. It was destroyed in 2013 by an eruption. Etna will have the final say.
Mount Etna, called Mongibello in Italian, is the most active volcano in Italy, if not the world. It is in almost constant eruption but is considered the “good” volcano because (at least recently) it gave plenty of warning and the lava flows were slow enough for people to get out of the way. The volcano’s activity began 600,000 years ago and has had some spectacular eruptions in geological times forming large lava deposits in the ocean (near Taormina) and causing tsunamis as far as Greece and Turkey. In 6000 BC an eruption caused the entire eastern flank of the mountain to slide into the sea, leaving a large depression, called the “Valle del Bove”. Mount Etna, Europe’s highest mountain after the Alps, rises 3,300 meters from the base and most of the area is now a protected natural park. People live on its slopes despite yearly eruptions from the cones and craters lining its flanks. There are extensive chestnut forests at the first 1000 meters. People have small cottages there and go every year to pick the chestnuts. Their cottages are “grandfathered” – no other construction is allowed (except I believe ski resorts).
We were told that we could not go to any craters because there were 3 meters of snow on the mountain. We took the southern route to the refugio, stopping on the way to visit a chapel constructed where one of the lava flows had stopped. We walked on the lava (felt like walking on cracked frozen asphalt). Some of the asphalt was hollowed out and contained statues of the Virgin Mary. We went to a higher ascent to look at one of the old calderas; but that too was only slogging through snow. The guide pointed out birch that only grow on Etna (they looked like the birch in the Eastern townships) and one of the vents that had melted the snow. As we climbed higher it became very desolate until we got to the ski resort, complete with snotty kids taking skiing lessons. That too felt like a ski resort at home. In all, it was a waste of 60 Euro.
We then returned the German tourists to Taormina and I was dropped off at the McDonald’s at Acireale. I spent a few hours walking through the old town; especially the Piazza del Duomo and the older parts of the city. I then went into a cafe and had a cappuccino and tiramasu.
Then, following Lucia’s suggestion, I walked down the long steps to the seaside village of Santa Maria delle Scale at the foot of the Timpa - a steep cliff. At the bottom of the road there was a harbour with a parking lot; so, I could have driven.
I returned to have a late dinner with Lucia and again we stayed up late, talking and drinking finnocchetto, a liquor made from the seeds of the wild fennel. I tried to find some, because it is my favourite drink, However, I couldn’t find any so Lucia gave me the family recipe. I will now have to collect (or buy) the seeds. Lucia is coming to Canada in late May to do I road trip with her 18 year old son. They will be leaving Michigan, travelling through Ontario and Quebec for two weeks.
I got up early to have breakfast with Lucia before driving back to Menfi. I had decided to go back through Agira and visit the Canadian War Cemetery. Between the 11th and the 28th of July 2013, a small group of Canadians will retrace the steps of the 1 st Divisions Infantry Regiments and the 1 st Canadian Army Tank Brigade from Pachino to Agira through the rugged terrain, laying markers where a Canadian soldier died . Each day, a small service will be held to honour the men that fell that day 70 years earlier. The landing of the Eighth (Commonwealth) and Seventh (American) armies on July 10th in Sicily was greater than that in Normandy. The battlefield burials of the Commonwealth dead were gathered in three war cemeteries. Of the Canadian dead, 490 are buried in Agira, 12 in Catania, and 4 in Syracuse. I set my GPS to avoid the autostrada and drove through empty countryside where I was the only car on the road. I can’t get over how there is so much “space” in Sicily. Agira is at the top of Monte Teja with a Swabian Castle at the top. Although the castle is in ruins there are wonderful views of the countryside.
It has an interesting church, Chiesa Sant'Antonio di Padova, in the main piazza. I was especially intrigued with the steeple. There is a very prominent war memorial to the Italians from Agira who had died during the Sicilian Campaign mounted by the Commonwealth and American armies. I felt uncomfortable asking the men who were sitting in the square where the Canadian Cemetery was; however, I did and they eagerly told me where it was. I guess they are used to answering that question because the cemetery is not easy to find, being outside of Agira on a small unmarked road with the Canadian War Cemetery overlooking Lago di Pozzillo.
They took me to a lookout and pointed out the road I had to take. So I drove there and found an incredibly peaceful well-maintained small cemetery with a plaque in Italian and English briefly explaining the cemetery. The graves (simply marked with the maple leaf, the serial number, rank, and name of the soldier, a cross or a Star of David, and a brief inscription) were arranged in rows on either side of a small hill. One side of the cemetery faced the mountain with Agira at the top; the other side faced the lake. It was all very moving.
I then took off for Caltanissetta, again sticking to the smaller roads and the peaceful countryside. I got to Menfi just as the sun was setting. I phoned Annamaria but my laptop had not yet arrived so I went to bed (damp sheets). I missed the duvet and central heating I had at Aci Santa Lucia.
I relaxed in the garden at Menfi on Saturday, did the laundry, and took a few hours to walk along the beach at sunset. It is incredibly peaceful at this time of the day – there is only the sound of the waves and the cooing of the mourning doves.
Sunday I went to the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento (one hour east on SS115). In 581 BC, Greek colonists from Gela and Rhodes expanded their influence west (subduing and Hellenizing the indigenous populations) by founding the city of Akragas at the top of a ridge. They constructed a wall around the new city and built their acropolis here. On a lower ridge they constructed their sacred buildings. Henry Adams in 1899 called it “Athens with improvements”.
This site, divided into east and west zones, occupies a ridge south of the city. It is a long walk uphill so there are taxis that will take you to the top; however, they will only do the trip for 2 or more passengers. After waiting for more than 15 minutes to join a group I decided to walk. It was a beautiful walk along the ridge, through an almond orchard in full bloom. Almond flowers have a delightful honey fragrance. There was a gentle breeze and quite warm (it must be brutal in summer).
I began my tour at the western zone which is still being excavated. The remains of the largest temple, il Tempio di Giove are shown on the right. This was the largest Doric temple ever built (although never completed). It was destroyed by the Carthaginians, earthquakes, and the pilfering of the massive stones to build the port of Empedocle. It is characterized by the presence of telemons, or Atlases. Behind this temple, is the oldest sacred site (predating the founding of Akragas - 7th century BC) dedicated to the Chthonic Deities. There is also the Temple dedicated to Castor and Pollux (shown on the right) and a sacrificial alter. There are many areas that are unmarked, including cart tracts and I believe the lower Agora. That is one of the things I love about the Sicilian archeological sites, they leave a lot to the imagination. Even the names of the temples (for the most part) are arbitrary dating from the Rennaissance. I will have to do a lot of research when I get home.
I then walked to the eastern entrance and up the Via Sacria passing in turn il Tempio della Concordia, a Byzantine Necropolis, il Tempio di Ercoli (Heracles), and finally, at the very top, il Tempio de Hera Lacinia.
Il Tempio della Concordia (built in 430 BC) is the best preserved Greek temple in the world. It was modified and used as a Christian church in the 6th century. It is fine example of the “optical correction” used by the Greek builders. Although the columns slant and are curved and tapered, the observer at the normal viewing distance sees perfectly straight lines. When you go to the end of the temple, there is a huge bronze statue just lying there. I am not sure what it is or when it was constructed. Perhaps it is a fallen angel!
The next temple, the oldest of the group (being built in 500 BC), is supposedly that dedicated to Hercules; although, some scholars think that it is really the temple dedicated to Athena. It was destroyed by an earthquake and all that remains are eight tapering columns. The last temple along this road at the top of the hill is that dedicated to Hera Lucinia, the protectress of matrimony and childbirth. It was used for weddings. I then had to walk all the way back down the hill and across the highway back to the eastern zone and along the ridge to the parking lot. Along the way, I noticed goats “climbing” the almond trees to eat the blossoms. Apparently, these are endangered goats (Capra girgentana) and are the progeny of the long-haired goats introduced by the Greeks in the 7th century BC.
On the way back to Menfi I took the road along the seashore as far as Siculiana Marina where I stopped for a late lunch at a lovely open-air restaurant on the beach. I thought they would not serve me because it was already 3:00. But I had a great seafood antipasto, a glass of wine, and a cappuccino. The road very quickly wound through strange black mountains blocking access to the sea. As I tried to get over them, I arrived at a very strange deserted “industrial site”. It felt creepy as if I had entered a militarized zone. There was no one around. I was glad to get on the SS115 and the landscape near Menfi. I even had time for a walk on the beach.
When I woke up on Monday, I called the Malta Airport to track my lap top. All that Leanna could tell me was that it had arrived in Sicily. When I tried to get the name of the courier company (so that I could call them) she either couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me. She just said that I had to wait! I was NOT reassured and my stress level skyrocketed. So I drove to Portopalo to look at houses for sale. Portopalo is a small working fishing port that is becoming a popular seaside resort. However, it does not feel like a resort with many simple houses climbing the road to an old tower. Apparently, there are several fine sandy beaches that even in summer are not crowded. I especially liked the villas that lined via Campagna and overlooked fields with the sea as a backdrop; several were for sale. There were even some very nice boats tied up at the wharf
I then drove home and had a lovely walk on the beach before going to sleep
bottom of page