An Almost Awesome Day

As our two month adventure in Italy comes to a close we had a truly remarkable day yesterday. It started with a climb of Mount Etna..........well, not really a climb, technically. We drove from our room in Giardini Naxos (a beach town just south of Taormina) up the mountain along a long switchback road to Refugio Sapienza at 2,000 metres above sea level where we were able to park our vehicle. Then we took a cable car further up, followed by a 4x4 mini transport bus with tire chains that brought us as high as it could on a steep and snow-covered, broken lava road. At that point we walked up the final two hundred metres with a local guide to reach a set of active craters above the 3,000 metre level (almost 10,000 feet above sea level). It was fascinating to hear about the history of this destructive and powerful volcano that is still very volatile today. Daily mini explosions still occur. We noticed one on our drive up the mountain when a large plume of dark brown smoke emerged from a crater at the top. With below zero temperature and a wind that was howling close to 100 km / hr, our stay didn't last much longer than 30 minutes because of the dangerous conditions that prevented us from climbing any higher. We did have time however to check out a few hot spots where we could feel the underground heat with our hands. Once back down the mountain we then decided to stop at a local winery to try some tastings produced from the rich volcanic soil. The winery I had picked out (Benanti) was busy with a large private tour, so we were initially turned back, but I must have had a good pout on hearing the news because after a few more verbal exchanges the hostess relented and offered to give us a private tour and tasting herself. It turned out she (Bianca) was the 40 year old grand-daughter of the original owner and she did a fabulous job showing us around, telling generational stories and letting us taste some lovely wines. Unbeknownst to us she checked with the chef and was able to offer us the same meal that the private group was having so we ended up being there for several hours and enjoying more wine. Following our second wonderful experience of the day we returned to our room and hit the sack early, setting the alarm for just after midnight so that I could wake up and follow the Stampeders quest for the Grey Cup on my laptop. Unfortunately the outcome didn't cap off the daily trifecta but what another incredible Grey Cup game with so many big plays and momentum swings right up until the very end of the game.

Prior to reaching our current post on the eastern coast of Sicily, we drove down the west coast from our starting point in Palermo and then along the southern coast with a quick inland detour to Piazza Armerina (Roman mosaic tiles). We spent time in Marsala, famous for it's fortified wine which is a delicious after dinner treat, and for the remainder of this trip, a replacement for limoncello. Another interesting event here was venturing into an old church that a priest pointed out to us when we were close to the Cathedral. There was no one else inside except an older gentleman, the guardian of the church. He spoke no English but took a hankering to Pocahontas (don't we all) and led her by the arm around the entire church, including a special visit to a hidden side room, where he explained every single detail of every piece of art in the church....in his best Italian language. My dear wife kept nodding her head as if she understood everything he said.

Then it was on to Agrigento and Valley of the Temples, the largest archaeological site in the world measuring 1,300 hectares, and we walked a lot of it spending one afternoon there. The remains of this former Greek city (2500+ years old) featured ruins from 7 temples, ancient walls and gates. It was a fascinating trip through time listening to the history on our audioguide. Although the temple and amphitheatre on top of Mount Balaro in Segesta were better preserved, our visit there the day before paled in comparison to the size and scope of the Agrigento site.

Our most recent stay was in Avola, just south of historic Siracusa on the east coast which was our base for 3 days because it was convenient to visit other nearby places from here. My CAO (Chief Accommodations Officer) found an upstairs apartment in a lovely home that had a balcony with a nice view of the Mediterranean that we enjoyed on several occasions. We made side visits to Noto (baroque churches and palaces), Ragusa (lots of closed sites in November, could have skipped) and Modica which we enjoyed much more. Perhaps that's because it is famous for its production of 'glass chocolate' made without cocoa butter and heat, making for a crunchy, grainy texture but still delicious. We had free samples of many varieties before deciding on some favourites to purchase.

Leaving Avola, we drove further north up the east coast of Sicily, stopping for several hours in Siracusa. Once there we split our time between the historic old town of Ortygia (bustling Saturday market, ped-friendly streets, connected to the the mainland by a bridge), and the ancient Greek archaeological site on the mainland. It featured 2,700 year old ruins with the highlights being a 4,000 seat amphitheatre that was completely carved into the underlying rock, a gladiator arena and the large Ear of Dionysius cave.

Today we will explore the seaside city of Taormina before moving on to the north coast tomorrow for the final few days of our trip.

The well preserved 420 B.C.Doric temple in Segesta that was never completely finished due to the ongoing battles the Greeks had with their neighbours in the region.

Ruins in Agrigento's Valley of the Temples.

One of the best preserved temples in Agrigento. Once the Christians took over the area they added the interior arches so it had more TLC over time than some of the other Greek ruins.

A typical view of the Sicilian countryside. They made good use of their land using every non-rock space for agriculture.

Only a small portion of the tiled floors within an ancient Roman villa in Piazza Armerina. Every room told a different story and the floors are well preserved resulting from a mudslide that covered the villa for over a thousand years.

Our first view of Mt. Etna. There seemed to be orange and clementine groves everywhere on the island.

The Town Hall in Noto, a wonderful place to walk around that we enjoyed very much.

The baroque styles was evident throughout Noto with most of the balconies featuring carved stone like this.

The Duomo di San Giorgio (St. George Cathedral) in Modica. This picture was taken part way up the 250 steps to the church.

Rhonda caught with her hand in the cookie jar at our 'glass chocolate' tasting in Modica.

Siracusa's amazing Greek amphitheatre (5th century B.C.) that was carved out of rock surface. It is still used today for special events.

One of Mt. Etna's craters that we climbed to. This one last erupted in 2002. The warm spots around the crater keep the snow from accumulating in this particular area.

The Train that Walks on Water (Almost)

Yesterday, we left Salerno and took a 9 hour train ride all the way to Sicily. How can that be? Sicily is an island upon itself. Now I must admit, I drank a bottle of wine along the way but somehow the same train we got on in Salerno was the same one we departed in Palermo, Sicily, sitting in the same seats all the way. It was actually a very comfortable ride. We arrived at the southern tip of the mainland and our train backed onto a large ferry that went across the Strait of Messina, and then took off again once we reached the Messina, Sicily harbour. This was not a totally new experience for us since earlier this year we took a bus in Dubrovnik, Croatia that left the mainland, boarded a ferry, and took us to the island of Korcula. So now we have swum from one shore to another, taken passenger, car, bus and train ferry's to cross waterways........what can be next?

We really enjoyed Salerno. It was bustling with people on a ped-friendly main street, especially at night. Families with young children, couples and groups of friends all out enjoying the city. It also helped that Christmas lights had been lit throughout the historical centre making evening walks even more enjoyable. One of the main parks, Villa Communale, even had a large moose and polar bear lit up to make us feel at home (albeit with a much warmer temperature). Their waterfront had a beautiful tree-lined promenade that stretched for many kilometres along the seashore that was very pleasant to stroll along.

Today we walked around the historical centre of Palermo. The Ballaro market was busy with the vendors out in front of their stalls shouting encouragement to the crowd to purchase food products from them, reminiscent of Arabian markets (which is part of Sicily's history). The churches, including the Cathedral, had an Arab-Norman influence as well and had spectacular architecture and internal art which has become commonplace in Italy. The Norman Palace (12th century) was immaculate and perhaps part of the reason many conquering regions took their turns in ruling Sicily, so that their emperors had a nice place to stay.

Sicily has been invaded and conquered by just about everyone......the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards, and most recently the Mafia 😉 Together with the baroque styles, this makes Sicily one of the most architecturally varied and pleasing places to visit.

Tomorrow we will pick up our rental car and commence our circular tour of the island, our final segment on this adventure.

Remnants of an ancient aqueduct in Salerno.

Inside the Crypt beneath the Salerno Cathedral, believed to house the remains of Matthew the Apostle.

Walking around the historic centre in Salerno which was already decorated with Christmas lights. I had to stop  for a street food seafood snack (calamari and small fish) prepared on site and served in a paper cone.

The Pretoria Fountain, a famous Palerno monument.

At the Quatro Canti intersection in the historic centre, all four corners were adorned like this one, with statues above the fountain.

The lively Ballaro market where we watched a tuna get sliced up for a customer and the swordfish in the background desperately needing a drink of water.

The Palatina Chapel in the Norman Palace.....billions of gold tiles.

A side wall of the chapel.

The Palermo Cathedral. A 12th century structure with royal tombs inside the crypt.

The Mamma Mia Coastal Road (aka Amalfi Coast)

We are so glad that we changed our minds about driving a rental car along the coast. We knew the road would be next to a seaside cliff but the many twists and turns along a narrow two lane road would have been a harrowing experience and prevented us from appreciating the beautiful scenery. The several bus rides we took were exciting enough. On one of our bus trips we sat in the two front seats, across from the bus driver, which provided an amazing vista of our impending doom. It did not help that we noticed our bus driver making the sign of the cross more than a handful of times along the way. We weren't sure if he was praying that another vehicle would not be coming from around the bend, or whether he was thanking the Lord for making it past another church. Now that we have our feet safely back on the ground, I can say that it is something everyone should experience at least once.

We started off this week in Sorrento which was an ideal spot to stay and use as a base for day trips to nearby places. It was very easy to walk around with many pedestrian friendly alleyways with shops. They even had an elevator down to the marina if you were in a hurry or didn't want to use the multi-switchback walkway down or up the seaside cliffs. We did however strike out with a couple of recommended restaurants that closed for the season at the beginning of November......something we will have to be more diligent with.....but fortunately Sorrento has many fine places to eat (especially seafood) so we did not go hungry. The streets were busy every night with the tourists and locals both out to enjoy the ambience.

On one of our days we took the morning ferry to popular Capri and spent the day there. We started off by taking a local bus from the marina along a very narrow cliff side road to the hilltop town of Anacapri which sits above Capri. There were fewer tourists there and we really enjoyed the porcelain floor tiles of St. Michael's Church. We took the single occupant chairlift (interesting experience) to Monte Solaro which offered 360 degree views of the island. While Capri was nice we did fall into the tourist trap of paying $15 for a large beer and $5 for a half litre bottle of water....but the view was lovely! We also made a second trip back to Naples using the commuter train. We had missed out on the amazing National Museum of Archaeology when we were previously there on the only day of the week it was closed. Our second attempt was successful and a good choice. The museum houses the best relics from the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 A.D., including artifacts from the Greek inhabitants who were there before the Romans impolitely asked them to leave. It also houses the impressive marble statues from the Farnese family collection, all displayed in a former 16^th century palace.

We then moved on to Positano along the Amalfi Coast. It was another entertaining bus ride and well worth the 2 euro ticket. After checking into our lovely B&B we headed out for a Positano walkabout. The town consists of a single, skinny switchback road and an endless network of stairways squeezed between hillside homes. Positano, however, was not so 'positivo' for us. For a seaside town that is overpopulated in the summer, it seemed more like a ghost town to us. It might have been the rainy day, or afternoon shop closures, but more likely the November time frame since many shops and restaurants closed their doors for business on Oct. 31. Four restaurants had been recommended to us and we found all of them shut down for the season. Not many tourists on the hillside streets either. Our other planned adventure for Positano was to hike the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) the following day which runs along the mountains high up from the sea, offering amazing views of the Amalfi Coast. With rain in the forecast my hiking companion decided to seek shelter for the day......and perhaps I should have as well, but I always look forward to a new experience. Fortunately for me the rain held off but the rocky path was still a bit slippery from recent rains so caution was required. I started my hike from nearby Nocelle (two towns up the mountain from Positano and another exciting bus ride), which was the recommended 'finishing point' for the 8 km trek, since the hike is mostly uphill when heading west to east. I ended up making it only two-thirds of the way before turning around and heading back on a slightly different path (unintentional). Although the path was marked with the red dots I was looking for, it took quite a bit longer getting back. After 5 hours of strenuous hiking, and not coming across a single hiker all day, I was glad to be re-united with my partner who was starting to get a little stressed when I missed our meeting point time. All good in the end but I probably ventured further than I should have on my own. Maybe I will become wiser when I get old but until then I am like a kid in a candy store when a good hike presents itself.

This morning we left Positano and ventured further along the coast to Amalfi where we checked our backpacks for several hours and walked around the town. Much busier than Positano, it was a bit of relief to find people again. We found a nice spot for lunch and visited the impressive Cathedral and it's Crypt which contains relics from the apostle, St. Andrew. We then got back on a bus to bring us to Salerno where we will bunk down for 3 nights in a newly renovated B and B.

The Plaza Tasso in Sorrento where the crowds seemed to gather in the evenings.

Sorrento's Marina Grande where the fishermen brought in fresh seafood for our evening dinners.

Zucchini flowers which were filled with ricotta cheese and became a favourite appetizer.

Looking down on the Capri harbour area (Capri was up the hill on the right). Taken from the window of our bus on the way up to Anacapri.

St. Michael's porcelain floor depicting St. Michael chasing Adam & Eve out of the Garden of Eden after consuming the forbidden apple. The Anacapri church was built in 1719 and the floor is now preserved by having walking boards along the sides.

A view of the Faraglioni Rock stacks which are constantly being eroded by the waves. The water was very clear with lovely shades of aqua.

The massive Hercules marble statue (3.17 metres tall) in Naples impressive National Museum of Archaeology. The early 3rd century statue from the Farnese collection is actually a copy of the 'much older' 4th century b.c. Greek version.

Positano on the Amalfi Coast on a day with intermittent rain.

Looking back at Positano during my hike along the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods). There were a lot of steps and steep paths but the views were remarkable.

Our first view of the west side of Amalfi from the pier close to the bus station.

Rhonda's first trip selfie looking back at Amalfi. Everyone else was doing it so she couldn't resist.

Tempting Fate, Staying Downhill from an Active Volcano

Our first stop in Naples was very brief.......we decided not to stay overnight there based on reviews we had read and advice from friends, so we got off the train from Orvieto and walked underground to get on the commuter train to Ercolano, home of the Herculaneum ruins and nearby Mt. Vesuvius which was responsible for burying Herculaneum in A.D. 79. Fortunately, relatively speaking in current times, the ancient city was buried by 16 metres of volcanic mud (vs. ash which damaged Pompeii even more) and left it better preserved for us.....not for the original inhabitants, to observe it as it once was. While all the roof-tops and many of the walls no longer exist, there are still wall murals and floor tile patterns that have survived, and who knows how much more under the current city which was built on top of the eruption damage (archaeological work continues). Our stay also included a visit to the culprit itself, Mt. Vesuvius, which involved a 30 minute bus ride up the mountain and a one kilometre walk up a black volcanic sand path to the current summit at 4200 feet, which is half of the original height of the mountain before the major eruption. It was also interesting to learn that the song 'Funiculi, Funicula' was written in 1880 to commemorate the completion of a funicular to the summit. The most recent eruption (1944) however, buried the funicular; so now a steep walk is required to view the crater and several steaming spots inside. The views of the Bay of Naples and nearby Pompeii were also very good when the occasional cloud wasn't in the way. It was possible to walk half way around the crater so that presented a good time to walk further when the views were not optimum.

Yesterday we had the first rain-filled day of our trip.......not bad after more than a month travelling in Italy. We decided that would be a good day to visit Naples, with a 20 minute commuter train trip back to the big city. We were amazingly lucky to dodge some heavy downpours by being close to places we wanted to see when the off-and-on rain started (and popped in for a beverage during another spell). The Naples churches (600+) were something to behold with their size, design and artistry, and often less than 100 metres apart from one another. We had a late lunch at the famous Sorbillo pizza restaurant, after participating in the normal 15 minute line-up, which has survived an alleged Camora mafia burning (and probably risks another for their outspoken owner). After that we took a 2 hour tour of the Naples underground tunnels which only covered a fraction of the 400+ km's that exist. The Greeks originally built the tunnels when excavating the rock for their buildings. Then the Romans came along, and with buildings in place they decided to use the tunnels for a water delivery system allowing for easy well access to the entire city. In later times when modern water distribution systems were put n place, the residents started using the unnecessary wells as garbage dumps......which continued until WWII when the bombs started dropping and everyone decided the tunnels would be a good place to seek safety....as long as you plugged your nose. The garbage has now been removed. It was an interesting, incredibly inexpensive tour ($15 pp) to learn about the history.....and escape the rain!

Tomorrow we will depart Ercolano and take the commuter train a bit further along the coast to Sorrento at the far tip of the Bay of Naples and just before the start of the Amalfi Coast.

Inside of Gesu Nuovo (New Jesus) church in Naples. It wasn't designated as the Cathedral or even one of several Basilicas in a city adorned with magnificent churches. There was also another church in the same square. Now all they need is enough people to attend mass each Sunday.

Waiting in line with my new friends to get a table at Gino Sorbillo's restaurant. We knew the Neapolitan pizza (Naples specialty) had to be as good as advertised if people were prepared to wait in the rain to get in.

Our guide describing the tunnels which were very wide and high in most places, deep down under the city, because the ancient Greeks needed lots of rock for building purposes.

First look at the Mt. Vesuvius crater. It was possible to walk around the right hand side to the dark rock side of the crater at the opposite end....which wasn't a great risk with not a lot of steam rising out of the crater and no eruptions since 1944.

Rising steam is a bit more visible from this angle.

The Herculaneum ruins with Mt Vesuvius in the background, the summit covered by cloud which is often the case.

Remnants of wall murals from ancient times.

This mosaic tiled wall was one of the best preserved ones we observed.

Drink nice wine while you can, otherwise your kids will

Siena was our first stop on this leg of our Italy trip. A classic medieval Italian hill town which fortunately for us delivered an easy route from the train station to our room for two nights at the top of the hill......an indoor mall that had a combination of 6 escalators and 3 moving sidewalks to get us quickly to the top without breaking a sweat. The historic town centre is where we spent all of our time, heading there on both days along an almost level 15 minute walk. Once inside the walls vehicles were almost non  existent which allowed for relaxed walks. There were two main plazas that attracted the crowds, connected by narrow, cobblestone alleyways. The first was next to the Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral, built in the 1290's and originally designed to be bigger than St. Peter's in Rome. It was very impressive (inlaid marble floors, statues) as was it's Baptistery and Crypt (both full of frescoes by the Italian Masters). On the opposite side of the Cathedral was a former pilgrim's hospital (1090) which was also filled with impressive art. Then it was on to the massive Piazza del Campo, one of Italy's most famous public spaces and home to the summer Palio horse race which takes place around the inside perimeter of the plaza. It would have been fascinating to observe but the pictures reflect race-watchers packed into every inch of the plaza centre so I'm not sure how much they would have seen other than cheering for the horse from their district. Tom Hanks had it right, renting an expensive apartment and looking down on the race with his family.

We then rented a car to spend time touring around the Tuscan countryside. With Montepulciano as  our base, we stayed at a friendly farm house for 4 nights where we were greeted with a bottle of their farm produced wine and had a wonderful Tuscan countryside view right outside our door. We had a fabulous time each day, always heading in a different direction and stopping into the many hilltop towns which all seemed to have walled protection, medieval buildings, frescoed churches, cobblestone streets and scenic views. There is definitely a pattern here that we have noticed in our travels around the world. Older civilizations almost always built their towns on fortified hilltops protecting them from neighbouring enemies.......whereas in North America we generally built our towns at the bottom of valleys close to water resources. We are fortunate to live in a time and place where we don't need to fear our neighbours. Several Tuscan wineries along the way also grabbed our attention and wallets after tasting some very nice Brunello di Montelcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines. There is a saying 'when in Rome do as the Romans do' and we have discovered that they drink a lot of wine.....so we are doing that! Montelcino, Montelpulciano, San Quirico d'Orcia and Cortona were all walkabout highlights, as were the wineries of Castello Banfi and Avignonesi.

We then left Tuscany and moved on Bagnoregio, just south of Orvieto in the district of Lazio, but again well placed for daily trips to other nearby towns of interest. Orvieto itself was a treat, situated on the top of a volcanic outcropping with almost no place to expand, having steep sides around most of it. The 13^th century Cathedral was amazing but perhaps less so for a town that was first established in b.c. times and once a major city. Day trips to lakeside Bolsena , ancient Vitterbo and the Marmore waterfalls (tallest man-made waterfalls in the world, built by the Romans in 271 b.c.) were also part of our itinerary but the clear highlight was Civita di Bagnoregio, 2500 years old and hanging precipitously on top of a limestone hill. The ancient town's only connection to civilization is  a long footpath bridge suspended high in the air over the River Tiber valley. Unfortunately, the ever-eroding soft rock is slowly dooming this town which has been placed on the World Monuments Watch List. Parts of the town have already disappeared below and the younger people have moved on to a more predictable future, leaving only 6 full-time residents. Check out our pictures below to get a perspective on this amazing island in the sky.

Tomorrow we return our car to Orvieto and catch a train that will take us just south of Naples, bypassing Rome where we spent time 10 years ago.

The Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral in Siena. This is only one of many beautiful pictures we took both inside and outside the church.

Frescoes (wall and ceiling paintings) inside the Library next to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral Museum which contains incredible pieces of art that were formerly in the Cathedral or in nearby churches that were damaged during wars or earthquakes.

The Piazza del Campo which hosts the summer Palio horse race. Horses and jockeys from the 12 Siena districts race around the outside while the spectators are crammed into the centre of the plaza.

Awaiting my first pour at one of the many Tuscan wineries that held my wallet hostage.

A routine view of the Tuscan countryside that we were able to enjoy every day.

Walking along the main street of Montepulciano. Not sure why the directional signs were there.....we only came across pedestrians, and Italian drivers usually don't pay much attention to roadway signs anyway.

We came across a film crew in Montepulciano's main square and watched this scene take place several times, at least once because the main character got hit in the eye with rotten food that the unhappy townsfolk were tossing at him because they hadn't been paid wages for work. We found out later that it was a scene from Netflix's 'Medici: Masters of Florence' series.

The Cathedral in Oriveto, another massive church with stunning architecture and art inside.

The Civita di Bagnoregio with a disappointing morning fog hampering our view.

A much nicer view of the crumbling town on our departure several hours later.

The Marmore Waterfalls near Terni. This 83 metre drop, and 165 metres in total after a few more cascades is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. It was first built by the Romans in 271 b.c. to clear their land for more farming and is now a source of hydro-electric power. The floodgates are opened twice a day for one hour to re-enact the natural flow.

We couldn't resist going back to the Civita on our second day to capture one more shot of this remarkable spot.