Above
Mt. Etna makes for unforgettable sunsets
Below
The Greek – Roman theatre at Messina
Opposite (top):
The lovely coast at Lipari
Opposite (bottom):
The fish market at Catania
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You are not obliged to join the arranged tours, which
tend to take in the historical parts, and so miss out on the
experience of visiting the local food market or even just
wandering around the streets and back alleys.
The ship tended to sail during the night, so that each day
we were able to explore a new destination. Just off the coast
of Sicily lie the Aeolian Islands and we were able to visit two
of them. Panarea, the smallest, is built on a hill and is very
chic, with a tiny pebbled beach which you have to walk to
via windy paths with trees of bougainvillaea and sweet little
white houses.
The only main thoroughfare has three-wheel taxis which
beetle along, and you have to keep your fingers crossed not
to meet one coming in the other direction! Lipari, the largest
island, is the sort of place you go to relax and do absolutely
nothing. It was inhabited before Christ and has both a castle
and a cathedral.
Mussolini confined a lot of political prisoners on the island,
and it was only in 1950 that excavations revealed the many
different civilisations that had made their home here. The
island is also known for capers that can be seen growing out
of the walls. We passed Stromboli, Europe’s only constantly
active volcano, from which you can see a constant stream
of smoke and even eruptions of molten lava.
We had to take a cable car to reach Taormina, a town
perched on the side of a cliff 700 feet above sea level which
has magnificent views of Mount Etna as well as the sweeping
bay beneath. A popular holiday resort, the town is enclosed
within the old city walls, and has been made into a pedestrian
area with lots of shops. Film festivals and rock concerts are
held in the Greek theatre, redesigned by the Romans for
gladiator fights, which is renowned for its acoustics.
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