Tag: Sicily 2025

Pins on a map, in no particular order: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rFc7UXPe9TeJS9nj6

Mongibello, or “Beautiful Mountain”, dominates the sky in the southeast region of Sicily. The pic above is from our hotel room, about 14 miles from the main craters, rising 11,165 feet above the Mediterranean Sea.

She was being a bit modest this morning, as we paused halfway up the bus route. The elevation here is 4500 feet.

The road, and limit of our ride’s capability, ends at 6200 feet above sea level, here at I Crateri Silverstri. The summit is hidden from this vantage point. Since we are a) not trained vulcanologists, nor b) inclined to walk up the 5000 foot high slope to reach the mouth of Etna, this side vent was as close as we could get.

Etna has created many side vents to relieve the pressure of the magma below over its half million year life.

This vent… note the people on the floor of the crater for a sense of its size, is just a minuscule piece of the Etna landscape. You can stroll around the rim, maybe a quarter mile walk.

The colors, though…

My preconception was that everything would be black, pumice-like rock. Notta so much. Red, orange, brown, blue, green were all there, created by combinations of the many minerals present.

It’s been quite a trip and we are feeling grateful for this experience. All the things I had hoped for and a few extra things have come true. Travel to European places can be challenging. My advice is to go with reputable entities in the travel business like Globus. They are top notch in my book made even better is having the same tour guide as we had last time. Laura Lepti is funny, very knowledgable, and treats you like famila. Watching out for us like little ducklings.

In addition to checking the details of your trip over and over, see if you can make your trip with a carry on. Get travel clothes that pack easily, are light weight and get a super comfortable pair of shoes.

Watch out for hidden expenses. The airline here in Italy charged us close $180 and made us pay for seats we already thought we had. Everyone wants to get in your pockets. It gets old really quick.

In summary, do the travel cause you can’t take it with you. Save if you must. Even sacrifice the coffee at Starbucks so you can have the espresso in Italy. There’s nothing like it.

You couldn’t pay me enough to be a motor coach, or even car driver here. Traffic “flows” in a chaotic, reckless, game of “chicken.” Painted lines, when present, might as well be invisible. Every conceivable mode of transportation participating in a death defying ballet.

And parking, oi! Deep in the crowded cities, we’ve seen cars parked so close it looks like a crane had dropped them in the smallest niches. Our Tour Director, who lives in Rome, has had visiting friends say “you don’t park your cars here, you abandon them.”

The Farmhouse Table

I feel like loyalty and, I feel like crying. Humbled and special. It’s beautiful here.

Use your sense of smell, imagine a fireplace, cool temperatures, and a welcoming feeling inviting you to sit and eat. You’re treated like loyalty, welcomed with such high esteem and it’s humbling.

What a day. Back on the bus heading to Siracusa to the coast on the other side. Time to rest. We have a 2 hour and 40 mins drive out of the country mountain roads.