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Our first port was Messina, Sicily, which served as our jumping-off point for a tour of the island, starting with Taormina.
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"Meet me at the fountain," the guide said. Hard to miss this fountain with its female centaur on top. | |
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Although all of Sicily is subject to severe earthquakes and lava flow, there are still some nice old buildings in Taormina.
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The most famous building is probably the old Greek and Roman amphitheater. | |
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Mt. Etna looms over most of the island and there is a good view of it from the theater.
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The theater is still in use, so there are modern seats and scaffolding. | |
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The main street runs along the length of the hill and is quite level, but the side streets are another story.
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As we got closer to Mt. Etna, we could see the smoke and steam that signal an ongoing eruption. We were assured that we were safe, that Etna "never" has explosive eruptions like the one that destroyed Pompeii.
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Still, the frequent eruptions and lava flows have created moonscapes all around the summit and the high winds at the Silvestri Craters made the feeling even more eerie. |
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