Mount Etna and Taormina

We left the hotel just before 9am today to drive to the Refusa Sapienza Nicolai about 1900 metres up mount Etna.  From there we got a cable car up to about 2500 metres and had a walk around the very dramatic snowy and volcanic lava landscape. 

There had been snow the night before so it was very fresh and the buses up to the top were not initially running.  A bit later they started running so we got one up to the top of Mt Etna – it was a four wheel drive vehicle with snow chains.  We were taken for a short walk by an experienced guide who showed us some of the recent formations from this year’s lava flows.  The ground was warm to the touch in places and you could see how much the snow had melted.  A very beautiful and dramatic scene.

After this we drove on to Taormina to see the Greek Theatre there and to have a wander along the main street, Corso Umberto I with some very expensive-looking shops and restaurants.  A 117 km drive got us back to Syracusa in time for a quick drink and then a delicious dinner back in Ortiglia, the old town.