Sicily
May 21, 2005 Saturday we are at Messina, Sicily.

It began with a pleasant drive to Taormina, perched on a terrace overlooking the sea, with a medieval character that delighted us. We walked on foot along cobblestone streets to Palazzo Corvaja, a 15th-century building adorned with classic double windows. Then we visited the impressive Greco-Roman theatre built in the 3rd century BC. Renowned for its width, and for its unique acoustical qualities, it is still used for open-air concerts. The Piazza IX April is a terrace offering super photos opportunities, with its fine panoramic view over the Gulf of Taormina. We had time to shop along the famous Corso Umberto. The streets were narrow and twisty. Many tourists were in the street and occasionally cars or motor scooters wound their way through. Although crowded it was delightful. T'Karri and I entertained a group of kids and adults on the street, and also 4 old ladies by a Church.

The bus departed for Mount Etna. The road up was very twisty and narrow. I'm not sure how our driver did it! This very active volcano is the largest in Europe at 10,723 feet tall. We could walk around Crateri Silvestri, inspecting the lava flow from the eruption of 1983. The landscape was weird. We didn't walk up to the highest crater but did go to some smaller ones. Lunch was served at restaurant La Cantoniera, where strolling folk musicians entertained us
Milan & Verona Sicily Rome & Vatican
Pisa & Florence Monaco & France Corsica
Sardinia Dubrovnik, Croatia Venice
Stressa MS Rotterdam Bob & T'Karri

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Bob Shimer
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