Elusive Mt Etna

Mt Etna
Giarre, Sicily from the Expressway
May 18, 2024

It was hard to believe, but one of the biggest and most active volcanos in the world played hard to see today. We headed off the ship and out into the Sicilian countryside where Mt. Etna dominates the landscape only to be engulfed in a nearly impenetrable fog, which about mid-afternoon became a driving rainstorm. I had become accustomed to the crystal blue skies and bright sun, but not today. 

I managed to snap one quick image from the moving bus as we were returning to the port. I thought I briefly spied the top of Mt. Etna through the mist and hoped the camera would be able to pull the volcano out of the mist--and it did. Unfortunately, we were passing a gas station at the time and I did not have a lot of time to frame and focus the image. On the other hand, we have visited two volcanos in two days!

Main Street
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
May 18, 2024

On tap for today was visiting a medieval town, Taormina; a lava flow from the 1992 eruption of Mt Etna; a winery on the slopes of Mt Etna; and a jewelry factory. Sadly we could not pick and choose our stops.

Taormina was a bit of a disappointment. A great town with a lot of potential, but we arrived about 8 AM and most of the shops were closed and only began opening as we departed at 10 AM. We had the chance to view the city gates and walk the length of main street  to enjoy a coffee and filled croissant.  

Lava Rocks from the 1992 Lava Flow
Zafferana Etnea, Sicily, Italy
 May 18, 2024

Next was a long drive to and about halfway up Mt Etna to see one of the lava rivers from the 1992 eruption that nearly destroyed a village until it was successfully diverted. This was a short stop, about 15 minutes to see the lava rocks and imagine the destruction had the lava flow not been diverted.  

Murgo Winery
Santa Venerina, Sicily, Italy
May 18, 2024

Then we drove back down the mountain to a small winery to enjoy samples of wine and olives. It was a great stop and thoroughly enjoyable. The winery provided olives, dried tomatoes, and other assorted snacks along with tasting their wines. They ship to the United States, but frankly the wines, with the exception of the sparkling wine, were not exceptional. It was a very enjoyable stop before heading to our last item on the itinerary: the jewelry factory. 

Chris and I in the Motor Launch
Salerno, Italy
May 17, 2024

I am not going to write about the factory because it is a must miss and one of those stops designed to part cruise patrons with their money. They did serve a sumptuous snack after the tour and time in the showroom, but it would have been time better spent elsewhere. We also got back to the ship late, but fortunately were on a Celebrity-sponsored excursion and so they had to wait for us.

I added a bonus picture for the day. It was one taken yesterday as we were preparing to motor off to tour the Amalfi Coast. One of the deck hands snapped this image for us.

-- Bob Doan, Celebrity Constellation, Ionian Sea