We woke to yet another bright sunny day with a current temperature of only 11C and a forecast maximum of 17C. There were a few clouds around and so I was hoping they wouldn't be hiding Mount Aetna.
When we went downstairs for breakfast at about 7:30am, there were some clouds around the mountain but we could see the peak for a short time. It was too cold to sit outside on the terrace and so we sat inside. However we still looked out to sea across the terrace.
Our outing this morning was to visit Mount Aetna. We met in the hotel foyer at 9am and walked up to the main street (past the Obag shop which was closed) to our bus which was parked just outside the southern gate.
At about 10am, we stopped for a break at a little town called Zafferana Etna which was a short distance up Mount Aetna. At 10:20am we continued on our journey up the mountain. At about 11am, we reach a tourist area near the top of Mount Aetna.
Luca had forewarned us that it would be cold and windy on Mount Aetna and so we had come prepared with lots of clothes. The bus stopped at a vantage point where we could get out and take photos. We discovered that Luca was right it was very cold and very windy.
Then we drove back a short distance to the cafe where all the tourist buses were parked. Luca was going to take people up to the large crater at the top. This was a steep climb and would only be suitable for the fittest people. The alternative was to walk around the three smaller crater at the same level as the cafe.
Because my heart condition, I'd ruled out the steep climb and most of the group also opted for the lower craters. Only three people went with Luca.
We were all well rugged up. In fact most of us looked like the Michelin man. I was wearing a light jumper, my heavy fleece, my puffer jacket, a scarf and a beanie. I was still cold. Luca had said it would probably be only 2C. It felt colder than that.
The wind was strong but as we started to climb up towards the first small crater, it started to get stronger. At the top of the crater it was so strong it was very hard to stand up. The only other time I'd experienced a stronger wind was at the lighthouse at the northern tip of the north island in New Zealand.
I suspect the temperature was below 0C and the wind chill factor would have made it much lower. The wind was also blowing a black dust. It was unpleasant. We all decided to give up and go back down to the cafe rather than going to the other two craters.
The cafe was crowded but wamr. We gradually peeled off our layers of clothing and sat down for a welcome coffee. Luca had set the meeting time as 11:50am but we were back in the cafe before 11:20. About 15 minutes later, the people who had tried to climb to the top crater returned - it was too hard.
On the way back down the side of the mountain, our bus stopped at a vantage point where could look back up at the peaks of Mount Aetna. The clouds were clearing from the southern peak but the northern peak was still shrouded in cloud. It is the northern peak that we can see from Taormina.
Our next destination was a vineyard (Barone Di Villagrande) near the town of Milo. When we arrived at about 12:45pm, we took photos of the buildings and the vineyards in the valley below. In a street at the bottom of the vineyards, we noticed sheep and goats running down the hill. This spectacle continued for about ten minutes.
One of the staff gave us a talk about the history of the vineyard and let us taste a red and a white wine. He said the vineyard has been run as a family business for ten generations.
Next they led us into the dining room for what they's described as a light lunch. It certainly wasn't light - there for about five courses. One after the other, they gave us samples of their wines - two whites, one rose and one red. It was a most enjoyable meal.
It was about 3:15pm when we got away and it was after 4pm when we got back to Taormina. It was a sad occasion because it would be the last bus trip on our tour and we had to say goodbye to our driver, Andrea.
Naturally Suzy went into the Obag shop. She wanted to ask them about swapping the bag she'd bought for another size. In our free time, we had an afternoon nap.
This evening, we had free time for dinner and so at about 7:15pm, Suzy and I set out to find a suitable restaurant. There was plenty of choice. In the end we decided to go to Bistrot du Monde partly because it had tables inside rather than in the open air - we thought it was too cool to be outside.
At 9pm, we met Luca in the hotel foyer for our visit to the opera. The opera theatre was located up several flights of stairs from the town's main street. Our group had reserved seats in the second row.
The show, which started at 9:15, was described as "Italian Opera Taormina" and featured three performers - a tenor, a soprano and a pianist. At the intermission, we were offered champagne on the terrace but there was a light shower.
The show finished soon after 10:30pm after a couple of encores. We were in bed by 11pm after yet another great day in Sicily.
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