“There is no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.” Unknown
When I arrived in Catania, the place was on fire, literally, and it wasn’t only because of the blazing hot weather. The airport had a fire the night before.
When I reached my hostel (The Yard Hostel Catania – it was fabulous BTW and one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed in), the lobby was full of guests and luggage. It appeared to be a little too many guests and a little too much luggage. I gave a funny look to the guy behind the desk. He shrugged his shoulders and with air quotes said, “The airport had a fire last night.” He went on to say, “It’s being reported as an electrical fire but everyone knows it was the Mafia.”
What?!?!! What in the actual hell is happening, folks? Things are wild down here in Souther Italy.
Everyone was obviously talking about the fire because passengers were stranded and the airlines were freaking out. Every local I encountered who brought it up in conversation would all refer to the Mafia being involved. One guy made a joke, “Looks like someone didn’t pay their bill.”
Oh my goodness.
You can read about the fire and airport closure, here.
Onward.
I love being shown around a new town, city, or country by a local. It’s always interesting to hear their perspective on the area. So when Marie said she had a friend in Catania who was willing to shuttle me around for a day and take me to see the sites, I was over the moon excited.
I was only staying two nights in Catania which meant I only had one full day to sightsee. Flavio picked me up at 8:45 am and we were off. He planned out a full day for us.
First we drove up to Mt. Etna for a hike. Visiting Mt. Etna has been on my bucket list for awhile. Why, do you ask? Well, I don’t know how many of you do crossword puzzles but Mt. Etna is often an answer in the puzzles I do online. So that’s why. Also, being the weirdo that I am, I considered it a sign and added it to my lists of “must-see before I croak.”
It was really beautiful. It’s an active volcano that is usually visibly smoking. The landscape is mostly volcanic rock (obviously) but Flavio was explaining how you can tell the age of things by the vegetation that is growing. The Earth is really pretty amazing when you think about it. After flowing hot lava kills everything in sight and then hardens, it still has little plants finding a way to make a home on the terrain.
We hiked around the smaller and lower craters towards the bottom of the hill. I’ve been kind of lazy lately. After walking about 700 miles in the last couple of months, my legs needed a break. But we still had some great views and Flavio was brilliant about planning his agenda. Once we descended, about three or four huge tour buses with approximately 70 people each unloaded and the place became packed. You couldn’t snap a photo without someone in the background.
The week prior, Etna had made headlines for erupting a little more than usual. She sure is stunning though.
Next, we had a coffee…and before we hiked we had a coffee. These Italians and their espresso! It makes me laugh.
Okay, next we headed off to drive the coastline toward Taormina with some beautiful stops along the way in little towns and villages. Flavio told me the history or shared some little hidden gem, like a folklore legend or a famous author who wrote a book about the town, for each place we drove through.
We stopped to eat a Sicilian favorite treat along the way. A warm brioche bun with gelato. It’s called, Gelati e Granite. How do you eat it? You tear the warm bun apart, spoon up some gelato, gently lay it on the bread, and let the flavors explode in your mouth. It’s really delicious. We had two flavors, almond & pistachio.
After our scrumptious and refreshing treat (it was so hot outside), we stopped to have an afternoon swim near Isola Bella Island. Now, I’m not one to say, “You should go here.” We all have our own journey and destinations to discover, but this place was stunning. You might want to just check it out.
I was so in the moment. I could not believe I was swimming in such a beautiful place. It was a similar feeling to when I was swimming in Favignana with Maria a couple of weeks before. I think, “I must be dreaming.” I feel very lucky to get to experience so many beautiful places with really fun and interesting people.
After our swim, we dried off and rode the cable cars up to the town of Taormina. I was thrilled to not have to walk the hill. Ha! The view on the ride up was gorgeous. Taormina is a bit touristy, even the names of the shops are in English, but it has a great vibe. It feels very fun and alive. We walked from one end to the other and enjoyed an aperitivo of Aperol Spritz drinks before walking back to the other end of town where the cable cars are located.
We arrived back at his car near the exit of the cable cars and started to make our way back to Catania. But first, we needed to eat some fresh seafood for dinner! We stopped at a local little spot, nothing fancy but really delicious. We got a sample plate of marinated seafood straight out of the ocean, along with some oysters on the half shell and squid. First time for me to eat fresh anchovies (not out of a can). They were delicious and not too salty.
I am so grateful to Marie for introducing me to Flavio and to Flavio for planning such a wonderful day. He really went above and beyond for a total and complete stranger. I think we were together for about 13 hours. I’m beyond thankful for his generosity. He’s a fantastic tour guide and host.
Flavio is a really interesting guy. He was in the Italian military for most of his career. He is retired now. He was stationed in the States for a bit but he has also traveled ALL over the world, speaks multiple languages, and took up kitesurfing in his 50s. He is similar to Marie with their adventurous spirits and determination to do things that most people would say no to out of fear.
It was a great day and now I have some amazing memories that I will always cherish. Thanks, Flavio! 🇮🇹
Oh….
Remember that little fire I told you about in the beginning of the post? Well, randomly when I was booking my transportation to leave Sicily while I was in Palermo, I decided to take the train to Rome instead of flying. How lucky was I to miss the mass chaos of the fire? Someone is definitely looking out for and guiding me.
The reason I wanted to take the train was because they use a very unusual system of getting the train from Sicily to the mainland in Italy. They break it up into sections, load it on a ferry, sail it across the water and put it back together on the other side. It’s pretty incredible engineering. I made a video of my experience. You can watch it, here.
For the train (and transportation) lovers out there, check out this video I found online of how a train is loaded onto the ferry from a better viewpoint. 🚂 ⛴️ 🇮🇹
Kari also made a fun recap of this trip. You can view it, here!
Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Italy! 🇮🇹
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Below is the most narrow passageway in Taormina.
