Trekking across Sicily
Although we don't have time today, we will be posting pictures soon of these and other things we've seen.
Sicily in ruins
Since last week we have trekked across Italy with Benny's family visiting many of the sights. Although perhaps it doesn't come to mind for most people, Sicily is known for its great ruins, many of them Greek, who colonized the island decades ago. In Segesta, in western Sicily, we saw a wonderful temple set against the backdrop of a lush green valley. After spending the night in Piazza Armenia we spent the day seeing the beautiful mosaics at the ruins of an ancient Roman villa. The mosaics are considered the best of their kind in the world, and are quite a sight to behold.
Taormina & around
Since our last night in Piazza Armenia we've stayed at a villa in Mazzaro, a small seaside town that's a short cablecar ride from the cliffside town of Taormina. Known for it's ancient Greek theatre (featured in Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry), Taormina makes are great base for day trips.
Siracusa
Siracusa has been one of our favorite spots so far, mostly because the town itself is beautiful. Part of the town is a small island with narrow, cobblestone streets. We had lunch basking in the sun next to a perfectly restored duomo. Every town we have seen has a duomo at the center, which is the cathedral. There are also some incredible ruins in Siracusa--another Greek theater and a roman theater where gruesome and cruel scenes took place (gladiator matches pitching animals against slaves and other horrible things).
Mt. Etna
Today we went to Mt. Etna, which was quite a change from the landscape we have seen thus far. The tallest mountain in Sicily stands at well over 10,000 feet, and when we were up there lots of locals were skiing, which was lots of fun (those of you who know Benny don't need to be told that actually skiing isn't exactly his cup of tea!)
Tomorrow we may make a day trip to Vulcano, one of the small islands that form the Aeolian Islands off the northeast corner of Sicily.
