Sicily, Italy. Another long weekend road trip around Europe, and in this beautiful part of the world we were able to fit in lots of different towns along the way each with their own unique charm. We flew into Catania airport on the eastern side of the island and picked up our set of wheels, we headed north to spend the day in the popular town of Taormina, another very pretty place and worth a visit. We went up to the top of the hill to see the ancient Greek amphitheater, you also get lovely views of Taormina and surrounding areas and on a clear day you can see Mount Etna standing proud in the distance which was now where we were headed.
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Ancient Theatre of Taormina, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Ancient Theatre of Taormina, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Along the winding roads as we ascended up the mountain, we soon found ourselves on top (well nearly) of the highest active volcano in Europe just in time for sunset. We spent the night here in a hotel just at the base of the cable car and got up early to beat the crowds. After the cable car, you board a jeep which looks more like a monster truck to take you the next stint of the journey, being blazing hot sunshine at the bottom, we were quite unprepared for the very chilly winds at the top. Luckily they have thought of this scenario and jackets were available to hire, Phew!
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
After a couple of very enjoyable hours walking around the craters formed from previous eruptions, we were ready to head back down to the normal summer temperatures and on to Syracuse. This town has lots to see and do, we enjoyed walking around the pretty streets, visited the old castle at the edge of the city and saw the Ear of Dionysius, a large ear shaped cave carved into the Temenites hill as an old limestone quarry. When we went inside there were a large group of ladies singing creating an impressive echo (I guess that’s what you do here).
Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Maniace Castle, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Ear of Dionysius, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
We finished our road trip with a drive to Noto, a very small but beautiful town not too far from Syracus but a bit more inland. I always like places where it’s hard to spot another tourist and this was certainly one of them, with what it has to offer though, it shouldn’t be! Stunning cathedrals and churches and nice little surprises like the painted steps on an old narrow street.
Noto, Sicily, Italy
Noto, Sicily, Italy
See all my photos from our trip below.
