A Sicilian Escapade!

A Sicilian Escapade!

Day 1

We left a very cold wintery morning behind at Manchester, so stepping off the plane to be met with a glorious crisp winter’s day with clear blue skies and sunshine was wonderful! Staying on the East coast of Sicily in Italy means we have the benefit of the North African weather. Our driver Maurizio, who proved to a great asset throughout the tour, was there to greet us and we were soon swiftly on our way. With Catania airport just on the outskirts of the city the journey took just under an hour to the picturesque sleepy holiday seaside village of Sant’Alessio di Siculo. Our host at the family run Hotel Solemar, Claudio, was there to greet us with a warm welcome and 50 weary students were soon revived with a hot two course lunch.

Our afternoon was not wasted as we headed out by coach the short journey along the delightful coastal road to the more vibrant seaside resort of Giardini Naxos. Here sat on the low wall overlooking the bay, where the students were soon at work completing the field sketches w/book section- a perfect introduction to the area; looking at and evaluating the lay of the land. A late afternoon stroll along the promenade followed with students grouping in to small teams to carry out the w/book questionnaire challenge – lots of questions and excitement guessing what shops might be and how they compare with those back home.

Day 2

With lots of excitement, and lots of warm layers, we set off from a sunny Sant’Alessio for a snow capped Mount Etna; wherever you are along the 170 miles of the east coast the cone of Mount Etna known locally as ‘Big Mama’ dominates over the landscape. Etna is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps, and the tallest active volcano in Europe standing at a staggering 3350 metres height, a good two and a half times taller than its sister Mount Vesuvius – Sicilians love their volcano and are used to its daily influence with black ash having to be swept up with its continuous uninterrupted activity.

The coach journey offers a real insight in to the everyday life of the locals, and the further we travel into the hills the less people there are around, with mainly only the older generation still living in the almost abandoned towns. On approaching the town of Zafferana the effects of Mount Etna soon become apparent, with a visit to the 1991-93 lava field which saw the town threatened by the lava flow. A successful diversion took place, with the construction of earth barriers saving the town with the loss of only one building just a few metres from the start of the town. It’s quite incredible to be able to walk on the lava field today with the submersed lost building visible; a great way to understand the cause and effects……

Onwards and upwards, our journey continues with the temperature dropping to -4 degrees as we reach 2000 metres, where the landscape gradually becomes more and more barren. Eventually we arrive at the rifiugio sapienza with plenty of snow and wispy clouds, all adequately wrapped up and ready to continue our adventure. Taking the cable cars to the highest viewing point at 2500 metres is quite something with the silvestri craters seen from overhead, and the fact that we are on a grand master volcano becomes a reality… at the top we are even above the clouds, unbelievable! On our return to base it was time for hot chocolates and souvenir shopping before departing on the North Road route for Catania – time for some relaxation with a bowling session Sicilian style!

A small piece from the post tour questionnaire…

If I were to sum up our tour in one sentence I would say…”Educational tour experiences do not get better than this!”

 

Day 3

Today we had planned to visit the Aeolian Island of Vulcano; the weather is unsettled so we are switching our days and visiting the Alcantara Gorge and Taormina. Travelling inland we can appreciate the local agriculture with the benefits of extremely fertile volcanic soils, allowing the almond trees and lemon groves to thrive in this region. In fact, although it is only early February, lemons were being picked ready for sale!

We arrive at the Alcantara river Gorge, formed by the waters running of the slopes from Mount Etna, reaching a depth of some 65 metres, 50 of which are above the water level. This natural phenomenon is well worth a visit, here the waters are icy cold, even during the hottest summer months. There is plenty to do once you arrive, a highlight being a trail along the top of the gorge which offers fantastic view points looking down into the gorge. Down at the river level we sat in the sunshine and completed the river workbook units.

 

After visiting the farmers store, with tasters of the local orange marmalade and olive pates, we departed for Taormina. By now we are all looking forward to our afternoon pizza making session at the authentic family run pizzeria Al Varo in Taormina. Marco our expert pizziaola gets us involved with the pizza making and spinning and we all get to prepare our own large pizzas which are enjoyed by all!

 

After a local dessert we are on our way to the Greek Theatre in Taormina – an absolute must when visiting the town as the view through the columns of Mount Etna during sunset is stunning – a perfect spot for that all important group photo opportunity.

 

 

Day 4

Today we are off to the Aeolian Island of Vulcano, being February there are only 60 inhabitants on the island (during the Summer months this quickly increases!) so we feel like we have the island to ourselves. Our expert guide Pietro is there to meet us off the hydrofoil and we begin our trek up the gran cratere at a steady pace – no rush as we have plenty of time allocated to enjoy the climb. Once at the top we all agree on what a wonderful achievement it was ………..the view from the top is amazing as we can see most of the other seven Aeolian islands which are grouped together as a UNESCO world heritage Site, including Stromboli steaming away! We get up close with the Gran Cratere fumeroles, evidence that the activity here is very much alive! On our descent there was time to visit the bubbling mud puddle before heading back by hydrofoil to the mainland. We round the day off with a shopping trip to a local mall for those all important gifts, before enjoying our final homemade evening meal at the hotel.

 

 

Day 5

After a leisurely breakfast we say our farewells to the hotel staff and head for our flight home,

 

Arrivederci Sicily !

 

A piece from the party leaders post-tour questionnaire:

If I were to identify the best moment of our tour it would be…

“Climbing Vulcano. A tough challenge for some, but the sense of achievement on getting to the top and seeing the grins on their faces was truly amazing!”