Today’s post is 1300 words, 28 photos, 1 video, a 6 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
This is the last in a series of five posts from our time in Sicily. If you missed the first four articles, click here, here, here, and here.
This is also my 450th blog post, one a week since November 2015. Where has the time gone? I figure that I’ve written an average of 1200 words a week for a total of about 540,000 words. The average contemporary book contains about 75,000 words. Given those variables, I’ve written seven plus books! Each week I include an average of 25 photos (sometimes more, sometimes less) for a total of 11, 250 photos. I grant that I’ve used some more than once but it’s still a lot.
A big thanks to the readers of my travel stories. And many thanks for the comments both here and on my social media sites. I appreciate you all.
Now, back to the story of the week.
Mount Etna
We were up early for breakfast at 6:30 AM. The view of Mount Etna from the hotel was hazy at best, there were times when we could hardly see it at all. Today that was our destination, a ride through the farms and villages to the end of the road, well below the summit.
The bus left the hotel at 8:00 AM with Rosa as our group leader and Victorio the bus driver.
Before I take you on the drive, I must tell you about the lecture the evening before by Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the Osservatorio Etneo of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. He’s an authority on all the Sicilian volcanoes (especially Mount Etna), their histories, eruptions, and their impact on nearby populations. His dynamic one-hour presentation was delivered with enthusiasm and passion for all things volcano. 
Mount Etna is over 11,000 feet at its highest point and one of the highest in Europe. It’s about 87 miles in circumference at its base. Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanos with nearly daily activity, sometimes as little as a few puffs of steam or smoke or as much as volumes of hot lava and volcanic ash. The locals call her “the lady or mistress who can be calm or angry” or “the neighbor made of rock and fire.” Through many eruptions, Mount Etna is said to take and give, referring to the fertile volcanic soils that have created excellent vineyards, orchards, and other agricultural endeavors. As the saying goes, “what the volcano takes, it gives back in food.”
It’s worthy to mention that just this past week on July 4, 2024, Mount Etna erupted spewing clouds of volcanic ash 15,000 feet into the air. This forced the closure of the Catania airport because of ash on the runways. People in the area were cautioned against riding bicycles and motorcycles because of the risks from the ash. I’m guessing that Boris and his fellow volcanologists are having a grand time watch the show the lady is putting on and examining all the data collected from this angry outburst to determine if further eruptions are possible. They do their best to provide warnings to the residents of nearby villages.
The Trail to Mount Etna
The bus took us to the village of Riposto, about half way between Taormina and Catania to ride the old local train that takes residents and visitors to and from locales around Mount Etna. The Ferrovia Circumetnea, as the name implies, is the narrow-gauge rail line that travels almost all the way around the circumference (68 miles) of Mount Etna. The tracks were constructed in the late 1800s and the trains have operated since that time. A fun way to travel.
The train took us through the foothills where we saw bedding plants, orchards, vineyards, hazelnut and chestnut plantations, flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, resorts, and several small villages. It seemed we were always within site of the lady, Mount Etna.
We disembarked from the train at Linguaglossa, an ancient city built on lava. 
We were met at the train station by the bus driven by Victorio who took us to the Piano Provenzana, the tourist area on the north side of Mount Etna. It was chilly at this high point (about 2000 meters or 6500 feet) in our drive, we pulled out our hats and mittens to walk around and gaze in wonder at all the black lava, some that was covered in snow. There is a lift that takes visitors to higher levels. We didn’t have time or the cold weather clothing to make that trip. There are two ski resorts on Mount Etna, the ski season lasts well into the spring although climate change is also having some effect on the snow pack on the mountain.
A view of Catania and the coastline from Mount Etna visitor center.
We visited the gift shop and then rode the bus back down the hill where the temperature was milder.
By then it was lunch time. Since food was one of the themes of the Road Scholar program, we stopped for lunch at a small family-owned farmhouse near the village of Zafferena. This family produces ricotta cheese made from sheep’s milk.
The bulk tank holds the milk at an appropriate temperature until there is an adequate amount for making cheese.
The process begins by heating milk to a boil, stirring constantly.
Then the whey and moisture are removed by hand pressing and forming the cheese into a mold. 
We had a taste of the cheese before the water was removed. To me it’s an acquired taste. I’m not a fan of cottage cheese so while I had a taste, I passed on devouring more.
These are the parents of the farmer producing the milk and cheese. They are a lovely couple and put out a nice lunch for us that included a variety of local cheeses, olives, meats, pasta, and wine. Always wine!
Their granddaughter came to their house after school. It’s obvious that she enjoys being with her grandparents.
After our trip to Mount Etna, we were back at the hotel for some rest before some of us went to the opera.
The Opera
Rosa, our Road Scholar group leader, arranged for those who wanted to attend a private performance at the Taormina opera. We made the 10 minute walk from the Hotel Continental to the Teatro Nazarena where two young opera singers; soprano Ester and tenor Federico performed for the group. Ester and Federico were accompanied by pianist, Francesco. They performed short pieces from operas by Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, Rossini, and Ranzato. Even though I’m not a connoisseur or consumer of opera, the evening was most enjoyable. It’s a very Italian/Sicilian thing to do, attend the opera.
The Final Farewell
My Traveling Partner and I have participated in five Road Scholar programs. It’s tradition to have a farewell dinner the last evening of the program. Well, this one was a bit different, the farewell was held the second to last day. The restaurant was near our hotel. The food and wine were excellent. We started off with bruschetta, followed by pasta, fish, potatoes, salad, and finished with a cannoli. At the end of the evening, we were stuffed and satisfied.
The group, as well as the rest of the diners, were entertained by two musicians one with a guitar and the other accordion. They put on an excellent show. Here are a few photos and one video.
We had a great time on this Road Scholar program and highly recommend it to others. The food was excellent and learning about the Sicilian culture was educational and fun. Check out Road Scholar for your future traveling needs. You’ll be glad you did. (A disclaimer, I’m a volunteer Road Scholar Ambassador.)
Next week, join me for The Trail to Ghana.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM