Taormina, a Lava River and a Wine Tasting

On November 17, we arrived in Sicily at the port of Catania. 

While there was a wide selection of excursions for this port, the one I chose visited the town of Taormina, took us to see a lava river formed by the eruption of Mt. Etna in 1992 and then we would visit a winery for a wine tasting.  The road from Catania to Taormina was scenic with views of Mt. Etna (smoking) on the left and the sea on the right.  We climbed up and up and, as we did, I remembered the Italian habit of buses honking as they enter sharp corners to warn oncoming vehicles there was a bus coming.  And, we heard our driver honking a lot!

Taormina, for anyone who has not been there, is perched on the top of a steep hill.  The parking is further down and, thankfully, there is an elevator to take you up to the town.  Basically, you start at level 1 and go up to level 7.  We stepped out onto a terrace with a beautiful vista over the mountains to the sea.  

Our guide took us through the town - basically along the main street which runs from Porta Catania to Porta Messina.  There were lots of interesting shops and looking left and right as we walked along the main street there were some very charming and interesting alleys (vico) to explore.  

Our guide led us down one to where she showed us the remnants of the original Roman wall of the city.  We also learned where the city's best granita stop is - not that we needed on as it was mid-morning and the temperature was in the low 20s!  

Then, we were given a couple of hours of free time - yeah! - to explore the town on our own.  After checking out some shops, I went to a cafe where I had my first ever canoli  Yum, yum!

From there, our bus took us to what has been dubbed a lava river.  It showed where the lava flowed after Mt. Etna erupted in 1991 and just how close it came to the village of Zafferena.  One house was spared only by meters, as you can see from the last photo.  It still sits unoccupied though.

Following that stop - which was basically for photos and a chance to buy local honey - we went to a winery where we got to sample three kinds of wine, all made from grapes grown in the lava-enriched soil around this area which gives them a distinct flavour.  One was a bubbly, the second was a white made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.  I am not particularly a fan of either of those varieties; however, the blend of the two made for a very interesting wine which I really enjoyed.  The final was a red but I found it a bit light and with a bit too much tannin on the palate.  I think the white was my favourite.  These were all served with a selection of olives and bruschetta.

Then, our tour was over and we got to see a bit of the town of Catania on the way back to the ship.  This excursion was the last one I had purchased from the cruise line.  Our last stop is in Naples and I have book a tour there with a private company through Viator.