Sicily, July-August 2023

31st July - 2nd August - Catania

The final villa was huge and rambling, had a big pool with bats and swallows drinking from it, an extensive edible garden, and the strange sight of windfall lemons. Walking through the lemon orchard I turned around and saw Mount Etna, now much closer and clearer, an impressive sight.

Matthew, as is customary on holiday, ended up vomiting, so Debbie drew the short straw and stayed home while the eight of us remaining did a guided tour of Mount Etna, driven to the top in a beast of a bus made by a Czech company called Torsus. The cool of the heights was a relief from the heat at sea level. Our guide told us that a small crater is the safest part of a volcano, as the rock has solidified in a way that makes it unlikely to erupt again. Also, she explained that the strange sight of dead (but not burnt) trees amongst the lava was because there was no oxygen when the lava was flowing, and they were killed by heat and fumes.