A break from Latvia’s autumn weather, when tree leaves are visible in almost every shade of the rainbow, but already one step away from leaving the tree branches and covering the ground. The cold hasn’t really arrived in Latvia yet, but it’s been a while since the summer warmth when you could walk down the street in a t-shirt. The road to Sicily starts with thoughts of autumn, as both the real world and the virtual one are full of autumn sights. Everyone with a phone is a photographer, capturing everything that reminds us of autumn.
The weather forecast for the destination is not the best, but the average daily temperature will be higher. There are things to like about each of the seasons, but autumn is definitely not in my top three, so flying to Sicily is just in time.
Once again, our group is large. We will be 10 people, overlapping with the travelers from the previous visit to Sicily. The location will be the same, as we are going to Nicolas. We will have the opportunity to have a better look around, maybe even get to the top of the volcano.
The flight will essentially take the whole day, as we leave in the afternoon, there are still routine things to do in the first half of the day and everything is a bit rushed. Even though I have packed my things the day before, there is not enough time on the morning of the flight even to have a coffee and a bite to eat. I may break with Italian tradition and have coffee with milk in the afternoon.
As we approach Italy, summer breaks through the plane windows. Already, as it rises above the clouds, its white light gives a warm sensation, but as we fly more southwards, it is complemented by shades of yellow. I can safely say that I like it, because the grayness of autumn does not appeal to me. It is good that this season is only part of the year, it is not my favorite season, as you can understand, but it allows me to appreciate other seasons at our latitudes.
Landing. Airport. Rental car. Ready to head to our accommodation for the next few days. It’s still light at the airport, but when we reach home, darkness is here. Plans for the evening are not great. Everyone is hungry and we decide to go to a local café/restaurant for a decent meal. First pasta of the trip, someone else has different food, but all in all everyone is fed and satisfied.
Back home, a little discussion about what to do the next day, but all in all, time to sleep, rest from the overflight and come back in the morning with wisdom.
Mornings start quite late for us, but there is no reason to rush either. By ten o’clock we are all ready to do nothing much. Today is a beach day, which means we won’t have to move much.
Before heading to the beach, we go to the grocery store to buy food for breakfast and dinner for the next few days. The list is long and the amount of things to eat is large for 11 people. There are 10 of us from Latvia, including two Italians, Nikolas and Valeria, and Nikolas’ dad. Two cars, two shopping points and everything is packed. Time for the beach.
The weather in Sicily around this time of year is erratic, with frequent rain and can be quite hot. For a beach day we have a good weather. There is no rain and the temperature in the sun is adequate. Of course, the real beach season is already over here, but for Latvians it is enough. The beach here is rocky, not very pleasant barefoot, but the water and everything else is great. As in the off-season, there are very few people on the beach.
As evening approaches and hunger strikes, we head home to prepare our first dinner. No, it won’t be pasta, but potatoes in the oven and various types of meat, some of them grilled. The bustle around the kitchen is inevitable.
The sun is setting here at just after six. All the evenings have been spent under the cover of night, with the lights of the local town visible at the foot of our house. A beautiful sight not only during the day, but also at night.
During dinner we try to make plans for the next day to predict the approximate time of rising and the direction of travel. The plan is ready. Everyone has eaten. And going to bed is very timely, at least for my daily rhythm, it is even a few hours of sleep.
Good morning, sunny Sicily! A new day starts with great weather. Mount Etna is partly visible, but soon it is surrounded by clouds of various kinds. The plan for the day is to go to Taormina. Some of the fellow travelers were there last time, but then we spent most of the day on the beach, so this time we will have time for the town itself.
It doesn’t take long to get to Taormina, and after about 30 minutes we’re there, taking a lift to the town center and leaving our cars closer to the beach. As I wrote, it’s low season, not only there are fewer people but also fewer cars. Last time it was difficult to find a place to park, this time it was easy, and the town itself will be quite crowded, but not as crowded as in the tourist season.
The first attraction is the amphitheater, one of the most popular sights in the city. Entrance tickets cost 12 euros per person. A wonderful place. Sunny on the sea side, depressing and ominous on the mountain side. Together it looks very good.
After the amphitheater, we take some time to explore the city, but with limited time, as we booked parking for three hours, with the idea of going to another city. A walk and a local snack. Time to go to the lift to go down and drive on.
The next city is Messina. If Toarmina is so tourist-oriented, Messina is much quieter but historically richer. Lots of beautiful buildings. From the town you can see the continent, or Italy across the canal that separates Sicily from the rest of Italy.
Time for a bite to eat before walking around the town. Everyone has their mail and energy reserves restored. My pasta was La Carbonara, and I found the accompanying sauce very tasty. Will have to do it again.
The plan is to take a leisurely stroll around the city, which we do. From the highest part of the city we have a magnificent view of the sea. Unfortunately, the sunset is on the other side of the mountains and we can’t see it. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the other side, but sunset is around 6 o’clock that day and we don’t have much time to realize it. Darkness comes quickly, one last go for ice cream and we can go home. One of the cars leaves a bit early and the ice cream is for the people left behind. The ice cream here is very tasty. Buy it wherever you want, it’s good everywhere and there’s plenty of choice.
Andrejs and Nikolas stayed at home. They were the chefs for the dinner. Nikolas was the chef and Andrejs the assistant. A huge pot of pasta, some side dishes and wine. Eating, talking and the day is rapidly coming to an end. Small talk for the next day – a night’s rest.
New day, new adventures. Today we head south, to the smaller towns of Sicily. First on our way is Acireale. Wonderful weather and leisurely walks. We visit the local park. Some cross streets. It’s midday, as time passes more smoothly in this atmosphere.
Before sitting down at the lunch table, we climb up the church tower across the street to see the city from above. The initial idea was to eat something sweet, maybe ice cream and that was it. But soon the idea turned into a proper lunch, where we each choose pizza-like food, drinks and something sweet. After eating we head to the next town, Aci Trezza.
Stroll along the promenade, harbor and swim as the sun sets. The last thing we want to do today is go to the castle on the seafront, Aci Castello. The castle has been set up as a museum, as it no longer fulfills its original function, and it has already been reduced somewhat in size over time. As we head towards the cars, the sun starts to hit the horizon. A wonderful sunset and we can go home. Dinner, sleep and time to get up to pull on gloves to saw, chop and pull branches.
We can call the next day a partial working day, as we worked on the garden for a couple of hours. This was followed by our first lunch at home, as so far all meals during the day had been outside. After the meal some of us wanted to go swimming, in the sea of course. After the sea, there is also ice cream. The ice-cream place is great, we will visit it in the following days. In the evening without dinner, only snacks as we want to go to bed a little earlier. Plan to go to the walking trail at Etna.
The day starts at seven, but at night the clock had to be turned back an hour, so sleep was sufficient. We do not know the difficulty of the walking trail, only the differences in altitude and kilometers. In reality, the beginning of the trail was very difficult with a steep climb, the further part was a bit easier, but the end was easy compared to the beginning. The weather was very pleasant for walking, but the clouds prevented us from enjoying the views of the surroundings. Only sometimes and partially we could realize how high we were and the view beyond the clouds. In Latvia we would call these clouds simply fog, but the altitude of our walk was between 1500 and 1800 meters above sea level. Some of us wanted to go higher, but that is possible another day or another time.
The trip to Etna took us most of the day. Before going home, we go to the ice-cream café we already know. Ice cream and sweets. We can return to our residence on a delicious note. Dinner for the full day. The next day we will start with the next outing of the trip.
A sunny morning and the first big traffic jams. We are on our way to Syracuse. It’s a good thing it’s not the busy tourist season, because the parking lots in Syracuse are full even now. We park up and head for the island of Ortigia, where most of the day will be spent, as daylight is now less than darkness, making it difficult to see the town, let alone the sights outside.
We are going on a distinct tourist route. Souvenir market. Highlights. Beautiful streets. A beautiful place for a walk. At times intrusive tourist attraction vendors. Time for lunch.
My lunch choice was different at first, but that particular dish was no longer on the menu, so I quickly chose chicken with something… when the something arrived, it was a boiled chicken leg and maybe a little fried. In the next bowl, a slightly bitter salad. I can safely say that this was the most not enjoyable meal of the trip.
It is getting dark. One hour to sunset. The sun sets at 17:05. Part of the group wants to go for a swim. We do so and drive to a more distant beach to see some of the sun, as there are sunrises on this coast, but sunsets are visible in the land protrusions. The plan is partially realized because the chosen area is not freely accessible. We can see the sunset, but nobody goes swimming.
Darkness signals time to go home. One car does. The other, the one I’m in, tries to re-enter Syracuse to see one of the historic amphitheaters, but it’s too dark and they are in a restricted area that is already closed. We are also going home.
Dinner is potatoes, grilled meat and wine. Like in Latvia, but not in Latvia. Conversations about what we have seen during the day, plans for the next day. Tomorrow is Valerie’s birthday. We brought her a present from Latvia.
The morning starts as planned. At nine o’clock everyone is at the table and a cake and burning candles come out from the corner. Valeria blows out the candles happily. She breaks one candle and makes a wish, according to Italian tradition. The gift is unwrapped. Joy and smiles. Time for breakfast and cake.
Plans for the day include a trip to a mountain river (Alcantara) to wade in the cold water. The water is not the most pleasant element, but the adventure and the view are worth it. Compared to last time, the water was warmer this time. A few more walks along the riverside and we are ready to head for the nearby mountain village (Castiglione di Sicilia).
The village is cozy and quite. There are many of them in the area, because it is not profitable to renovate houses and villages are slowly becoming emptier and buildings more abandoned. From the top of the hill you can see the valley and the mountains. A few more bends and we head for the ice cream, to a well-known ice cream shop.
The last rays of the day are spent by the sea. We still have to mentally and physically mature for the evening meal, which will be at the restaurant next door to our house. We will have to eat a lot.
There is a little time to nap before the big meal, which most people take. A last beauty treatment and we all go to dinner. Lots and lots of seafood. I liked the squid and octopus best, and the swordfish was good. With full bellies we can go to our accommodation and start the last day of the trip.
On the last day, we will go to Etna again. Only this time from the north, different trails, different views, and the weather is treating us today and the sun is shining outside, there are only a few clouds, they are most likely on the side of the previous trail and Etna is blocking them.
Some of us have a tan after our walk. The last signs of summer, as the weather forecast for Latvia promises wet snow and something else to look forward to. The walk ends with a trip for ice cream. Same place, same ice cream. Today I try the remaining flavors. Even in the café, we eat as if it were a feast. Ice cream, sweets and coffee. Before the sun disappears behind the volcano, we head to the beach to end the day in the Mediterranean waters.
Last supper, of course, only on this trip. We can go back to the classics. The pasta is on the table.
A little bedroom cleaning works and a few hours of sleep to return to Latvia. We are not all going to Latvia, some of us are staying for a few more days.
Catania airport. Flight via Sofia to Riga.
Latvia. Home.