Day 13 (Friday 14th november) Messina

 Today we docked in Messina Italy. Another new place for us. I know historically during WW2 British swordfish torpedo bombers sank a goodly amount of Italian navy while in port. A year later the Japanese used the same tactics at Pearl harbour.

We boarded our tour bus led by delightful animated Italian guide. We are visiting a winery on the slopes of mt. Edna near the towns of Catania and Taormina. Back in 1992, Mt Edna erupted, and the furtherest extent of the lava flow reached the winery. 

Lava flows from 1992

Winery

The landscape is rocky and hilly in nature. Traffic in Italy and Sicily is intense. Drivers seem be selective about the road rules. Our bus stopped at stop signs if blocked by a passing vehicle. Inland roads are narrow and winding, while highways along the coast are substantial with many tunnels. Our guide indicated that earthquakes though rare happen enough because Italy is a teutonic plate. Hmm. 

The wines were pleasant. The wine makers were very passionate about their wines. The reserve red 14% was particularly nice. Allan B back home would approve.

View of ocean from the town of Taermina

Greco/Roman arena 

Next stop is town of Taermina perched upon a hill overlooking the ocean. The town was made famous from the godfather movies.  

After some pizza, we collected some items to take home and headed up the hill to our bus. 

Straits of Messina (Italian mainland)

The closeness of Sicily to the mainland is realised when looking across the straits of Messina.