Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions Day 13

Day 13 - October 2, 2015 - Friday - Guided Tour of Catania; WWII Museum; Local Fish Market; Optional Taormina Tour

When we met in the lobby this morning all conversations were centered around the tragic Oregon shootings yesterday. Not surprisingly, Maurizio took the teaching opportunity to explain the gun laws in Sicily.

After breakfast we met our local city guide Josie. Pepé had parked the bus as close to the hotel’s narrow streets as possible so we had only a short distance to walk.

Driving to another part of town near the port, we got off the bus for our first glimpse of Mt. Etna. It was “smoking” today and the skies were almost clear enough for a view of the active volcano.

Josie began by explaining about the industrial area we would be visiting. Once a sulfur refinery vital to the Axis war efforts, the complex was bombed heavily during the campaign of 1943.

The sulfur refinery had been restored and converted to the World War II Museum of Catania. According to TripAdvisor, this is the finest WWII museum in the world.

You are literally taken back into time as you stroll through Catania in the 1940, before the liberation with the Andrews Sisters singing on a gramophone. The next thing we knew sirens were blaring and we were hustled into a bomb shelter, where we sat out the bombing of the city. The smells, sights, vibrations, and sounds were terrifying!

When the siren let us know it was all right to come out, we were hit by the reality of the same town after the bombing. We watched film clips of the city and the rescue of the townspeople.

Catania was bombed 87 times during Operation Husky and then troops from Patton’s USA Army and the Commonwealth forces liberated the Island of Sicily from the Germans. The museum contained artifacts from all of the armies, German, Italian, and those of the Allies.

The final stages of the war were covered as dioramas of signing of the armistice on September 8, 1943 were displayed. The whole tour lasted about two hours and with Josie’s help, we all understood the casualties of war and the struggle to rebuild Sicily.

We left the museum at 10:45 and got back on the bus to drive to the city center. Traffic was terrible, even worse than usual because last night’s rain had knocked out the traffic signals.

Off the bus, our walking tour took us to the Church of St. Agatha. Destroyed by earthquakes and eruptions from Mount Etna, the focus of the church is the column bearing St. Agatha’s relics that was carried through the streets to commemorate the feast of the saint in February.

The next stop was the courtyard of the university. Opened in 1434, the building we saw was rebuilt in 1740 and designed to be more earthquake proof. Over 70,000 students are enrolled in its many colleges.

Before lunch we went to the local fish market. Although there were rows and rows of stands selling seafood, there were also fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs.

On our way back to the piazza we found a Kebab shop and we shared a wrap and a soft drink. Of course, we had to have a gelato for dessert so that was our next quest.

Maurizio gave us 90 minutes so we took time to get cash from the street ATM. No one was able to access their accounts because of the same problems with the stoplights; water in the electric lines. We were able to go into the Bank of Sicily and make a cash withdrawal by using the interior terminals.

At 3:00 we joined 13 of the group for the optional Taormina tour. Pepé drove for about one hour north to the hilltop town of Taormina. By the time we reached the town it was raining hard.

We met our guide Vera who took us directly to the Greek theater that was converted by the Romans to an amphitheater. The site was very well preserved and the theater had impressive views of the sea below. However, because of the rain, we could not see the volcano.

Taormina is a busy tourist town with lots of shops selling local ceramics, jewelry, and the usual souvenirs. Gennie finally found a silver charm of the Trinacria, the head of Medusa, three stalks of wheat, and the three bent legs representing the three points of the triangular shape of the island of Sicily.

Maurizio gave the shoppers time to look around, but many of us went to the O’Seven Irish Pub to get in out of the rain. We had a beverage and talked to a group from Manchester, England. They had been here since Thursday for a location wedding and had been partying ever since.

We had to bid them a fond farewell at 7:00 when it was time for us to go to our dinner at La Buca. Dinner was an antipasto buffet, two kinds of pasta, fish and vegetarian, with tiramisu for dessert.

It was almost 8:30 when we finished dinner, rode the shuttle back to the bus park where our Pepé was patiently waiting for us. The clouds had parted and the drive home was quiet.

Back in our room by 9:15 we were ready to finish the photos and post the journal. We hoped that tomorrow will be clear for our trip to Mount Etna.

Accommodations: Katane Palace Hotel - - - Meal: B