Day 25, 24 Nov. Messina, Sicily (IT)

This is the third largest city in Sicily. It was begun in the 8^th century BC by the Greeks.

We had calm cruising last night. At 0700 we were in the Straits of Messina with the sun coming up over the mainland. A beautiful morning. In the harbor the ship was rotated so our port side was facing town which meant the morning sun was direct and there were no shadows on our side. At 0735 we were secured to the pier.

At 0915 we boarded a bus built for Japanese and headed South along the coast. The buildings are modern and were mostly apartments high rises. We saw no single family homes with yards. Maybe elsewhere, but not on this route. There were lots of tunnels to pass through.

About 40 km from Messina we came to Taŏrmina up on the mountain and on the edge of the old city. got out in a parking lot to walk. The city was entered through the ancient Porta Catania and we walked up the cobblestone street of C. so Umberto I, lined with shops on ground level and apartments above. Narrow alleyways intersected the street and these lead either uphill or downhill to more streets and alleys, shops and homes and apartments. The streets were free of trash and only occasional car or delivery van came along. Mostly just pedestrian traffic. At an intersection/square we passed the Torre dell Orogadagio (tower) where one side of this square the walls were pierced with three “vents” in the form of the star of David. This marked the ancient Jewish settlement. On to another square which fronted the Chisea di S. Catarina (church) and the Palazzo Corvaja. We turned down the Via Teatro Greco which ran parallel to the steep cliff nearby. That took us to the open Greek Theater dating back to the 3^rd century BC. It is still used for performances. Sitting on a mountain top, it overlooks the city and the sea. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taormina

side street

side street

Greek Theater

Greek theater

Greek theater

Greek theater

Mt. Etna smoking

view up the shore

Mt. Etna towered over all of this and was smoking today. After our guide told us all about the theater's history and architecture we had free time to climb to the top for a view of the theater and the city and then worked our way back down to the street for gelato and pastries. At the pasticceria artigianale Mangia e Ninci we found nougat, marzipan and pignolata. Thus fortified we sped back down the streets to the parking lot and squeezed into the tight and narrow seats of the bus for a narrated trip back to the ship. We were back aboard at 1540, dropped our bags and headed back ashore to find a cafe along with friends Ray and Loren. After a snack of pizza we returned to the ship to fluff 'n buff for this night's dress code was Formal.

The noon report: Position at pier of 38º 11.53'N and 015º 33.48'E. Days run 176 nm. Total voyage 6,146 nm. Sunrise 0648. Sunset 1640. The day was sunny but cool enough for us to wear light jackets.