Time has flown by and I got behind on the blog again, for good reason. My sister Sarah arrived in Reggio Calabria and we promptly headed out to sample the best gelato in town … and were not disappointed! My favorite flavor is stracciatella.
The big excitement last week was our trip to Sicily! We rented a car and Charlie drove while I navigated, with Sarah and Brent held captive in the back seat. First stop was the scenic town of Cefalù (below), which is where the beach scenes in White Lotus Season 2 were shot (we were a little obsessed with this topic during the trip).
Next stop was the great city of Palermo which has a rich history of cultural influence from Greece and Africa. Our hotel was a block away from the famous Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, shown below. You may know that the opera scene in the second season of the White Lotus was shot here.
We enjoyed fine dining in the historic Centro Storico and had some time to relax in the sun.
Then we drove across the island to Catania, another fascinating city with a deep history. Below you can see the remains of an ancient Roman theatre.
The next morning we woke up to see Mount Etna looming over the street where our hotel was located, which is aptly called Via Etnea. This giant volcano is fed by mantle-derived mafic magmas moving up along a network of active faults produced by tears in the subducting Ionian slab. Etna was a constant presence for the next 2 days.
Below Charlie demonstrates the fine art of “being scale” for a geology photo. Here he shows us the size of a lava tube in young basalt on the flank of Etna. He has been doing this since we met.
We circumnavigated the base of this giant volcano, had lunch in Bronte (Sergio’s home!), and finished the day by pulling into the highly touristic fairy tale town of Taormina. This is where most scenes of – you guessed it – White Lotus Season 2 were shot.
Below is the Greek Theatre of Taormina, second largest theater in Sicily and site of a scene in White Lotus 2. The theatre affords a stunning view of the Catania coast and Mount Etna.
The local art work is extremely bright and colorful. We were intrigued by the diversity of color ceramic heads which figure prominently in – yes – Season 2 of the White Lotus.
Below is a shot looking north along the coast from a little cafe at the top of the Taormina Greek Theatre. This angle highlights classic tectonic topography and uplifted Quaternary marine terraces in the footwall of the active Messina-Taormina fault which is located a short distance offshore.
At the end of the trip we delivered the rental car to Messina without a scratch (thanks to Charlie for excellent driving!), took the ferry back to Calabria, and enjoyed a final sunset view of Etna.
The next day our friend Sergio arrived and a new phase of field work began … to be described in the next post.
Hey Becky, Charlie, Sarah and Brent,
Wonderful sights and nicely described scenes: these are so entertaining! Thank you for sharing. I know not this White Lotus gig. I may have to find it on Netflix.
I just walked another 3 miles so my total since the middle of last April is now 450 miles (I wonder how many steps that is, Rah?). It is roughly 450 miles to either Halifax, Nova Scotia or Niagra Falls!
Polly Scannell and I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Gloucester nibbling on fried clams WITH the stomachs, and listening to one of her favorite Irish music groups.
Much love,
Brudda Peter
Thanks Peter! Great to hear about your walking exploits. cheers, Becky
Becky, you are doubling as a photojournalist. Loving all the pictures and descriptions, especially Charlie as a place marker with continental flair. Thanks!
Thanks Barb, glad you like the blog! Maybe I should start a new career … or maybe not. We are packing today for our train ride to Rome tomorrow; will have two days there and then return to Eugene Thursday. We’re going to miss southern Italy and hope to come back next year!