Spend a relaxing day on the beach was high on the wishlist of Romaine and Alex for their vacation in Sicily. Although this desire appeared quite reasonable, we were note able to make it happen. Rain, strong winds and waves ganged up on us. On the other hand, we visited beautiful places and were amazed by the capacity of early civilasations to build on top of steep cliffs.
Sailing with crew
During this week, we sailed from Termini Imerese along the North coast of Sicily, crossed the Messina Strait again and reached Riposto, at the foot of the Etna.
So nice to relax while the youg crew is on watch.
We had a little bit of everything, from flat calm seas to a fresh breeze with waves.
Capo d’Orlando beach
Our first stop was in Capo d’Orlando, a town built along the beach and much appreciated resort by italian tourists.
Castello di Milazzo
On the next favorable day, we set sails west toward the Messina Strait. We anchored in Milazzo for a short sleep. We had already visited the town in between showers on a previous day.
Thankfully, we had some sun to visit of the castle and to appreciate the stunning views.
The castle is located on top of a hill overlooking the city and any boats approaching from est, west or north. The site was first fortified in the Neolithic period. The Greeks modified it into an acropolis, the Romains enlarged into a castrum. It was later enhanced by the Normans.
Flat calm Messina Strait
This time, we crossed the Messina Strait from North to South. We arrived early morning at slack time with no wind. It was a much calmer experience than the last time.
Continuing south, we reached the beautiful coast near Taormina.
Theatrical Taormina
Clinging to the rock, the village of Taormina is teeming with tourists. It was a challenge to reach the town center by car and find a parking space. But it was totally worth it.
We were impressed by the location of the Greek Theater on the top of the cliff. If you did not like the show, you could still enjoy the spectacular view of the coast line and the Etna.
Etna in activity
To explore the area, our base was Riposto. We rented a car and were very excited to climb up the Etna. However, beaucause of the volcanic activity that day, we could not access the top craters.
Near the Sapienza refuge, we enjoyed our walk around craters of previous eruptions.
And just like that, it was time to say goodbye. Romaine and Alex took the train to Palermo. To those readers who were wondering, Alex is Romaine’s best friend (not in a romantic way) since they met in college. We loved having them aboard Fabule and wish them a good time in Palermo. A storm started to blow over Riposto soon after their departure.
2 replies on “Sicilia Capriciosa”
Bonjour la p’tite famille. Pas trop brûlée les semelles de chaussures sur l’Etna ? Amusez-vous bien. Merci pour toutes ces photos. Bonne continuation. La saison touristique va commencer. J’espère que les ports ne sont pas trop bondés. Bel été à vous deux. Chantal & Jean-Yves
Jusqu’à présent, nous avons réussi à trouver de la place. Il faut dire que la météo était maussade en Italie, ce qui retarde probablement le démarrage de la saison. Nous allons bientôt quitter l’Italie pour aller en Grèce et ses mille et une îles. Grosses bises, Silvia