Syracuse fell off the itinerary. The forecast for local
weather and sea state would have made it impossible to tender ashore. The Med
is showing her rougher face…
Instead, with consummate efficiency, the Captain of Prinsendam
chose an alternate port with docking facilities: Catania.
Well, for the ‘walkabout’ people like me, that necessary
decision cut short any idea of exploring Syracuse, which I have never visited.
Catania, our alternate port, is within driving distance (one hour by taxi, a
little longer by bus) of Syracuse – hence the ship’s tours still took place.
Not too keen on the photo stop version of seeing a city, I transferred to
Taormina, also an hour’s bus drive distant, to revisit one of the most picturesque
towns of Italy.
What can I say….some would say ‘same old same old’ Sicily –
but, these places are not items, one ticks off a bucket list never to enjoy the
second time around. Taormina is and remains a Mediterranean jewel, armies of
tourists notwithstanding. Prices creep up of course relative to the number of
tourists visiting a place, disneyfications could be a danger as souvenir stands
line the approach to the ancient Roman theatre, but, Taormina so far has
withstood the attacks on its very own charming character. So here, for the
Grace of Zeus, go I – another day in Paradise, albeit somewhat chillier than
previous landfalls.
My only purchases here were an emergency umbrella (it
drizzled a bit) and a cheapo t-shirt, the latter to add a small warming layer
to my rather summery clothing. By midday, Mediterranean blue skies returned to
light and warm up the local scene, which enhanced the beautification of the
squares, which were underway to prepare for Easter. Spring in Sicily….
Catania itself, the port where Prinsendam docked, has been
totally destroyed 500 years ago by an eruption of nearby Etna, the immense
still active Volcano towering over that part of Sicily and visible for a
hundred of miles around. The city was rebuilt mostly in Italian Baroque style, which
involves plenty of putti, little baby like winged angels. In later years, this
area of Sicily was the site of large commercial concrete production, and the
rest of the city is literally a concrete jungle, reminiscent of soviet style
architecture.
I took a short walk through part of the historic city
centre, circumventing again the numerous ‘carpet baggers’, refugees and
immigrants from Africa, to look at the facades of some of the baroque buildings
before heading back aboard and observe Mount Etna gathering clouds during a
colourful sunset.
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| Mount Etna with Almond Trees in bloom |
