Sicily April 2026 Part 1

DAYS 1 - 2 - We departed for Italy via JFK and arrived in Cantania, Sicily the next morning. This was our 25th Gate 1 tour. After checking into our hotel, we went on a walkabout in the downtown area. It was too cloudy to see Mt Etna.

We went 1st to Bellini Garden.

Then to the Plazza Stesicore with the Roman Amphitheater and St Agatha at Carrere Church. She is the patron saint of Cantania.

and the Basilica della Collegiate, 

and a beer on the way back to the hotel.

University Square.

Tomorrow we'll see most of those again.

 DAY 3, Thursday - Catania City Tour and Taormina Tour

Begin the day with a walking tour of Catania, a combination of ancient and modern, under the shadow of Mt. Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe. Mt. Etna has been covered in clouds since we arrived. Maybe we will see it tomorrow. After the city was destroyed in the 17th century, the old part of the city was rebuilt in Baroque style with large wide-open squares. We passed by a home and church in Baroque style.

Next, we went to University Square, home of one of the oldest universities in Europe. This is a statue of a legend of a women jumping into a well, rather than marry a man pursuing her. It's in the square.

Then we went to Cathedral Square and toured the Basilica. The Basilica had:

Bellini's burial place.

Exposed Roman ruins.

The mummy of a beautified cardinal whose name I forgot.

St Agatha alter and her relics and jewels are behind the barrier.

Cathedral behind us.

St Agatha Square.

e elephant statue is in the square near the cathedral. It is the symbol of Catania. No one seems to know why.

City Hall is also called the Elephant Palace.

This is one of three places you can see the river that now flows under the city.

From there we went to the Fish Market. Besides fish they had horse, they eat a lot of horse in Sicily.

The umbrellas are replaced every Spring.

Interesting door handle we walked by on the way back to our hotel.

In the afternoon, we took an hour ride to the old-world resort city of Taormina, also known as the "Jewel of the Ionian Sea." Its built high on a mountain at about 3600 feet. 

This was our view of Mt Edna on the way there.

A statue of Mary in a cave entrance.

We went to the Santa Caterina church.

Some sights on the way to lunch.

Before that we walked around the city after we had pizza and beer at the Granduca with a great view of the water.

The rail yard way below.

More street scenes.

The Odeon. 

A symbol of Sicily.

The sun had started to come out. At the entrance to the theater, we turned around and there was Mt. Etna!

The tour is highlighted by the city's celebrated archaeological monument, the Greek Theater. The theater was built by the Greeks, renovated by the Romans and is still used every summer for concerts by artists such as Yanni, Adele and others. In fact, they just finished building the stage today.

Had to get a picture of Cathy on the stairs!

 

After that we returned to the hotel.

DAY 4, Friday - Full Day in Syracuse  

Wes stepped back in time to the bygone era of Greek Sicily and explored the birthplace of Archimedes. 

We started with a visit to Neapolis Archaeological Park. First, we went to the Greek Theater. It was cut out of limestone. It is still actively used as a theatre for Greek plays with seating for 4000. 

Quary where the limestone for the Greek Theatre was cut.

The seating was cut out of the limestone. Unfortunately, the theater was being set up for the summer concert season and most of it was covered.

The caves above were at one time burial vaults.

This cave is where the underground aqueduct built by the Romans brought water to the Theater.

These niches held memorial carvings and was called the wall of heroes.

The remains of Roman Amphitheater which is not renovated or used. It was once much larger but most of the stones were taken away and used on other buildings. Its design is still used in stadiums today.

We did not see the "Ear of Dionysius," an awe-inspiring artificial limestone cave renowned for its outstanding acoustics, because they were using it for a fashion show.

This is the roof of the Shrine of Mother Mary with Tears.

Then, we went to the Siracusa Old Quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the community of Taormina on the island of Ortygia. The 1693 earthquake destroyed much of this city as well as Catania and surrounding area. Everything that was damaged was rebuilt in the Baroque style.

What's left of the Temple of Apollo.

The Cathedral in the Piazza Duomo is on the highest point of the island. 

It was originally built as a temple to Athena. The pillars of the temple were incorporated into the Cathedral.

St Lucia is the patron Saint of Siracusa. Her eyes were gouged out, and she was stabbed to death at the age of 15 for refusing to marry a Roman officer. These chapels are dedicated to her.

City square.

We had pizza and beer in for lunch by the Ionian Sea.

On the way back to the meeting place, we stopped at the Fountain of Arethus.

Then I had my 1st gelato, chocolate and vanilla. This store caught our attention.

Some Mt. Etna views on the way back to Catania.

DAY 5, Saturday - Mt. Etna with Lunch

We visited the lava-crusted and snow-covered slopes of Mt. Etna, which dominates the scenery. It was a perfect day for a visit! Standing 11,000 feet above sea level at its peak, it's the most active volcano in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It has over 300 craters on the mountain, 4 of them active. These lava fields are from the flow of 1983. The 3-month flow in 1924-25 months destroyed parts of the resort. 

The Trailblazers hat on another trip!

We walked over to the Silvestri Craters at 6,200 feet. The Silvestri Craters formed in 1892 formed in from 173 days of lava fountains soaring up to 400 meters.  The guide was very interesting in providing information on Etna's impact on the surrounding area and its unique geology. 

The lava flow stopped right at this store. 

On the way back, we stopped at a local farm and winery for lunch before returning to Catania. The food was good; the wine was Mt Edna grown grapes and not to our taste.