Back From Sicily

nivrip

nivrip

Yorkshire Cruncher
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Back from ten days in Sicily. Lovely island with lots to see and plenty of Greek and Roman culture. No sign of the Mafia but then saw a newspaper article today about a cave found with lots of human bones near the town of Corleone. All thought to be Mafia victims.

Landed back in Gatwick and the minibus bringing us back to N.Yorkshire got a flat tyre on the M25 near the Heathrow turn off. :eek:
Everyone's worst nightmare. :eek: Had to get out and stand in a safe place behind the crash barrier for over an hour until the AA arrived to change the wheel. Good thing it wasn't dark/cold/raining. It seemed like every car in Britain went past as we stood there. :)

I'll get some pics up when I've sorted them.
 
I was wondering where you'd been! Crikey that's quite frightening about the cave of bones, glad you didn't witness any dodgy mafia activity!

Glad to hear you had a good time (despite the flat tyre), and I'm looking forward to seeing some photos :)
 
Welcome home @nivrip! Glad you enjoyed a good time in Sicily and managed to get home safely - no thanks to the flat tyre. That must have been a bit unnerving, I would think. :eek:

Looking forward to your photos also. :nod:
 
Never been to Sicily, been past it whilst as a member of the Grey funnel line though looks loverly from the sea though. Glad you had a great time Nivrip:thumb:
 
Becky said:
, glad you didn't witness any dodgy mafia activity!
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Of course, you can never be really sure that you're witnessing Mafia activity. Sitting in a restaurant in Catania (supposedly a big Mafia town) when a large group started to form in the adjacent courtyard. There must have been at least four generations and they were all in their finery. Eventually they all trooped past us to go upstairs followed by gushing waiters and lots of flowers. The last man up could easily have been the gang's hitman. He was exactly like someone from The Godfather. :D

We were later advised, jokingly I hope, not to sit near the windows in restaurants in case of a shootout. :D
 
Shouldda made the restaurant owner an offer he couldn't refuse :D

Sicily is one place I'd like to visit, maybe one day...

Glad you had a good time.
 
Urmas said:
That's a pity. The... maybe "atmosphere" isn't quite the right word... anyway, rather unforgettable.
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Bit like this?

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These are real human skulls and notice the piles of bones stacked between the brickwork in the background.

Evora, Portugal. :)
 
Anyway, to get back to Sicily.

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This is the remains of a Roman amphitheatre in the centre of Catania.


Palatine Norman Chapel.webp

This is the interior of the Palatine Norman Cathedral in Palermo. I hadn't realised that the Normans had got this far south but Roger II was king here around the same time as our own William I. This is one of the most impressive interiors of a church that I have ever seen and all the work is actually mosaic which took over 30 years to complete. The picture doesn't do it real justice.

Monreale Cathedral.webp

Monreale Cathedral, just outside Palermo, is equally impressive with acres of mosaics on all the walls and a magnificent roof structure.


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One of the Greek temples, over 2500 years old, in the Valley of The Temples in Southern Sicily. This is the best preserved one of several along a long ridge. Most of the others were damaged by earthquakes over the years.

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The same temple with a damaged statue of Icarus beside it. Seems that the statue is only a few hundred years old.

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So you think the bikini was invented in the 1940s? Oh no, this mosaic in a Roman villa is 2000 years old. It depicts some sort of sporting event.


More later. :)
 
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The mosaics in the cathedrals must have looked breathtaking! Even in the photos they look awesome. :nod:
 
A few more.

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This mosaic, also in the Roman villa, is the longest single mosaic in the world. It is about 85 metres long and only part of it is on the picture. It's in remarkably good shape.


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This is the Greek Theatre in Taormina, a hilltop town in NE Sicily. It was originally built by the Greeks and then the Romans made some alterations and additions later. Productions are held on the stage throughout the year. It must be really atmospheric.

Theatre2.webp

Panoramic view of the theatre.


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Taormina on the right with the bay down below and Etna in the background.


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The summit of Etna is at 11,000 feet and it's the highest peak in Europe outside of the Alps. This is at 3,000 feet, the highest we could get because of the mist and cloud. That's me standing at the bottom of a flanking crater which at some time was an active vent pouring out lava. The summit main vent has been bubbling away without a break for over 100 years. Since 2000, Etna has had four flank eruptions — in 2001, 2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2008-2009. Summit eruptions occurred in 2006, 2007–2008, January–April 2012, and again in July–October 2012.


:)
 
Fabulous pictures and commentary nivrip it looks like you had a great time there:thumb:. Was it a guided tour and how long were you out there.
 
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