Sicily.

Images: Etna; PJ, SL anbd Etna in the background;SL with Castelligone in the background,; SM reading at our Casa in Sicilly



Sicily.
As described in the “Travel Day” blog, the trip down to Sicilia was pretty brutal, leaving all of us drained.
The night we arrived, our rental agent pointed out Etna slumbering in the very near distance. Now Etna is a real, active volcano. You can see the steam geysering out from 50 km away ( and we are MUCH nearer).
You must remember that volcanoes have played a major role in the theme of this whole trip, and here we were, exhausted from our arduous journey, hunkering down within a volcanic stone's throw from Etna. K was worried and quite unsure about being in such proximity to the temperamental mountain, and it took more than a bit of convincing to get her off to bed.
I am not making this next part up.
No sooner than my head had hit the pillow, than I felt, rather than heard, a deep boom, followed by a rumble. We have slept in beds that make some pretty strange noises, so I turned over, and again, felt a rumbling boom. It was not the noise of thunder. I lay still, and sure enough, another boom, followed shortly by two others in quick succession, then a strange, crackling sizzle. I went into the hallway to find a frightened K, wondering what was happening
We both raced outside to look towards Etna, and ….. nothing. Then the sky light up with Chrysanthemums and beautiful cascading waterfalls of light. Fireworks!! In the middle of nowhere in Sicily. We had forgotten it was Festiva Del Mamma! It was a Mother's Day SL will never forget!
We spent the next day just relaxing in the beautiful sunshine, visiting the nearby town of Castiglione, and hiking through the artwork that is the Sicilian countryside. Every corner we turn we are faced with a new painting of centuries-old farmhouses, framed by vineyards and olive groves against a backdrop of emerald mountains dominated of course, by Etna herself, huffing away in the background as though jealous that we would even spend a moment with our eyes on anything but her.
At night, after shopping at the supermercado, we sit outside by the fire, under Etna's maternal watch, and eat the meals we have prepared of prosciutto e melone (Prosciutto ham wrapped around melon) , pollo arosto (roast chicken), olivia (olives) , fromagio (many different kinds of cheeses), antipasti, pesche (fish), and local wines. The fire reminds us of camping in Killbear Provincial Park, and we miss G, J, and the Gkids more than I can say.