Touring Taormina

Taormina Sunrise

The view from our balcony this morning - we could see Enta through the clouds but it doesn't appear in the picture,

The hotel pool, just below the balcony.  Life is good.

We left Ridgewood on time and arrived in Lodi as promised at 1 PM, departing from there for JFK.

All aboard, we departed for JFK.

Both of our flights landed early, which was good because we had a tight connection at Rome's Fiumicino airport.  Even better, all of our luggage arrived with us at Catania.

We had a quick stop in Catania, the second largest city in Sicily, before heading to our hotel in the resort town of Taormina.

Agrigento

Agrigento is one of the 50 (50!) UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy.  Originally a Greek colony dating from  the 6th century B.C., the excavated areas that can be visited today are from the later Hellenistic and Roman periods.

For those who are interested in visiting the archeological park and the museum at Agrigento, a group of us will be striking off on our own from Palermo on Monday, November 3rd (our last full day in Italy).

We will walk or take cabs from our hotel for one-half mile to Palermo Centrale train station, where we'll get a regional train to Agrigento.  

Palermo Centrale

The two-hour train ride will take us east to Cerda before turning south and traveling through Roccapalumba, Acquaviva, and Aragona, arriving at Agrigento Centrale just before 10 AM.

From the train station in Agrigento we'll take either the public bus or taxi cabs one mile to the archeology museum (we'll visit this first because it closes at 1:30 PM on Mondays) and the park, the Valley of the Temples.

In order to be back in Palermo in time for our farewell dinner that night we'll need to be back at Agrigento Centrale in time for the 3:14 PM train back to Palermo (arriving at 5:16 PM), leaving us about four hours to enjoy the museum and the excavations.

The round trip train fare will be €16,60 and the entry ticket for the museum and the excavations is €10,00.

You can read more about Agrigento here:  Valley of the Temples overview

Blessing & Breakfast

Fr. Greg will be offering a blessing for us at both services (8 AM and 10 AM) on our departure day, Sunday October 26th.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come to whichever service you like.

After each service we have a coffee hour but if you prefer a full meal there are three popular spots for breakfast in Ridgewood within walking distance of the church.  We'll lock your luggage up in the church office until the bus arrives so you won't be weighed down by stuff.

Here are the breakfast options:

One block away:  Daily Treat 

Two blocks away:  Country Pancake House 

Three blocks away:  Raymonds

What's on your last minute list?

• Alert credit card companies and banks (if you will be using your ATM card to get cash) that you will be using the cards in Europe
• Make a list of numbers to call if credit cards are lost/stolen, carry one copy with you and leave one with someone you trust
• Send itinerary and flight info to family, put a copy in your checked luggage as well as carry on
• Send a link to this blog to family and friends
• Add international calling to cell phone plan
• Check the long-range forecast (www.weather.com or www.wunderground.com) and make sure you have appropriate clothing
• Check the camera batteries; put the camera manual in your bag and pack extra batteries or a battery charger
• Update voice mail and e-mail auto-reply message
• Charge device batteries (pda, iPod, mobile phone) and spares
• E-mail critical documents to your webmail account (for example, make a pdf file of your passport information page and mail it to yourself)
• Remove unnecessary cards from wallet (library, Metrocard, punch cards, extra credit cards 

Household stuff:

• Set heat and water heater at minimum
• Set lights on timers
• Turn off coffee pots or other appliances with automatic turn on
• Turn off ice maker
• Get rid of perishables in refrigerator
• Water plants
• Empty trash and clean kitchen
• Lock all windows and doors
• Power-off computer and other sensitive electronic equipment
• Return library books

Tipping

If you want to start a fight, go to any travel message board (for example, Trip  Advisor, Cruise Critic, etc.) and create a thread about tipping, then duck because the flames will begin to fly.

Whether or not to tip and, if so, how much to tip, is a deeply personal decision.  Different cultures view the practice in different ways, from our American perspective of tipping as a reward/incentive for performance to the Japanese, who do not tip at all.

On the message boards travelers argue vehemently about the "rightness" of adapting to the local culture vs. the "niceness" of handing out money, regardless of what is expected.

There is no right answer, but there are lots of opinions.  Here are three different perspectives:
Rick Steves on tipping in Europe
Fodors Travel on tipping in Italy
Lonley Planet on tipping

I particularly like this Italian article, written for Italians traveling to other countries.  They note that some (Italians) may think that they should tip 10%, "but in the memory of human kind no Italian has ever done so":  Mediaset article on tipping (in Italian)

As you read through the documents the agency (Jet Vacations) has sent to each of you, you will note that tips are already paid for the hotels and all included meals.  

Again, everyone should do what makes them comfortable.  For what it's worth I'll share my thoughts on what the agency has suggested on the following points because the document they use is generic and not specific to Italy:

• Drivers and local guides - I personally feel that €3 per person, per day for the bus driver and each local guide is excessive
• €4 per day, per person for the Tour Director is on the high end, but not unreasonable
• If a service fee is included at a restaurant there is no need to tip anything additional; if there is no service fee the maximum I would tip is 10%
• In a cafe or bar a 15% tip, as suggested by the agency, is way over the top

Personal Safety While Traveling

If you spend any time at all perusing travel web sites and message boards such as Trip Advisor, Fodor's, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, etc., you know that two of the most discussed topics are pickpockets and tipping.  (More on tipping in a later post.)

It's a sad fact of travel today that professional pickpockets of every age (including young children and the elderly) are active in most major cities.  You can run into them anywhere, particularly on mass transit and at key tourist sites.  These are crimes of opportunity, so your best defense is to minimize their opportunities by (1) being alert to your surroundings, (2) only carrying the valuables you need for the day, and (3) securing your cash and credit cards in a fastened inside pocket or money belt.

A healthy dose of skepticism is a valuable, if uncomfortable, asset for the modern traveler.  It's not natural for me to assume the worst about a stranger so this is an attitude I wear consciously, especially when I travel alone.  Like many others before and since, I was targeted on a crowded bus in Italy.  I foolishly left my cheap, old cellphone in an outside pocket of my bag for all to see.  Someone did and they took it; fortunately for me my lesson was learned with an item that wasn't valuable and was easily and quickly replaced.

Rick Steves has a good, short article on the topic on his web site:  Rick Steves Article

Absentee Ballots

Thanks to Marie for reminding us that we'll be away on election day (November 4th), so please remember to get your absentee ballot completed and filed before we leave.

Mt. Etna

One of the things I'm really looking forward to on our trip is seeing Mt. Etna.

If you're interested in learning more about it before we leave, I found these two articles interesting:

National Geographic (you have to join to read it on line, but it's free) article from 2002 with fantastic pictures, entitled "Etna Ignites":  National Geographic link 

An article from the Daily Mail last month (August 2014) with video:  The Beast is Risen

Taormina

Taormina, according to the city's web site, was born as a tourist town.

Founded by the Sicels and later occupied by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, Taormina has always been prized for its magnificent setting high above the sea, its famous view of Mt. Etna, and its mild winter climate.

The city's location on a deep wedge of limestone saves it from earthquakes, preserving both the Greek theater (first built in the 4th century BC and rebuilt by the Romans during the 1st - 3rd centuries AD) as well as the medieval downtown area.

More recently, since about 1700, Taormina has also been known as a writer's haven.  John Dryden, D.H. Lawrence, and Truman Capote have all spent time writing there.  You can read more about "The Literary Ghosts of Taormina" in this article from the Times of Sicily.

New Airport Security Procedures re Electronics

In July of this year the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implemented new, stricter rules regarding electronics carried onto planes bound for the United States.

According to this article from the New York Times, published in July 2014, "Passengers will have to turn on the electronic devices while being screened by security personnel to prove that the devices are harmless, the T.S.A. said Sunday. The fear is that unresponsive phones have been hollowed out and filled with explosives"

In other words, it will be important to have ALL of your carry-on electronics (cell phones, laptops, IPads, etc.) easily accessible for the security check.  Please be sure to that your devices have sufficiently charged batteries because if you cannot turn it on when asked, you will either have to leave it behind or miss the flight.

Rome's Fiumicino airport is implementing the new procedures and travelers are reporting significant delays at security on Trip Advisor.  

The statement from the Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, can be seen on the Homeland Security web site here.

Alitalia Carry On Luggage Rules

Alitalia allows each passenger to bring one piece of carry-on luggage.  In addition to this you may also carry on a laptop, a briefcase, or a purse.  These secondary items must all fit under the seat in front of you.

 Your carry on bag dimension cannot exceed the following:

• Height ("a" in the diagram for a rolling bag) - 21.5 inches
• Width ("c" in the diagram for a rolling bag) - 13.5 inches
• Depth ("b" in the diagram for a rolling bag) - 10 inches

 More information on the Alitalia web site here.

Optional Excursion to Catania

Another option for our free day in Taormina on Thursday, October 30th, is a tour of Catania, Sicily's second largest city and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Although there is evidence that the area was populated by Greek colonists as far back as 700 BC, the city we see today is largely from the 18th century, rebuilt after the 1693 eruption of the volcano razed it to the ground.

Catania Cathedral di Sant'Agata

 
Our walking tour starts with the Cathedral square and church, after which we'll stroll along Via Crociferi to Piazza Stesicoro to see the ruins of the Roman theatre (an interesting contrast to the Greek theater we'll visit in Taormina), then back to the Cathedral square along Via Etnea, Catania's main street.

If we are there in the morning (timing is TBD) we'll also stop and see Catania's lively fish market.

The fee for this optional four-hour excursion is $45 per person.

Optional Excursion to Mt. Etna

On Thursday, October 30th (our last full day in Taormina) you can choose to take an optional three-quarter-day tour to Mt. Etna, Europe's largest active volcano.

Mt. Etna

will depart from the hotel at 8:30 AM for a 90-minute (approximately) bus ride to the south approach to the volcano, stopping along the way to view the lava flow from the 1992 eruption.  At Crateri Silvestri we'll stop to view two ancient craters that are not far from the parking lot (flat land, easy walking).

We'll have some free time to explore the area, including the nearby Rifugio Sapienza, the base camp for hikers and skiers on the mountain.

View of Rifugio Sapienza from above

On the way back to Taormina we'll stop at a local winery for a lunch of local specialties (and a bit of local wine).  We'll be back at the hotel at approximately 2:30 PM.

The fee for this optional tour, which includes transportation, guide, entry fees and lunch, is $70 per person.

2011 Eruption

Learn more about Mt. Etna on the National Geographic web site here.

Read about the history of Rigugio Sapienza here.

Watch Etna erupting in June 2014 below:

 

Weather

I've checked the weather over the past five years in Sicily, with the following results:

The average high during the eight days we will be there was 70.3°.

The average low during the same period was 59.6°.

The average gap between the daily high and the daily low was 8.1°.

As the SEC says about investments, "past performance does not necessarily predict future results", but at least this gives you an idea as you pack.

Here's the raw data (gathered from www.wunderground.com):

	27-Oct			28-Oct			29-Oct			30-Oct			31-Oct			1-Nov			2-Nov			3-Nov
	H	L		H	L		H	L		H	L		H	L		H	L		H	L		H	L
2013	73	62		73	62		75	62		77	64		73	60		73	62		73	59		73	60
2012	78	68		69	59		66	57		66	57		75	62		69	66		69	62		71	57
2011	70	59		74	59		71	61		72	61		69	62		72	63		70	61		71	59
2010	64	55		63	57		65	55		71	53		75	66		77	62		66	56		70	57
2009	69	58		69	60		68	59		68	60		67	53		63	56		68	50		68	64
Average	70.8	60.4		69.6	59.4		69.0	58.8		70.8	59.0		71.8	60.6		70.8	61.8		69.2	57.6		70.6	59.4

Rick Steves Overview

If you haven't already seen it, you might want to take a look at Rick Steves's video on Sicily.  He visits several of the places we'll see.

You can see it here:  Rick Steves "The Best of Sicily" 

 

Our itinerary

Here's the layout of our week in Sicily:

Sunday	October 26	Depart from JFK
Monday	October 27	Arrive Catania airport, transfer to our hotel in Taormina.  Dinner together as a group.
Tuesday	October 28	Taormina: morning tour of the town, afternoon free. Dinner on your own.
Wednesday	October 29	Syracuse: full day tour of the centro storico (historical center) of this World Heritage Site city and of the Neapolis Archaelogical Park. Dinner on your own.
Thursday	October 30	Taormina: full day at leisure, or take one (or both) of our optional tours to Mt. Etna or to Catania. Dinner together as a group.
Friday	October 31	Transition Day: depart from Taormina in the morning, stop to visit 3rd century BC ruins at Morgantina as well as the roman villa and mosaics at Piazza Armerina, arrive late afternoon to our hotel in Palermo. Dinner together as a group.
Saturday	November 1	Full day tour of Palermo, capital of the region and the fifth largest city in Italy, and neighboring Monreale. Dinner on your own.
Sunday	November 2	Full day tour to see the Doric temple and Greek ruins at Segesta, followed by a stop at the medieval town of Erice, and then to an oil mill and farmhouse for a Sicilian lunch. Dinner on your own.
Monday	November 3	Morning visit to the picturesque coastal town of Cefalù, afternoon free. Dinner together as a group.
Tuesday	November 4	Depart from Palermo airport for the trip home.