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.