My temporary work transfer to the base of Montreal for two months brought me to several European cities, a great change from my regular layovers in Asia. My last two flights of September were to the city of Catania, on the island of Sicily, in southern Italy. Air Canada had just begun seasonal flights there this summer due to the high tourist demand. However, Mt Etna, Europe's largest volcano, was spewing ash regularly into the atmosphere since July and depending on the wind, the airport was shut down several days at a time over the next few months. I was a little worried that my flight would be cancelled. The first one was not and, with a three day layover, I was excited to explore the city and surrounding region. My second flight there, which was the day after I returned from the first one, had a two day layover. On the second day, the airport shut down again due to wind direction of Etna's ash cloud. We were now having another three days attached to our layover before the scheduled next flight. It was a great opportunity to further explore the island.
Italy... it doesn't really matter where you are, you will be moved by the light, the love of life, the sensuality, the architecture, the overwhelming history. Like I do on a first day in any new city I visit, I like to go for a long walk, no plans, no tours or museums... just exploring randomly on foot taking it all in. Catania and Sicily in general, I was told by a colleague who travels regularly to Italy, is more chaotic, dirtier and less organized than other parts of the country. I had heard of the classic North - South divide of the country, the former being more developed, efficient, cleaner than the often looked down upon Southern regions. All that hardly mattered as I walked around the city. In fact, I found the distressed walls and statues full of dust more interesting than say the cleaner monuments of Rome.
Monastero dei Benedetti di San Nicolo l'Arena
With several colleagues, I went for a day trip south to the town of Syracusa and the Isola (island) di Ortegia. As with many places in Sicily, it had been a Greek city which had ruins of temples and an amphitheatre. The water was turquoise and a few of us went for a swim after an excellent lunch at a terrace overlooking the sea.
On my second flight back to Catania, we almost diverted to Rome... but then the wind had changed direction and made it possible to land. The two day layover turned into five though as the following day, Etna's ash went toward the airport and it closed, cancelling the flight out of Montreal, the plane we were to take back. Below is an impressive video I found online of a closeup of Etna the day we landed.
I took advantage of my longer layover for a day visit to Taormina, a picturesque town an hour up the coast. There has been a spike of tourism there since a season of The White Lotus was filmed there a few years back. The next day I booked an Airbnb for a night and made my way by bus to Palermo, Sicily's other larger city on the north western side of the island. Again, just walking around its streets and markets was great, taking in all the old architecture, the cathedrals, the narrow streets and the marina, a caffè macchiato here, an aperol spritz there. I visited the Mafia museum, which had many photos of Sicily's violent and troubled times particularly from the 70s to the 90s. I ended up meeting a few German tourists, that I had dinner with, who told me they came every year to Palermo for a week, just to soak up the energy and cool vibe of the city. I could see why, it is a fascinating city.
Taormina
It was a good hike up from the train station below at sea level.
Palermo
the Mafia Museum
A local colourful character who had an outdoor second hand bookstore.
Santa Rosalia is a patron saint of Palermo, a hermit woman always holding a skull, as a memento mori that earthly life, beauty and status are temporary and that death is inevitable. She was the protectress of the city during the black plague.
Throughout Sicily, you will see these heads of a man and a woman made of glazed pottery. 'Testi di Moro' - (Moor's heads), comes from a dark folk tale set in Palermo during the 11th Century Arab domination. A young Sicilian woman, living in the Kalsa quarter, fell deeply in love with a visiting Moorish man. When she discovered he had a wife and children in his homeland, she was blinded with jealousy. She murdered him in his sleep and cut off his head, turning it into a pot in which grew lush, green basil, some say, watering the plants with her tears. Neighbours saw how amazing the basil grew and copied the shape in ceramics, of both doomed lovers.
As well, Cyclops and Medusa are prominently featured in glazed pottery for sale in the many tourist boutiques.
The flag of Sicily has a "trinacria" three bent legs, representing the island's triangular shape, the head of Medusa with snakes, to protect the island and ears of wheat, representing the fertility of the land. The symbol, as seen above, is made into tiles as well.
The number of statues, either carved in marble or cast in bronze, is truly impressive.
I took an evening bus back to Catania for the last night, not knowing if Etna's ash plume would still keep the airport closed or not. The wind was favourable therefore it had reopened and we flew out in the morning. I was indeed grateful for this unexpected 'mini holiday' of eight days in Sicilia.
