We all know that Sicilia is the Italian island Piero and Ignazio call home, so lets start our virtual tour of the region with a little overview by our own MN.

Tidbits on Sicily by MN (mlla)

“Sicily ( Sicilia) is an autonomous Region in Italy. The island of Sicily has a surface of 25,708 km², and has about five million inhabitants. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and it includes some groups of smaller islands like Isole Eolie, Egadi and Pelagie.

In Sicily you find, close to the cities of Messina and Catania, the Mount Etna the tallest active Volcano in Europe.”

Thank you MN for your contribution to Sicilia Part 1!

There are a number of ways to arrive in Sicily, of course you could fly, but you may also take a train, ferry or a hydrofoil. Our bus tour took us across the Strait of Messina  (Stretto di Messina) from Villa San Giovanni in Reggio Calabria by ferry. We arrived in Messina in about twenty to 30 minutes.  I think it took longer to load the ferry than to cross. If you travel by train, the train is loaded in a ferry and you are free to get out and roam around as we did.

CAR CARRIERS FOR MESSINA

   

   

Welcome to Messina

City of Europe

On the way to Mount Etna by tour bus

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                     

 Inside a crater

Walking around a rim on Mount Etna

 Numerous cones on the Etna

Etna continues to erupt and even though from a distance it looks as if it may have one symmetrical cone there are actually many cones across the mountain, visible in the pictures above.  There have been numerous lava flows on the Etna, after past explosions, authorities in Sicily have been forced to build dams or dig ditches to divert lava away from homes, some have been abandoned.

 

Additional Resources 
– Hydrofoil or Train
http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/thinksicily/travel-to-and-around-sicily/car-sea-and-rail.aspx

– Sicily Getting there & away
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/sicily/transport/getting-there-away

– Let’s Go For a Ride! How to Take a Train Across the Strait of Messina
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/19/14341/1507/travel/Let’s+Go+For+a+Ride!+How+to+Take+a+Train+Across+the+Strait+of+Messina

– Mount Etna volcano tour and Sicily tours
http://www.mountetna.net/

– There she blows: Mount Etna erupts for 13th time this year spewing lava and ash hundreds of feet into the air    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316365/Mount-Etna-sends-lava-ash-hundreds-feet-air-volcano-erupts-thirteenth-time-year.html

Italia – Sicilia Part 1

Credits – MN and MFA