Petralia Sottana Day 1 - Walk 1 Between Petralia Sottana and Petralia Soprana

To get into the mountains and our first town we had to take a train, bus, and taxi from Catania to Petralia Sottana. We got to this mountain town, and it is certainly nestled into the hills, a bit before noon. Fortunately we found staff at the hotel (name here) and were able to get into our rooms right away. The sun was in and out and the winds were blowing surprisingly hard. It was going to be a blustery afternoon.  

This town features narrow cobblestone streets that twist and climb amongst the hills where Petralia Sottana is located. We walked into the center of town to find a quick lunch and when you are not on level ground you are dropping quickly down streets as you walk a few hundred meters and descend 30 meters. People get good workouts walking in this town. We found our modest meal and that gave us the energy to tackle one of the Inntravel walks during the rest of the afternoon.

The walk is a circuit-walk that starts at the hotel and winds through the town before climbing out of the habitation into a small forest. Now and then views of Parco della Madonie were seen. Now and then we could look back down into the town we had left. The clouds moved in and the wind picked up. It was about 60F but felt colder with the windchill.  We continued along modest paths and small roads that eventually would take us into  the town of Petralia Soprana. This town seems to have just as many twisty narrow streets that climbs among more hills. Many little, and not so small, churches were passed. Places to grab a bite to eat too - too bad we had eaten already.  It seemed like a nice town.

We left it curling around the backside of a tiny hill (why Inntravel calls it a mount eludes us) before we began descending paths that wound past pastures before we reached an aqueduct that still spots some deck between the several standing arches. Sheep grazed by the aquaduct and we continued down the grassy paths back towards Petralia Sottana. The walk was just over 8.3km and we climbed (and then descended) about 240 meters. Inntravel writes it would take 2 hours 45 minutes to walk and that is about what it did take. They were a bit off on the elevation gain and loss but we won’t complain about having less to do. It was a nice opening taste of the area and used up the bulk of the remaining afternoon.

If their is a downside so far it is dinner. The restaurant that is attached to the hotel seems to just have pizza. They have some ante pasta dishes but you don’t (well we don’t) want cold dishes for dinner after a good day of hill walking. The pizza was OK but it isn’t going to live in memory as  a remarkable dish either.

Stats: Blustery afternoon tending towards overcast with winds pushing 26MPH and a high temperature around 60F. We walked into the downtown twice and each time that meant of walk of about 1.2km roundtrip with ascent/descent of 30m. The major walk was 8.3km and we ascended/descended 240m. Walking time for the major walk was about 2 hours 47 minutes and we took just 9 minutes (or so) in breaks.

Photos

1. Petralia Soprana. The upper town that may be smaller than the lower town but that is just maybe how it felt to me. 
2. A view of Parco della Madonie from Petralia Sottana.
3. I know not much of a picture but it gives you a tiny sense of the twisty narrow steep streets that fill both towns.
4. A small church not far from Petralia Soprana. Too bad there is a bunch of trash strewn about the grounds. We This fountain and small church of the piazza San Michele in Petralia Soprana is quite nice. 
5. Sheep are doing a great job keeping the grass short by what remains of this Roman aqueduct.

36 Hours in Catania, Sicily

We arrived mid-morning and breezed through the airport to get a taxi into the heart of Catania. The morning was overcast and it sure looked like it could rain a modest bit though weather reports suggested it would be minimal.  Driving into the town we had a different sense of things from Florence. It felt somehow less good. Not bad just less good. Maybe that is just because of the weather. The Una Hotel Palace presents a grand lobby and we found the staff, in particular Rita, quite helpful. Too bad their sense of time is just a bit off. Well we were not really expecting to get rooms when we arrived or even when we came back after our first walk. Let’s focus on that instead.

The streets of Catania seem to mix modern and narrow steep ancient. Too bad they seem to share trash. A street cleaner went by but if it left a cleaner street behind I did not see it. Oh well. We strolled into the heart of the town where a fountain topped with an elephant on a pedestal. Why the city chose an elephant as its mascot I have no idea.  We visited the large fresh foods market noted for its fish but home to meats and veggies too though oddly enough we did not notice fresh breads. We then visited an excavated Roman amphitheater. I found myself wondering if vendors sold food in the high-ceilinged passageways we walked through. Also, if they had even minimal facilities for bathrooms: probably not. I hope the shows people saw were impressive because I am confident the seating was impressively uncomfortable. 

An easy day of some modest wandering finished off with a nice enough dinner that featured many styles of veal, french fries, a roasted potato type dish, and other things. We may or may not be eating local fare but we are certainly eating inexpensively.

Our next day, our one full day, we spent doing a tour of Mount Etna (Monte Etna) and Taormina. Numerous companies provide tours of Europe’s largest volcano. Some give you an option to take a cablecar to the summit at about 3,200m and you may have a chance to explore a lava tube too. Maybe those options get you further away from the hordes of people but I’d not be surprised if they don’t. Our tour was much more relaxed. We spent a brief time strolling, no real special gear needed though warmer clothing and a windbreaker are advisable.  It is hard to get a sense of scale as you stand amongst some of the several hundred craters at 2,000m. Mount Etna has destroyed Catania, I think, 7 times. It has spewed lava far more often than that.  

Our stop at an agricultural business making, we think, all sorts of jellies, honey, pesto, olive oils, and wine was a nice treat. And our visit through the bustling resort/market town of Taormina was fun too in its way. They build towns into the steep hillsides that hug the coast here.  All in all, a nice way to spend the day.

Photos

1. The seats at the amphitheater we visited. Catania has another  that is underground now (so many bits of history lay under the modern city) but we could not explore that one. 
2. High-ceilinged passageways run behind the seating. It is impressive considering how old the place is-1BC
3. You get.a sense of how big Monte Etna is from these 2 photos taken on our way there.  We are at above 1,110m above sea level and maybe 15-20 minutes drive from the parking lot that hosts vast numbers of tour buses and cars.
4. I think there are something like 300 craters on the slopes of Mount Etna. Here is just one sample. It is sunny, but windy, and we were glad we were wearing warmer clothing. Too bad you can’t really get a sense of things with so many people about.
5. A coastal view near Taormina.

Quick Glimpse of Florence

Florence, Italy, Tuesday  9:00PM - This will be just a quick little note because I am tired and I have to get up in about seven hours to catch the flight to Catania. We have spent the last day and a half wondering the historic areas   of Florence.  Our hotel, called Pendini, is meters away from the heart of the old city.  We have crossed the teeming Ponte Vecchio, gazed upon the intricate designs on the walls of the Duomo, explored Uffizi gallery, and more. Here are some photos to give a sense of things. 

Photo

1. The Arno River from the bustling Ponte Vecchio. 
2. The people below are waiting to enter the Uffizi gallery. It’s a remarkable place. You can see the dome of the Duomo and, I think, the tower of City Hall too. 
3. From inside Uffizi you have some great cityscapes like this view of Ponte Vecchio and bridges beyond. The buildings are small bustling shops. 
4. One of many intriguing sculptures in the gardens at Pitti Palace. We had been hoping for more green grounds but the art we found sprinkled throughout the extensive hillside grounds was special. 
5. A view of the Duomo. Though perhaps not obvious it’s crowded here and getting more so as the afternoon progresses. I really like the stonework you see on the facade.