Rambling Pete

the roads out of Taormina are steep and circuitous - good viewpoints though

looking over to Mount Etna

and all the subsiduary cones down the lower slopes of Etna

the Greek-Romano theatre - the main town is behind to the right

it's a good amphitheatre

in a glorious setting

a little way to the north is the Alcantara Gorge

a fine spot for a picnic or a paddle

Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by a lava flow from Mount Etna. As the lava was cooled much more quickly by the water than it would have done otherwise, it crystallised in the form of columns. Over the next millennia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".

where the river has weathered the lava flow, the colour is a glorious silvery blue/grey

some fantastic twists and turns of the columns

the water was very cold to paddle through

and the gorge narrows

must be spectacular when the river is in spate

the church in the old town part of Taormina

the Cathedral doors. The present town of Taormina occupies the ancient site, on a lofty hill which forms the last projecting point of the mountain ridge that extends along the coast from Cape Pelorus to this point. The site of the old town is about 250 m above the sea, while a very steep and almost isolated rock, crowned by a Saracen castle, rises about 150 m higher: this is undoubtedly the site of the ancient Arx or citadel, the inaccessible position of which is repeatedly alluded to by ancient writers. Portions of the ancient walls may be traced at intervals all round the brow of the hill, the whole of the summit of which was evidently occupied by the ancient city. Numerous fragments of ancient buildings are scattered over its whole surface, including extensive reservoirs of water, sepulchres, tesselated pavements, etc., and the remains of a spacious edifice, commonly called a Naumachia, but the real destination of which it is difficult to determine. But by far the most remarkable monument remaining at Taormina is the Ancient theatre, which is one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, on account both of its remarkable preservation and of the surpassing beauty of its situation. It is built for the most part of brick, and is therefore probably of Roman date, though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theatres; whence it is supposed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theatre of the Greek period. With a diameter of 109 metres (after an expansion in the 2nd century), this theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily (after that of Syracuse); it is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. The greater part of the original seats have disappeared, but the wall which surrounded the whole cavea is preserved, and the proscenium with the back wall of the scena and its appendages, of which only traces remain in most ancient theatres, are here preserved in singular integrity, and contribute much to the picturesque effect, as well as to the interest, of the ruin. From the fragments of architectural decorations still extant we learn that it was of the Corinthian order, and richly ornamented. Some portions of a temple are also visible, converted into the church of San Pancrazio, but the edifice is of small size.

lovely shady gardens - built by a Brit at sometime past

dusk over Mount Etna

some ash coming out of the top of Etna

typical scenery of inland Sicily - dry and dusty

Piazza Armerina down in the valley, with marvellous mosaics to see

dry hillsides on our way to Agrigento

This from Wikipedia - Agrigento was founded on a plateau overlooking the sea, with two nearby rivers, the Hypsas and the Akragas, and a ridge to the north offering a degree of natural fortification. Its establishment took place around 582-580 BC and is attributed to Greek colonists from Gela, who named it Akragas. Akragas grew rapidly, becoming one of the richest and most famous of the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia. It came to prominence under the 6th-century tyrants Phalaris and Theron, and became a democracy after the overthrow of Theron's son Thrasydaeus. Although the city remained neutral in the conflict between Athens and Syracuse, its democracy was overthrown when the city was sacked by the Carthaginians in 406 BC. Akragas never fully recovered its former status, though it revived to some extent under Timoleon in the latter part of the 4th century.The city was disputed between the Romans and the Carthaginians during the First Punic War. The Romans laid siege to the city in 262 BC and captured it after defeating a Carthaginian relief force in 261 BC and sold the population into slavery. Although the Carthaginians recaptured the city in 255 BC the final peace settlement gave Punic Sicily and with it Akragas to Rome. It suffered badly during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) when both Rome and Carthage fought to control it. The Romans eventually captured Akragas in 210 BC and renamed it Agrigentum, although it remained a largely Greek-speaking community for centuries thereafter. It became prosperous again under Roman rule and its inhabitants received full Roman citizenship following the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city passed into the hands of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy and then the Byzantine Empire. During this period the inhabitants of Agrigentum largely abandoned the lower parts of the city and moved to the former acropolis, at the top of the hill. The reasons for this move are unclear but were probably related to the destructive coastal raids of the Saracens and other peoples around this time. In 828 AD the Saracens captured the diminished remnant of the city. They pronounced its name as Kerkent in Arabic; it was thus Sicilianized as "Girgenti". It retained this name until 1927, when Benito Mussolini's government reintroduced an Italianized version of the Latin name. Agrigento was captured by the Normans under Count Roger I in 1087, who established a Latin bishopric there. The population declined during much of the medieval period but revived somewhat after the 18th century. In 1860, the inhabitants enthusiastically supported Giuseppe Garibaldi in his conquest of southern Italy (in the course of the Unification of Italy). The city suffered a number of destructive bombing raids during World War II.

the columns are made of soft sandstone and the conservators have a long job to preserve them, as they suffer from erosion. They carefully match the colours of any new render to blend in with the original rock.

there are many old grave cuts at the edge of the escarpment, that are gradually falling off the edge.

the temples are spaced apart up the escarpment

some more complete than others

fine columns

and nearly all have some restoration to keep them upright

the modern Agrigento - a real jumble of flats

near to Agrigento is a hillside with Mud Volcanoes - sounds spectacular but they are only 1m high.

The mini volcanoes of Macalube, whose name comes from the Arab word for 'turnover', are a result of the pressure of methane gas mixing with salt water and clay under the ground. On occasion, larger eruptions reach up to ten metres in height making visitors jump when the silence is suddenly disturbed by the loud rumbles that accompany the explosions of mud bursting out of the ground. The result is a spectacular show that prompts a scramble by visitors trying to take photos of this rare event.

cool to the touch and cool to watch erupt

A great relaxing week and well worth a visit. Just make sure you hang onto your valuables. It almost ended in disaster as we drove to Catania Airport there was torrential rain and floods. It was chaos at the airport -gridlocked and one of the car parks flooded up to the level of car windows. Luckily I managed to squeeze the car around to the car hire depot and made a dash for the terminal - it's worth bringing a brolly!