After an overnight flight to Rome and a connection to Catania, we arrive at our hotel on the hillside above Taormina, with a view of Mt Etna in the distance on the right.
Dinner at Al Saraceno on a terrace overlooking Taromina and backed by the hilltown of Castelmola.
Traditional ceramic Moorish Head pots of Sicily. (Taormina)
Enjoying Taormina's Piazza IX Aprile.
Taormina's central Corso Umberto is a kilometer long and its entire length was shaded by the surprisingly loud, flapping ribbons. According to the artist, "The urban installation, with its movement, the sound produced and the reverberation of light, pays homage to the art of cinematography."
Built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC, the ancient theatre of Taormina is one of the most stunningly situated theaters in the world, with a backdrop of the Ionian coast and Mt. Etna.
Carmela has some fun with a tourist from Romania atop Taormina's ancient Greek theatre.
Carmela enjoys the cooling gusts of wind from the top of Taormina's ancient theatre.
Entitled "Back to shooting", the Taormina Film Festival's urban installation of glittery ribbons intruded on photos of all the major landmarks.
The Triskelion is the three-legged woman that is the emblem of Sicily. First adopted in 1282 by the Sicilian Vespers, it is currently on the official flag of the autonomous Sicilian region. The woman's face is Medusa, who was believed to fight the forces of evil.
Villa Comunale di Taormina - the city's public gardens - are a peaceful escape from the bustle of Corso Umberto.
We didn't have our swimming clothes, but we waded over to Isola Bella. (Taormina)
The ornately painted Sicilian carts - carrettu sicilianu in Sicilian - were introduced to the island by the ancient Greeks. Carts reached the height of their popularity in the 1920s. (Taormina)
The Bill Clinton of Sicilian folk music had fun singing to Carmela while waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the church. (Taormina)
Singing and dancing in the piazza. (Taormina)
The happy couple ride out of town. (Taormina)
Traditional blushing Moorish heads of Sicily? (Taormina)
Capo di Milazzo is a thin peninsula in northeastern Sicily which extends into the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the Aeolian Islands, visible on the horizon. (Carmela at top of stairs)
We had trouble finding parking for restaurants along the coast between Milazzo and Barcellona-Pozzo di Gotto and ended up at this beachside stand serving an array of exclusively meat-filled sandwiches. Carmela managed to get us a custom-ordered tomato and cheese panini that did the job.
Carmela's parents were married in Barcellona-Pozzo di Gotto's Duomo of Saint Sebastian. It is the second largest cathedral in Sicily.
The main event of our trip was to attend the wedding of Sofia - the daughter of Carmela's cousin, Maria Rosaria - on the beach near Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto.
The setting on the beach, with gusts of wind blowing the white canopies, made for a beautiful wedding.
Carmela and her cousins: Maria Rosaria (mother of the bride), Antonino and Sandro
Malfa's port is filled with fishing boats, not yachts.
This place is available to rent. It has amazing views and easy access to the beach, Spiaggia dello Scario. (Malfa, Salina)
In the Hellenic Age the island of Salina was named "Didyme", a Greek name which refers to the two mountains as "twins".
Malfa's Piazza of the Rose Compass. Salina's town of Malfa got its name in the 12th century when some families from Amalfi moved here.
The central square of Malfa is alive with fans watching the Euro 2021 semi-finals between Italy and Spain. Italy wins and advances to the finals!
We took a morning bus (3 euro round trip) to the remote village of Pollara, where many scenes from the 1994 movie Il Postino where filmed.
Maybe a little overkill on the Il Postino related stuff. (Pollara, Salina)
Pollara's fishing village - used in the opening scenes of Il Postino - is a picture perfect spot for a dip.
It was a hot day and a bit of a walk down to Pollara's beach. Thankfully there was a shop selling cold drinks.
Carmela looks out to our next destination ... the island of Stromboli.
Various birds frequent the infinity pool for a chlorinated drink. (Malfa, Salina)
Downtown Malfa. (Salina island)
The colorful back alleys of Malfa. (Salina)
A joyful 27th anniversary on the beach in Rinella.
Caves excavated into the cliff and once used as shelter for Rinella's fishing boats.
You can't visit the Aeolian Islands and pass up the opportunity to have the region's distinctive Pane Cunzatu. (Rinella, Salina)
Pa. Pe. R�famous ricotta and sweet-caper granita. The salty caper powder and the candied capers give the milky ricotta granita just the right sweet and salty finish. It sounds weird but tastes extraordinary.
This place has the look of a movie set. (Rinella, Salina)
We head to the bus stop in Rinella. Almost all of the tourists we encountered in Sicily were Italian tourists and a few Germans. Only two or three American couples during our entire trip.
Santa Marina Salina is the main port and largest town on the island.
Bougainvillea in bloom. (Stromboli)
When life gives you more lemons than the lemonade you can drink ... (Stromboli)
The hosts at Agritourismo Solemare - a working farm - produce honey in those colorful beehive boxes behind Carmela on the roof of their home.
Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini lived together in this rusty-red house while filming the movie Stromboli in 1949. Their liaison provoked a scandal in the film world, as both were married to others at the time. It's now being auctioned for sale.
A colorful home near Trattoria Ai Gechi. I was hoping to have dinner at the trattoria, but hadn't made reservations and they were fully booked. (Stromboli)
Carmela views Strombolicchio from the terrace of our room and from her seat at Da Giovanni's ... the later being the artwork in the restaurant.
The Piscita neighborhood on the northern side of Stromboli is quieter than the main town towards the port.
Large eruptions and earthquakes can lead to dangerous tsunamis. The entire island is marked with escape routes to higher waiting areas.
Chiesa di San Bartolomeo (Stromboli)
Hiking up to the Osservatorio restaurant on Stromboli.
Our first order of business upon arriving at Osservatorio is to buy some ice cold Cokes. Well ... after a photo. (Stromboli)
We sat at a table on the terrace and waited for the eruptions. They happen every 15-20 minutes. It'd be better at night, but still exciting to see and hear. (Stromboli). Click here to see video
Stromboli
The Osservatorio restaurant that we walked to earlier is visible (white buildings at top of seaside cliff on the right). Stromboli's eruptions spew their material out to one side of the island and down to the sea. It's known as "Sciara del Fuoco" (Scar of the Fire").
As the sun began to set on Stromboli, I had to switch the camera to manual focus on infinity, since autofocus wasn't going to work. Add the boat rocking on fairly large sea swells and it's not ideal for getting pics of the eruptions. Click here to see video
Anna's breakfasts at Agriturismo Solemare are delicious, but many of the dishes are maybe a bit too savory for breakfast. (Stromboli)
Fishing is still an active business on Stromboli.
Untangling the fishing net. (Stromboli)
Sicilian Moorish head ceramics and tiles. (Stromboli)
Nocellara del Belice olives are one of the primary kinds used for EVOO in Sicily. Most EVOO's in the US pale in comparison.
Taxi driver waits for a call. (Stromboli)
This seagull didn't get the message. The boat's name - La Covina - means the raven. (Stromboli)
It was hot and a bit more humid today. This spot along Via Vittorio Emanuele was shaded and notably breezy. (Stromboli)
Bougainvillia in bloom, Piaggio Ape trucks, and white-washed homes. (Stromboli)
We arrive back to Barcellona-Pozzo di Gotto in time for dinner with Carmela's family and then settle in to watch the Euro 2021 final between Italy and England. Painfully, England takes the lead 1-0 after only 2 minutes of play.
Carmela, her brothers, and cousins still own this land, which had orange trees when we visited in 1997. The church next to it complained that it was a fire hazard, so Carmela's cousin hired a crew to clear the property. (Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto)
Maria Rosaria (Carmela's cousin, center) and her younger daughter (Maura) took us to get our COVID-19 rapid antigen test at a pharmacy for the flight home and then to get some granita in downtown Barcellona-Pozzo di Gotto.
Graffiti of Barcellona-Pozzo di Gotto.
Either a modern take on Sicilian Moorish art or the Sicilian Carmen Miranda. (Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto)
After a week on the Aeolian Islands, it was nice to finish the trip in the cool, quiet hilltop town of Savoca.
Savoca is especially popular with film buffs wanting to visit settings used in scenes of "The Godfather". It's important enough to Savoca's tourism that they've memorialized Francis Ford Coppola in the main square of the town.
Neighborhood chat. (Savoca)
We had our last Sicilian dinner on the terrace of Osteria del Borgo (Savoca). After salads, we had the classic Sicilian dish (Pasta alla Norma) and asked for a bowl of grated rictotta infornata.
Savoca
