Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 6.

A quick description of the Mt Etna visit.

This is a continuation of my 1982 backpacking trip to southern Italy including the island of Sicily. Last week, I included the rare photos of the Church of St John and its Catacombs in the Sicilian town of Siracusa. Although permissible in 1982, nowadays, photography of the church and catacombs is now banned.

This week, I begin with photos of my hiking adventure up to the active Central Crater of Mt Etna. There were just two of us when we reached the rim. When I was staying in Siracusa, I took the train up to Catania Central for a bus connection to Rifugio Sapienza on the mountain's southern slope. From there, the staff divided us into groups and we all hired heavy jackets, as our final destination, despite being quite far below the crater, was quite cold and windy, even if at sea level the rest of the island bathed in warm summer sunshine.

While I was on the bus en route to the Refuge, the bus stopped for a moment to let a young man board. He then settled on the other side of the vehicle on a row behind mine. I quickly forgot about him as the bus climbed the slope.

After arriving at the refuge, we hired jackets and boarded the jeep to take us further up the slope. True, it might have been possible to hike, but Mt Etna being a shield volcano, such a trek would have been long, tiring, and truthfully, quite monotonous! As we ascended, we passed a burnt-out gantry of the cable car system that was destroyed in the 1971 eruption. The jeeps (around two or three of them) ended their journey at a car park, around 150-200 metres to our final destination - a wall of solidified basalt lava which served well as a windshield as well as a lookout. Although we were at the highest point permitted, we were still far below the summit.

Yet, the young man who boarded the bus wasn't satisfied with his surroundings, even if I was.

He singled me out from the group and began to beg me to accompany him to the summit proper. I didn't resist. Instead, he led me away from the group and having found the start of the trail, we began hiking up it towards the summit, which in 1982, itself consisted of three active craters: The main Central, the Northeast Crater, and New Mouth. The Northeast Crater was the most aggressive of the three, its cone making it the highest point of the whole mountain.

As we continued walking, I was expecting a call from one of the group guides we left behind. But no shouts came as we passed a sign with large lettering reading, MOLTO PERICOLOSO! (Beyond this point it becomes very dangerous to proceed any further). But the young man persisted, and furthermore, bidding me to take the lead.

We kept on walking continuously. We then arrived at a smouldering crater near the summit, I believe named Nuova Bocca (New Mouth). Unlike the other craters further down, this one was alive as it smouldered silently, issuing small billows of steam at certain points within the crater. I wasn't afraid, even if this crater could erupt at any time.

As we proceeded further, the texture of the ground changed from dry basalt powder to a texture resembling wet beach sand. We crossed a level area as we approached the rim of Central Crater which issued sulphur dioxide gas, billows of steam and a loud hollow thunder as the ground we were standing on was shaking like a permanent earthquake. An explosion within the crater sent us running a few metres from the rim, and then we meekly crept back to spend a few more moments on the edge. Then, with my companion's urging, we began our descent back to the lookout to discreetly join another group preparing to board the jeep for the return to Rifugio Sapienza.

Were we foolish? Indeed, yes! Had I not met this young man, I would never have ventured up. But we took a risk, and the reward was some of the most unique photos ever taken outside of the vulcanologist's research collection, which will be displayed here. What was my motive for such a venture? An Italian student approached me and invited me to join him. Could I back down and say No? No way! He would have seen me as a coward, and with all my weaknesses, I wouldn't allow cowardice to be one of them.

A note on the Catacombs of Capuchin in Palermo. In the past, my posting of these photos caused some controversy, especially with the staff of Facebook censoring them. Therefore, I selected two of the less unsettling pics and posted them. After all, in 1982, I was there - alone. But I never felt a moment of fear or repulsion while visiting this attraction. And like the Catacombs of St John in Siracuse, although photography was permitted in 1982, according to the website Tripadvisor, photography is now banned.

I hope you will enjoy browsing through these slides. Many in this group are of a better quality, as they were prepared some years ago when I had better results. These also include Taormina, a mountainous coastal resort north of Mt Etna. The views from Castelmola and Castello di Taormina provide some of the most dramatic panorama Italy offers. Rome was my final stop for a day before returning home via Milan.  

Click here for access to the Index for the main Biography where further narration of this trip can be found.

Photos of our visit to Mt Etna.

Mount Etna is seen through the mist from the train.

Rifugio Sapienza.

One of the Cratari di Silvestri range.

These craters are close to the Refuge.

Two more of the Silvestri Range.

From the Jeep, a burnt-out Gantry.

Another crater cone on the mountain slope.

A crater amidst solidified lava flows.

The group's final destination - a wall of solidified lava.

Come on, mister, from where are you running from?

The Summit as seen from the wall. I pose.

We begin our hike, just the two of us.

Distant view of the Summit.

We continued with the hike, looking back.

My companion (pictured) and I pass the cloud level.

Another above-the-cloud scene.

We pause at Bocca Nuova near the Summit.

At the Summit! The Rim of Central Crater.

On our way back, we joined a group for the jeep.

Taormina.

Taormina Bay

The rocky coast of Taormina.

Isola Bella as seen from the beach.

Cable car linking the beach to the Town Centre.

Looking south from Taormina esplanade.

Town Centre.

One of Italy's most common surnames.

A Church in Taormina.

A view of Castelmola from the town.

Castello di Taromina and Castelmola in the centre.

Greek Theatre, Taormina.

Isola Bella seen from Castello di Taormina.

Vico Sant' Andrea

Greek Theatre from Castello Taormina.

Coastal view from the Castle.

View of the Coast from Castelmola.

The streets of Castelmola are all traffic-free.

A view of Taormina from Castelmola.

Palermo.

First view of Palermo from the Station.

Norman Palace, Palermo.

Another view of the Norman Palace.

Fig Tree, Palermo.

The same tree is seen from the other side.

One of Palermo's gardens.

Catacombs of Capuchin, general view.

Capuchin Catacombs, one of the galleries.

Monte Pellegrino.

Rome.

The Colosseum, Rome.

View of St Peter's Square from the Cupola.

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Next Week: Looking into France of the mid-eighties.

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 5.

Introduction to the 1982 Backpacking Trip to Southern Italy.

At the end of last week's blog, I wrote that this week's Extravaganza would include the 1982 hike up Mt Etna in Sicily to gaze into its active crater. However, when I sorted out the two magazines, I found that there were too many pre-Etna slides to display before getting around to using them.

Therefore, the 1982 backpacking trip to Southern Italy will be divided into two sections. The first will be displayed here, and the second which will include Mt Etna, will be displayed next week if all preparations fall smoothly into place.

However, the photos displayed here include the ruined Church and the Catacombs of St John in Siracusa. This is very significant. In 1982, I was able to walk into this ancient underground site on my own freely, spend as much time in the cave network as I wanted, and take as many photos as my heart desired. But at present, as Alex and I discovered in 2006, and confirmed by the website Tripadvisor, every visitor must now be included on an escorted tour which is fixed at certain times of the day. Furthermore, photography is forbidden throughout the tour. It's this nannying, whether by the State or by the Catholic Church, that in my opinion, killed the spirit of adventurous travel, although I'm sure that some would disagree.

The consequence of how the church and catacombs are visited and photography banned by 2006, has made these 1982 photos very precious, and to me, valuable. Therefore to say that these images of the interior of the Catacombs of St John are very rare is neither an exaggeration nor an understatement.

The same could be said for the Church of the Tears (Madonna delle Lacrima), also in Siracusa. In 1982, the edifice was unfinished, with a large circular platform sheltering an underground crypt which was already in use. By 2006, the edifice was finished with the platform forming the floor of a circular church looking like a serrated cone, meant to resemble a teardrop. 

The 1982 trip to southern Italy involved buying a train pass. By paying a fixed price beforehand, once I had the ticket validated at Milan Station, I was then free to travel anywhere in Italy for a fixed period, in my case, three weeks. Indeed, the pass gave me unlimited access to Italian State Railways in the same way that the Ameripass ticket gave me unlimited access to the Greyhound Bus across North America in the seventies.

In 1982, I arrived in Italy via Milan after the train I was on departed from Bolougne-sur-Mur, and avoided Paris, stopping instead at Lille, then along the north-eastern border of France, then at Metz, and Mulhouse, before entering Switzerland to stop at Basil and Lucerne. At Milan Central Terminus, I had my interior railway pass validated.

I then spent a couple of days with a friend from our church in my hometown, who was working on a contract in Milan, before I boarded the train at Milan Central for an overnight journey, stopping at Roma Tibertina (a through station) at dawn before terminating at Naples Central later that morning. I then spent a few hours of that day in Pompeii before moving on for another overnighter to Brindisi for another couple of days. It's from Brindisi where the Appian Way to ancient Rome began. From Brindisi, another overnight train took me to Taranto where I had to change trains for Reggio Calabria, the port for the ferry crossing to Sicily, across the Messina Strait.

This week's Extravaganza contains the first half of this fascinating holiday, from Dover to Sicily. 

Click here for the Travel Biography Index where you can find the relevant texts of this trip.

Photos of the 1982 Backpacking Trip to Italy.

From Dover to Milan.

On the Ferry to France from Dover.

On the move. Swiss scenery from the train.

Lake Lecco.

A view of Lake Lecco, a branch of Lake Como.

My friend Derek relaxes by Lake Lecco.

Views of the Alpen Lake.

Some foreground at Lake Lecco.

Lake scenery.

The town of Lecco is backed by Monte Valentino.

Posing at this magnificent scene.

Evening draws over Lake Lecco.

Pompeii.

The Amphitheatre in Pompeii.

Recent rain made this Pompenian street wet.

The Roman pedestrian crossed the road on these stones.

Detail of a Pompenian house and garden.

A theatre in Pompeii.

Reflection of an Altar.

Temple of Jupiter, Pompeii.

Brindisi.

The start of the Appian Way.

Brindisi Harbour.

Brindisi Harbour.

A scene at Brindisi.

Sailing from Reggio Calabria to Messina, Sicily.

Leaving the port at Reggio Calabria.

Looking towards the stern of the ferry.

A train is split before rolling through the bow of the ship.

Approaching Messina.

Central Catania, Sicily.

Fountain garden in Catania.

Elephant Square, Catania.

Roman Amphitheatre, Catania.

Siracusa - where I spent most of my time in Sicily.

The Madonna della Lacrima, 1982.

Madonna della Lacrima, as it was in 1982.

Interior of the Crypt, 1982.

A ceramic statue weeps. Was it a miracle?

The Church and Catacombs of St John.

Ruins of the Church of St John, Siracusa.

Interior of the Church of St John, Siracusa.

Church of St John, Siracusa.

I was alone in the Catacombs of St John in 1982.

Sarcophagi are seen here in this cave.

Three more sarcophagi are in the foreground.

A tunnel branches off the main corridor.

The Neapolis, ancient Greek Garden, Siracusa.

The Neapolis, Siracusa.

Greek Theatre, 2nd Century BC, Neapolis.

Another view of the Greek Theatre.

Panoramic view of the Greek Theatre.

Roman Amphitheatre, Neapolis Gardens.

The Ear of Dionysius, limestone cave.

Temple of Apollo, Siracusa.

A canal separates Isola di Ortigia from the mainland.

The Mystical Fonte Aretusa, Ortigia.

White Fountain Beach (Spiaggia di Fontane Bianche).

At White Fountain Beach, south of Siracusa.

White Fountain Beach.

The smooth Mediterranean of Sicily.

The beach was almost deserted.

The White Fountain Beach facing north.

Spiaggia di Fontane Bianche, facing south.

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Next Week: Southern Italy continued, Mt Etna, Taormina.