30 April 2009 – Day 1 – Catania, Aci Castello, Acitrezza

I force myself to down a truly repulsive Gatwick airport coffee knowing that for the next six days I’ll be treated to the best of the best. The destination is Catania, where my father grew up, and we’re taking this pilgrimage to explore the east coast of Sicily.

As we approach the island, I know I’m in for a treat. The glorious weather gives a sublime view, practically into the mouth of the ever-volatile Mount Etna.

My memories of Palermo return as soon as we hit the roads, with the sounds of horns blasting, the scooters zipping in and out of traffic and the carefree attitude of pedestrians walking across the busy roads as if it were a catwalk.

The only difference with Palermo is the road, cut out of black, solidified lava, making a great contrast against the old building architecture.

It’s a great hotel but we head off immediately for food, finding a famous little bar with stereotypical Italian service. The arancino goes down well whilst we meander around the streets of central Catania. I’m filled with stories of what things used to be like in the 50s, and it’s like having my own personal guide, boiling with enthusiasm and reliving his youth with me; the only thing is that the guide is my father!

Along the coast, we visit two of the Aci: Aci Castello and Acitrezza. The old photos of Aci Castello make it look like a classic painting; nowadays it’s full of buildings and busy roads. The castle itself doesn’t lose its appeal. The views down the coast are great and I see the old men sitting around and watching the world go by.

Acitrezza, where my father was born, is even better. The town itself is typically Sicilian, but the ‘beach’ is the difference. It’s full of solid lava, including some enormous boulders that look entirely out of place, prodding out of the sea. Legend says that Cyclops threw these enormous rocks at Odysseus, but this is almost more believable than the truth: They were actually launched (20km across Sicily) in one of Etna’s violent eruptions!

I can’t help but feel like I’m finally on holiday: The sun is strong and on the promenade the local teenage couples show (a little too much) affection for each other, as tanned, camp-looking men roller-skate around them. It’s no-holds-barred Italy at its best.

Dinner is a reunion with a distant relative who my father hasn’t seen in half a century. I ask for food that isn’t easily found in London and I’m treated to some Sicilian antipastos followed by squid ink pasta. We then stroll around the Piazza del Teatro, which seems to be the local hangout for all the beautiful people; it’s like being backstage at a fashion show!

01 May 2009 – Day 2 – Catania, Mount Etna

After a poor night’s sleep (even my earplugs can’t muffle the sound of my father’s snoring), I’m heading towards another beast: Mount Etna. Like my father, it too rumbles through the night (no doubt much more quietly) at over 3,300m.

We drive north through the suburbs of Catania, spoiled by a surplus number of buildings and cars everywhere trying to escape the city for the 1st May national holiday. The Highway Code should be re-written for Sicilians: It seems there’s a well-followed, controlled chaos that rules the land, even if it does entirely defy logic. However, since in Italy you give way to those joining on the right, the system falls to pieces and confusion prevails when you get to a roundabout; Sicilians are baffled and it reverts back to ‘first come, first served’!

Mount Etna (or Muncibeddu/Mongibello in Sicilian/Italian) looms over Catania quite beautifully. It’s as if the mountain is totally lost and just settled itself next to a coastline city. It makes for a fantastic landscape and it’s almost confusing having left the city and suddenly being at 1,000m and heading towards the snowy peaks. The higher we climb, the more the landscape changes; from concrete buildings, to green pastures and then finally to black rock, as all signs of life disappear under the layers of lava built up over centuries of eruptions.

The contrast of snow and black lava is picturesque in itself, but the mix of cloud and steam filter the strong sunshine and create a unique environment, making it seem like a totally foreign planet.

The funivia takes us high above the clouds and a jeep completes the climb to 2,920m. The sun is still strong but the bitterly cold wind half makes me forget I’m a short distance away from a volcano crater. I take a few photos and my hands are totally numb through cold. Fortunately, Mother Nature comes in handy when you’re on a volcano and all you have to do to warm up is lie down on the ground!

We opt for the hour walk back to the funivia and after I steal a couple of rocks of lava, we quickly return to Catania as another of my father’s long-lost friends is waiting to join us for dinner.

02 May 2009 – Day 3 – Catania, Siracusa

The first stop before Siracusa is to visit my grandfather’s grave in Catania’s main cemetery. It was nearly 20 years ago when I last stood in front of his grave and even though I never met him (he died in 1971) it still has a profound effect on me. I was named after him and to see my name written on a gravestone is still as moving as it was when I saw it as a 10-year-old. The cemetery itself is beautiful, or it would be if they banned cars and motorbikes. You could really spend hours lost in the maze of graves, fantastically built. Some are huge (nearly as big as my home!) and contain the remains of entire families. Unfortunately the noise of the traffic speeding by is ridiculous, and destroys any sense of peacefulness.

We take a wrong turn and end up on a quiet country road near Lentini. As we search for the road bearing south, we drive along one stretch of road which is dotted with African women standing by the side of the road, each about 200m from the last, as if waiting for the bus to Siracusa. It seems they have all been waiting a while for the bus and have got a little hot in the Sicilian sun; they’re all practically stripped down to the underwear and some even bend over their chairs, unable to stand up straight any longer. However, the non-existent bus doesn’t lower their spirits; some even smile and wave as we drive by…

Siracusa is impressive and I’m pleasantly surprised that although it’s more Greek ruins (that I’ve previously seen in Agrigento), it’s totally different and full of history. Unfortunately, the Teatro Greco is being set up for a forthcoming play, which means that the beautiful architecture is covered with modern seating and means a panoramic photo is out of the question. They have “ruined” the ruins!

The Orecchio di Dionisio is an enormous cave around the corner from the amphitheatre. It’s hugely impressive both visually and acoustically, and its shape, similar to an ear, makes for some fantastic echoes. Supposedly, Dionisio left his prisoners in the cave, so he could listen to their secrets from afar! We’re treated to something else, as we’re lucky enough to enter at a time when a Dutch opera singer starts singing! The strong sunshine disappears around the corners of the cave, which also allows me to try some unusual “jumping” photos.

We drive across the bridge to the island of Ortigia, which is the touristy part of Siracusa. That said, it’s relatively quiet, especially along the backstreets surrounding the Piazza del Duomo. At the most southern point of the island is the Castel Maniace. As a military base, it’s normally closed to tourists, but following a recent G8 summit, they have opened it specially. I wish they hadn’t! I’m left rather unimpressed and return to the narrow streets which seem to have a million stories to tell.

We end the day with dinner with more distant relatives in Nicolosi, a relatively quiet town between Etna and Catania.

03 May 2009 – Day 4 – Catania, Forza d’Agrò, Gole di Alcantara

Today was always the odd number: It’s a six day trip and it would mean travelling quite far from Catania to see another “major” site. So it’s lucky my father was born here, as we head north and explore some of the lesser well known sites, which is great as the lack of tourists means it’s like being a fly on the wall to Sicilian life.

We go to Forza d’Agrò, following the river from the coastline, which takes us through some small villages. There are markets on the streets and it’s the first glimpse of what life may have been like for my father back in the 1950s. Shockingly, however small the villages, they all seem to have fantastic sporting facilities. One village has a high quality football field surrounded by a running track and even has stands for the crowd! It does make you wonder where the money came from to pay for it..!

I paddle across part of the river to get some photos and further upstream, when we arrive at Basilica SS Pietro & Paolo, my father starts speaking with a local and discovers that he actually knew my uncle!

Forza d’Agrò is a pleasant little town high into the mountains and despite the mass of construction, it still retains its village feel at the peak, upon which the (unfortunately closed) castle sits. Back at the coast, views from Capo S’Alessio are splendid, along the coast and across the sea to Italy.

There’s still time to kill, so we search for the Gole Alcantara, which (bizarrely) isn’t even in my guide book: It’s fantastic; a winding series of rapids, carving away at the unique rock formations which makes for some great photos. You can even wade up the rapids, but following a lot of rain in April, the current is too strong for that today.

04 May 2009 – Day 5 – Catania, Taormina, Castelmola, Mazzarò, Isola Bella

Taormina is one of Sicily’s most popular destinations. I had been looking forward to today and unfortunately it has left a rather bitter taste in my mouth, and that wasn’t because of the horrible arancino that I was served in one of the central piazzas.

It’s absolutely packed full of tourists and I can’t bear to imagine how busy it is in the summer months. This I could accept, if it wasn’t for the fact that all activity revolves around commerce and taking advantage of all the tourists. It means that this lovely mountaintop town has been transformed into nothing less than an outdoor shopping mall.

The Teatro Greco is slightly better. However, even though I don’t mind the fact that they still use the theatre for shows (after all, its position with dramatic views of Mount Etna in the horizon is absolutely awesome), but they replace the broken, ancient seats with wooden and metallic benches. It makes absolutely no sense and completely ruins the possibility of imagining what it looked like over 1,000 years ago. That being said, sitting in the amphitheatre and writing my journal in the sun, with the panoramic views of Calabria, Etna and the Jonio Sea is almost unbeatable.

Further up the mountain, is a smaller village called Castelmola. It’s quieter than Taormina and for this I prefer it. The castle at the top also gives a view inland as well, and is well worth the steep drive from Taormina.

Back at the coast, we visit Mazzarò, where my father learned to swim, and the beautiful beach at Isola Bella, which certainly lives up to its name! In fact, only at high tide does it actually become an island. Therefore, being low tide, we cross the path and I jump around in the shallow water as the sun disappears into the mountains behind us.

05 May 2009 – Day 6 – Catania

I still haven’t seen Catania, despite staying here nearly a week. Fortunately, there’s enough time before our flight to visit the Piazza del Duomo and the local “Pescheria” fish market. It’s a lovely way to end the trip, surrounded by life as it probably was centuries ago, with the incomprehensible Sicilian cries still ringing in my ears.