Italian Rhodes

Stromboli

The Aeolian Islands are made up of 7 main islands (there are a few more, but they are too tiny to count). They are all part of a Volcanic line that even includes Mt. Etna on the main island of Sicily. I remember studying about Volcanoes in school, but seeing this in real life makes me want to learn so much more! Anyway, Stromboli is one of the 7 main islands and is so amazingly cool. It is an active Volcano and looks just like you would imagine a Volcano to look like. The crazy part is that what you see sticking out of the water is just the tip of the Volcano, most of it lies below the Sea. And the crazy part is that people live on the island. It erupts every 10 minutes or so, but the last big eruption was in 2019. It was an absolute highlight for us and we got to do a toured night hike up to the top to see the Volcano explode lava and ash. Such an interesting and memorable experience!

The few streets that exist are too narrow for cars, so vespas and 3 wheeled work cars fill the streets.

A random cat fell in love with Bryan at a Cappuccino stop - Bryan isn't even a cat person - so it was really funny!

Mia and I watching the sun set at the top of Stromboli, while waiting for the sun to go down, for a better view of the Volcano exploding

These Hydrofoil boats are the Ferry's that take people to the different islands.

This was the baby island off of Stromboli - they call it Strombolini

A selfie - at the top! :-)

You can see where the ash falls into the sea

And this is view we were waiting for! After the sun went down - every 10 minutes or so, the Volcano would burstt - truly amazing!!

Our hike up to the top (in our group) - you aren't allowed to go to the top on your own- only with a special guide that takes people up in groups.

And this is the island of Stromboli taken from one of the other islands that we stopped at. You can see on the top left, a little explosion - it happens every 10 minutes or so...

One of the beaches - you can see the sand is black and the rocks are all Volcanic rocks

A grave on the side of the mountain in the oldest cemetary on the island.

The black sand beach

That pesky cat! :-)

The oldest cemetery on the island

When it erupted, you could hear the grumbling and large sound from the earth. Because it was a clear night - the stars were out in force - It was truly an unbelievable experience.

Stray cats were in the funniest places!

This is NOT my picture, but our hotel owner shared it with me. It shows the 2019 eruption. You could see where the islanders might get a little nervous - yikes!

The hike up

One of the bursts on the way up

The architecture reminded us of Greece

Our delicious breakfast at our hotel

the Vulcanic rock at the beach

Even the "non cat person" enjoyed this little guys attention! :-)

At the top - waiting for the night sky and the show of nature!

Milazzo

After flying into Catania, we took the train and bus to get to Milazzo. We had no expectation for this town, except to have a place to stay before we took the Ferry to the Islands. It far exceeded our expectation!! Milazzo is a narrow peninsula on the Northeast side of Sicily and is absolutely adorable. The water is beautiful on West side and there is a gorgeous fortress that sits on the end overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The food is delicious and the the people are friendly. We ended up staying 2 nights here. Such a cute town!

It was so pretty to walk around - especially at night!

The famous Arancini "Ragu" balls - delicious!

It reminded me of our water in Florida!

Bad picture - but these were turtles living in a city fountain..

The waves were huge!!

Bautiful!

Lugging all of our stuff. And taking a Cappuccino and Brioche break

The fortress on the hill!

Welcome to Milazzo!!

Sicily - planes, trained, and boats

So after three attempts of trying to take a cruise, we opted instead for something that had been on my bucket list for a long time! The Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily. When we lived in Germany, I was at the airport ready to go with tickets in hand, but the plane was delayed over 24 hours and so with timing, it didn't work out to go. So this was an especially special trip! We had such an amazing week and enjoyed the nature of Volcanoes tremendously. It was so fascinating! It took cars, planes, trains, busses, and boats to get around (transportation was definitely the trickiest part of the trip). Because of the complications to get there, it is often left off the list for many tourists, which makes it feel very authentic and special. A beautiful place with friendly (and helpful) people, and delicious food!!!