We spent the morning with our local guides, touring the picturesque hill-town of Taormina, a former Greek settlement. We walked down Taormina’s main street, Corso Umberto, and visited Palazzo Corvaja, which is known for a mixture of architectural styles, including Norman, Arab and Gothic. We ended our tour at the Teatro Greco, a third-century BC theater where the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes were performed. The theater was later enlarged by the Romans. Those who climbed to the upper level were rewarded with views of Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos below. Afterward, we had free time to explore and shop for colorful souvenirs and tasty treats, from olive oil to gelato.
The highlight of the day was our lunch at Castello delgi Schivai, an 18th-century villa that was used in The Godfather movies. We were greeted by the owner with hors d'oeuvres and drinks, then watched scenes from The Godfather movies before taking a short tour. Afterward, we enjoyed a grand feast with live traditional music.
We returned to Sea Cloud and sailed through the Straits of Messina, which separates mainland Italy from the island of Sicily. The narrow passageway is only two miles wide at the northern end. The strait is where Odysseus narrowly escaped in Homer’s Odyssey.
5/18/2024
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Sea Cloud
At Sea, Lipari to Naples
The sea was glass-calm this morning. The sailors went aloft, and we were at full sail by 10AM. Just after the justifiably famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel lunch, a strong squally developed on the starboard side with strong winds and heavy intermittent rain blowing perfectly from the east. We all rushed out to the spanker deck as our sails were billowing, filled with wind. We went from 2 knots per hour in minutes to 7.2 knots. It was exhilarating and we all reveled in the fact that we were at sea in a ship designed for such weather. We cut through the white caps with such ease and there was barely a movement on deck. We were at sea, transported back in time on a ship designed to mimic the great clipper ships of the mid-19th century. It was exhilarating and it was apparent as we looked up at the gleaming, billowing sails. Tonight, our captain introduced his officers and then our expedition leader John Frick spoke about the wonders of our journey. Lastly, we enjoyed the captain’s farewell dinner.