Messina is on the island of Sicily, just off the coast from Italy. Sicily is part of Italy, but they are very proud of their heritage and history. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean (nearly 10,000 square miles). Messina is the 3rd largest city on the island (250,000). The economy has three main components: fishing, agriculture, and tourism. The island is the biggest producer of lemons in the world. They also grow oranges and other fruit, cherry tomatoes, and olives.
Our day started with a bus ride down the coast of Sicily to a winery in the shadow of Mt. Etna. Our friends Dave and Maureen joined us on the excursion.
The volcano is almost continually active. So far in 2021, there have been 58 lava flows. Etna is an effusive volcano which means that lava flows out of cracks in the mountain. Mt. Vesuvius, on the other hand is an explosive volcano which will erupt violently.
We went to Murgo San Michelle, the oldest winery in the Etna area and one of the oldest in Sicily. They have about 60 acres of grapes. We tasted two sparking wines, a Prosecco and one that was more like champagne. Then a couple of white wines followed by two red wines. They were all tasty, but I (Chuck) particularly liked the last red. The tasting was accompanied by a plate of antipasto. I (Caroline) preferred my glass of water.
After the tasting we were given a tour of the wine making operation which included a description of how the sparkling wines are made.
Then we boarded the bus to visit a large lava flow. The flow started in 1991 and lasted until 1993. It started at 11,000 feet (near the top of the mountain) and ended at 5,500 feet. To stop the flow from getting to houses and businesses they tried building a wall and dropping large concrete blocks in front of the flow. They tried dynamiting the flow. None of this worked. They prayed to the Virgin Mary and the flow stopped. A statue of the Virgin Mary was erected near the end of the lava flow to honor her intervention.
The weather was cloudy and foggy as you can see in the picture of the lava flow below, but it was not cold. The large rocks are lava and the black looking soil is also lava that has been turned into the consistency of sand. After a lava flow it is 40-60 years before vegetation reappears.
Here are a couple of pictures of the city from our verandah.
