Our last port of call in Sicily was Siracusa or Syracuse. It has a 2,700 year history and was once a powerful city-state, one of the largest cities in the ancient world. It was founded by Greeks but was also ruled by the Romans. Because my husband is a retired physics teacher, I must mention that Syracuse was the birthplace of Archimedes. He is famous for Archimedes’ Principle, which says that the buoyant force of an object placed in water…
Our next port of call was Taormina, Sicily. Taormina was founded by the Greeks in 358 BC but 300 years later it was under Roman rule. It is on the eastern coast of Sicily on the Ionian Sea and close to Mt. Etna. Part of our trip to Taormina took us through the Strait of Messina, lying between Sicily and mainland Italy. This was the first night where we experienced some “rocking and rolling” aboard the ship – but it…
Our next port of call was Palermo, Sicily. We drove to Monreale to see the Cathedral of Monreale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we looked at the exterior as seen in the first two pictures below, we would not have guessed the cathedral made the UNESCO list. There are two bell towers on either side of the porch which seems plain with the exception of the inlaid marble. The porch was added in the 18th Century. When you enter…
After leaving Stromboni, we made our way to Sicily where our first port of call was Trapani. From there we drove to Segesta where we saw the remains of a Greek Temple. Segesta was located on Mt. Barbaro which provided it with a defensible position and was also near the coast which was ideal for trading. Segesta was founded by the Elymain people who inhabited western Sicily. They were influenced by the Greeks, probably because Segesta was an important trading…
Back on board the Le Ponant, the sails were raised for the first time on our cruise. We had been at Tall Ships in Chicago and saw sails raised with ropes. On the Le Ponant, this process was mechanical – but still a beautiful site! When attending the briefing given by our tour directors, we learned that we would be passing the island of Stromboli overnight. Stromboli is home to a “constantly active volcano” and I decided to set my…