In Rome , there are lots of things to see and admire. It is a wonderful place and a few days of sightseeing does not do the place any justice. Nonetheless, with the time we have allocated, we have attempted to do our best. Yesterday we visited the Vatican which is only a short stroll from our apartment. If you ever wish to visit the Vatican, it is best to pre-book tickets as the queues stretch for as far as the eye can see! Pre-booking is a little more expensive...

Benvenuti a Roma considered by many as the Capital of the World! We arrived here from Catania, yesterday, on a Blue Express flight. As you know, people love getting close to you in Europe and if we were any closer to people on that flight you could have mistaken us for armpit hairs! Johanna, still suffering from the Etna experience, spent most of her time controlling reflexes that only ever get used after a big night out while Lucy spent regular intervals asking...

Last we night we held a dinner for all the relatives in Catania. It was a token of appreciation for for the hospitality they have provided while we were here. Tony cooked some Carbonara and veal scollapini and Clara brought some pasta Norma. The food was delicious and the company was refreshing on what was a balmy night in Catania. Today was another treat! Enter stage left - Mt Etna! This mountain is the highest peak in Sicily and is composed of many smaller pea...

We met up with the Americans today so that we could say farewell as they return to New York tomorrow. We sat in a bar and enjoyed a Campari and Soda while the majority of the Catanese awoke from their midday slumber. I still can't tell you a lot about them but I do know that they don't like the toilets here, that one of them has a cat called Sheba and that they can't speak any Italian. Sorry for the lack of info. I'll leave the others to fill you in on the detail...

If you're looking for a movie star destination in Sicily you can't do much better than our destination today; Taormina! This location has everything; a magnificent seaside, then stunning panoramic views of the western Sicilian coastline and capped off with one of the oldest castles in the country; Castelmola. We are privileged to get driven to this location by Concetto, Johanna's cousin, who also doubles as a great tour guide. The car trip there is the standard ...