We are up early and take our helicopter flight over Mt. Etna. It is dramatic as this volcano is very active and continues to spew lava and smoke. One recent eruption completely wiped out the ski village here. Etna has snow most of the year, but not today. It is 3000 meters high with lots of ski fields, popular in the winter months. We leave the golf club after our fabulous flight and arrive at our favorite Italian seaside city Siracusa, to drop off the hire car...

We love coming back to Sicily. We have found a golf resort out of 'Taormina' which is situated at the base of the famous volcano, Etna. Again, after many winding roads we found the resort 'Il Picciola'. To our relief the golf course looked great, as the country we have just passed through was steep mountains and valley's with many vineyards, fruit and nut trees growing in the fertile soil. We have time to rest from our travel before going to dinner in this strang...

This part of Italy has always been poor and rundown. This seaside town on the beautiful mountain coastline of 'promintorio di Tropea' on the Tyrrhenian sea is a very poor cousin to the other Italian holiday destinations. There are nice beaches but the accommodation is very average. The hotel set up where we stayed was like a holiday camp. You were presented with a silver wrist band that gave access to the cafeteria style dining room, where everything was include...

We arrived in the evening in Matera and we knew little of what to expect in this town that had been recommended to us. We imagined more trulli country however, we were absolutely blown away. The town is carved out of rock caves in the twin ravine that runs through the town. It is the most extensive and complete Troglodyte complex in the Mediterranean and on of the oldest human inhabited settlements in the world. It was once a wealthy rural centre from the 1600-1...

Puglia is the south east part of Italy, including the heel of the boot. It is amazing how much food is grown in the area, 80% of Italy's wheat and olive oil are grown here. The area generally looks flat and dry at the end of the summer. The have a great passion for food and make some of the best bread in italy. The coast line is rugged and spectacular. Our idea for the day is to visit the 'Trulli' country, the most popular town being 'Alberobello'. The Trulli a...