Apart from a few late night 'back seat spring testers' driving along the track for nookie there was nothing to disturb us all night. There's a beautiful sunrise and it's already 23C before we get up. We have an easy motorway journey towards Taranto then turn north on quieter roads towards Alberobello. There are lots of olive farms with sandstone walls. Ali has read that these are 'masserias'; farms modelled on classical Roman villas complete with farmhouse, o...

Another slightly grey morning but the swallows are swooping and chirping long before we are up. We leave Palmi, a perfect 'last and first' stop between the mainland and Sicily, and join the A3 north with the haze making the journey far less spectacular than our south bound trip four weeks ago. It's an uneventful 114 miles, with a short lunch stop, until we leave the A3 and turn towards Taranto. The 38 miles to our camperstop is a bit delayed with roadworks and...

Still grey and windy but the sky is clearer and no rain. We service the van and drive along the coast road to Messina, which is either views over beaches and sea or through the coastal towns. Some of the roads have grafittied names of the Riders from the recent tour written on them. There is also lots of smooth new tarmac here for the once a year cyclists while other, much worse, roads go unrepaired. Messina is very busy but we get a view of some of its older...

Another easy morning as we get squared away to leave. In our early plans of things we might do, one was driving up and camping on Etna, but having enjoyed what we've seen the last few days we agree it's not necessary. We pay our host and return the plate he gave us with the fruit, which he confirms were loquat, known here as nespolo. As we start down the bumpy track a Swiss car towing a caravan comes in. We reverse in the lane, back to the first pitch while t...

This morning is a treat! It's the first morning since we stayed at the agritourismo in Segesta that is both peaceful and with no rush to go. After an uninterrupted night's deep sleep we pull back the cab curtains and lay in bed watching the rising sun light up the north east side of Mount Etna. A steady plume of white smoke or steam is carried along in the breeze. It is after 09:00 before we start getting up. Sunday's debacle and our decision to linger here...