A:

Breakfast in the flat - delicious local bread with the marmalade and honey we brought from Malta and also cheese and tomato we picked up earlier this morning from the markets. It is handy having them so close. Mick had emailed `The Etna Experience` about a trip to the slopes, but due to the intermittent state of our internet we were not sure if there was a reply so we walked about twenty minutes to the site which was at a B and B where we were welcomed warmly. The woman had sent an email back but we had not been able to open it so she explained we would be picked up at the flat tomorrow at 9.25 for our tour of Etna. A morning tea would be provided and we would be back at 2.30.

It was raining quite heavily.

M

We went to the Tourist Office with a string of questions. The Bellini Theatre ? Not open for visits. Puppet shows? None on but they gave us the number of the place that made them. Buses to Taormina? Gave us a timetable. Funny kind of a place. Not a brochure in sight. Staff were helpful in a minimalist kind of way, but if they are paid on the number of attractions they recommend, they will starve. Reminded me of my first impressions of the tourist info in Damascus - except despite the lack of "collateral" the woman there shut the office and guided my one person tour!

A

The rain continued. We stopped for a coffee and a particular type of Catanese pastry, called minnuzze - although the waiter called them cassatelle. To know what these are you need to realise that St Agatha, patron saint of Catania, was mutiliated horribly having her breasts cut off for refusing to renounce Christ on Feb 4th 251 AD in the Roman prison of Catania. So these pastries are made to look like breasts. (M:Check the photo - no human subjects were injured in this process!) We haven't spotted the other sweets made in the honour of this saint, the olivette which are made out of marzipan to look like olives. These are made to commemorate the olive tree which is said to have miraculously appeared in the spot where the saint bent down to tie one of her shoe laces as she went to the prison to face trial.(M:If she had known what was coming she might have done better than an olive!) My siblings and I attended a primary school in Pennant Hills called St Agatha's but I don't recall any of this. (M: I wonder why?) It is interesting to note the benefit of not using the cafes near the main drag or tourist areas as this morning tea near the Duomo of St Agatha cost 11 Euros, while a similar one further afield yesterday cost 3 Euros.

After a quick look at the map to reorganise ourselves we returned to the flat for lunch and I did the Italian language test for the school in Rome . Meanwhile, our landlord Carmine had come once again and this time we think solved the internet problem by going with a different provider but there is a limit to the amount of space we can use on this dongle. (M: This blog is the first casualty as the photos chew up data.) This also means we have not been able to phone Mum as planned but we know she is up to date with our blogs.

Mick sent both of our language tests off to Nives who will be our tutor in Rome. She has returned to live there after a stint in Australia during which Mick met her and had some lessons with her. She now runs a language school which is handy for us. Of course we will be in different classes as Mick's Italian is really quite good now (M: Magari!) and I have only done four terms plus the extra time when the class could no longer run that I did with Claudia, the sister of one of the teachers our class had, Stefania. Both of these women are from Catania area (Acireale) and are great teachers.

For dinner we ordered a pizza each at the pizza place (Il Golosone) about two minutes walk away and it was delicious. I don't think it is possible to get any poor quality food here.

M:

We took a long walk in a new direction, and of course with Italian shopping hours, everything was in full swing. We passed one wonderful shop which sold presepi (Nativity scenes) including all kinds of moving elements for them - rocking cradles, baking bakers, fluttering birds (not sure if they were partridges in pear trees). We were vaguely on the lookout for some DVDs and found them at a large store called Feltrinelli.

A:

We returned to the apartment to watch the first part of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), a classic Italian movie we bought. This was made in 1963 and with, believe it or not, Burt Lancaster. It is set around 1860 in Sicily at the time of Garibaldi's taking of Sicily, and the ultimate unification of Italy.

M:

As is often the case with classics, a little can go a long way. The scenery and the sets are fantastic, but most scenes last about a minute too long - and this adds up after a busy day, even fuelled by the Golosone pizza!) We decided to save some for later - the film, not the pizza. Mmmmmm!