Day 7: Island of Helios + Scylla & Charybdis

The island of Helios is really quite contested as to where in Sicily it is — some say Taormina in the northeast, others say the southwest. I decided I would just explore the general area around Taormina, and — searching for things to do — became entirely captivated by the idea of trekking Mount Etna. On my bucket list, I have long since wanted to hike an active volcano and now seemed like my chance. What also appealed to me were two things: those who don’t believe Erice is the Land of the Cyclops actually point to Etna; and from Etna, I guessed that we might be to see where the Strait of Messina, the location of Scylla & Charybdis, is (spoiler alert: I was right).

I headed over from Palermo in the morning, reaching the base of Mount Etna (Etna Nord — on the northern side) by around early afternoon. I met up with a group of locals and we hiked with a guide who explained the craters and terrain of the volcano to us. Being surrounded by the clouds, walking around a volcano with views of so much of Sicily around was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. It was especially interesting to learn about some of the volcanic rock and why it looked the way it did. We reached the maximum elevation possible on the north side and then descended through a channel. From the top of the crater, we were able to see the Strait of Messina, Taormina, and other mountains. Some pictures from the trek:

I am now spending the night at a hotel in Catania, having grabbed a lemon soda at a flowery bar in the area, before heading back to Palermo in the early morning. The next couple days will be pretty busy with packing and flying until I get to my next stop. Cheers, and see you tomorrow.