May 15, 2015: On the Italian Island of Sicily, also an underrated and visited destination, your travel experience can take the range from visiting a producing winery once owned by the Mafia to hiking the only active volcano in Europe –by the way, more wine is produced in Sicily than Tuscany – and its, for the most part, inexpensive and outstanding.
When asked about the history of Sicily, a tour guide responded that “you would need more than two hands to count all the conquers of Sicily over the years”. The volcano, Mt. Etna, is “sleeping now” with the last major eruptions in 2001-2002 when its inner rumbles and eruptions could be felt every 30 seconds. One of the most significant eruptions was over 300 years ago, lasting over 122 days, destroying more than 40 villages and resulting in 840 deaths. The main crater atop Etna is still active with smoke visible almost every day – and by last count over 200 inactive craters. The amazing thing about trekking around the volcanoes lower levels is you can still feel the heat coming off the ground.
