9 June, 2017
The Vatican Museum held some treasures so we wondered what natural delights Capo Vaticano might hold. The dreadful state of the country roads in this part of the world lead us to believe we are often on the road to nowhere but Tom Tom gets us there. The Cape was grand and even the graffiti self-destructs over time.
The ferry for Sicily leaves from Villa San Giovanni. You drive to the port, find the large signs that say, “Imbarchi per Sicilia” and buy the ticket at the office that says in large lettering, “BIGLIETTO”. I assumed the man directing people was the ticket office assistant but he turned out to be a man earning his living from the gullibility of foreign tourists. I thought I was in Morocco again. He directed me to a sign as large as the ferry itself and then asked for a, “Leetle some theeng for mee!” I had one of those laughs that don’t carry a lot of joy, the one that means he got me. As I tossed him a coin, he joined in my laughter, the type that means he got another one.
The ferry over the Straits of Messina was just a twenty minute ride over an azure sea then we were on the road to Milazzo.
We still had lots of time in the afternoon to tour the very impressive Castello.
We made it home for the sunset over the Aeolian Islands, of which Stomboli is one. It managed two puffs of smoke while we were enjoying a cold one on the balcony.
Before heading south into the mountains, we had time to swim at the famous local rock pool on the Cape.
