From Siracusa, we headed north the northeastern resort city of Taormina. We visited Barone di Villagrande, an estate focusing on grape varieties grown on the slopes of Mt Etna, including some with unusual names like the white Carricante and reds Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio. The city lies near the Strait of Messina, and one can see the mainland of Italy just a six or so miles across the Ionian Sea. Mt Etna is the dominant feature in the area. At over 11,000 ft it is the highest active volcano in Europe. Most of our group took an excursion up the side of Mt Etna to around the 6000 ft level. Visitors are forbidden from going to the summit when the volcano is actively spewing ash and gasses, which it was during our stay. Taormina is split between the beach-side resorts and the upper town. There is a Greek theatre in the upper city, and many in the group went to see it.

We visited Cottanera estate on the northern slopes on Mt Etna. We were treated to a wonderful lunch accompanied with estate wines.

Our hotel was the Villa Sant Andrea which had a wonderful beach and incredible view. Our wine journey finished with an amazing farewell dinner on the patio overlooking the beach and bay. It was buffet style with probably ten different stations featuring seafood including lobster, lamb, breads, salads, vegetables, raw seafood and dessert. Amazing.