Monterey ~ Tarpy's Roadhouse

we did stop on our way to the crater in zafferana etnea. this little town was simply beautiful. we stopped at this which overlooks the ocean to grab a drink and enjoy a break from the bus

santa maria della provvidenza is like most of the churches in sicily. immensely ornate on the outside

the sea paint was a huge surprise. i've seen pinks used

wrought iron railings

whistful look back at the lovely bell towers and then i reboarded the bus to continue the climb up to the crater

in the winter there is actually skiing up from the top! but even in the summer you take the gondolas up to the top of the mountain to get the "top of the island" views

i saved my hiking till after lunch when i could get a vantage of the sapienza refuge visitors area

we drove up to the barone di villagrande winery through a sea of wine grapes and wildflowers

we headed in through those gates and into the beautiful grassy courtyard of the winery. on the left hand side was the actual processing area and to the right was the store and formal diningroom

we were then led into the rooms where the wine is actually made. these little casks

the huge casks in the cask room hold enough wine

cat

yes

but the outside really made going inside a huge temptation

thankfully

depressing this cathedral at all

when we arrived we notice several people climbing the different slopes of mt. etna

several of our fellow travelers decided to walk the easier path of the silvestri crater

i've been to volcanos. two in hawaii and one in washington. at each location you could see where nature would reassert life where the lava had obliterated it

the entryway to the winery has these gorgeous gates

established in 1727

unlike california vineyards

pathways lead down to the vineyards and they are tended by the family each day. the winery has been owned exclusively by the family since

finally it was time to into the diningroom. not only were we all very hungry

the next morning we headed to the airport at dawn. my last view of sicily was this one of mt. etna through the airport windows