Etna: Another planet!
We are among those people who live with their head in the clouds, but this time it wasn’t just metaphorically. We were literally in the clouds while we stood on the craters of the active volcano of Mount Etna. Fortunately, the lava was sleeping peacefully that day. We told the kids to be quiet so they would not wake it up. They took it pretty seriously, so we had a peaceful and relaxed time on Etna. We were amazed by the power and magic of this place.
Seven days in Palermo
We have heard that Sicilians often get angry when tourists mention them in the context of the mafia, even in the joke. We didn’t joke about it. We spent seven adventure days in Palermo without meeting mafia, but we had to deal with police in one situation 😉
The city of Gods: Agrigento
The famous valley includes the remains of seven temples. The Temple of Concordia is one of the best preserved from the Greek age in the world. The children didn’t value the fact that these temples resisted earthquakes and weather over many years. Instead of admiration, they complained that these ‘old buildings’ have no roof. To invoke some interest for the roofless temple, I told them that people were bringing all kind of things to the gods to please them.
Catania – a city made of lava
Located beneath the Etna Volcano, Catania was destroyed by several volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and finally rebuilt in the luxurious Baroque style. They used lava for building the city, so it is mostly in dark grey. I admire people who still live beneath volcanoes knowing that it could activate?!
A Family adventure in Noto
Noto is one of the most famous film locations in Sicily. One scene in Antonioni’s famous movie, ‘L’avventura’, takes place on the terrace of the San Carlo’s bell-tower in Noto. Gabriele Ferzetti and Monica Vitti. It was a fantastic place to see things; literally and emotionally.
Visiting Messina with kids
If you have a coffee at noon in the Piazza Duomo and not expect to hear roaring, you could be a little frightened and think that a lion has fled from the zoo. We felt like that for a moment. It sounded so real and impressive.
10 reasons why children should play chess
My father played with the best chess players and won many games, but that is not the most important thing. All chess players do not have to become world champions, as all ballet dancers will not dance in Swan Lake, but chess can bring the features and habits that can be applied in other areas of life.
Cefalù – a perfect family holiday destination
After the hyperactive week in Palermo, we arrived in Cefalu with an idea of doing nothing, just have some lazy time on the sandy beach. But Cefalu is like little kid; it is a town that doesn’t let you sit down. City beach is just a few minutes walk from the vibrant historical center, so Cefalu is an excellent destination for travelers with children: swimming, history, art, and culture in one package.
Modern art
Every artist needs a Muse that will clear the mess behind him, and the muse is usually mom. So one day I was at my appointed task of muse, cleaning the walls while Aura painted the Sun and the Sea. The sun was yellow and the sea was blue. The sun was up and the sea was down. And silly me would have forgotten this marvelous landscape and ignored the artistic genius of my own child if I hadn’t noticed this news on the Internet: Painting identical to Aura’s sold for whopping 46.5 million in a New York Gallery.
Home gymnastics for kids
During one long rainy day, we realized that the children would just not sit down, read books or play chess for hours. They would rather do something wild. So we decided to bring some sporting spirit to the house and turn the entire apartment into a gym where children could climb, jump, rock and hang. We set up several devices for climbing and exercising and added some imagination to the whole ambiance.
Taormina – The Queen of Sicily
Taormina is a great masterpiece of art and nature. Goethe and Guy de Maupassant said and we totally agree, that Taormina is a landscape that seems to exist on Earth to “seduce the eyes, mind, and imagination.” Taormina is a small, compact version of Sicily. Its architecture is a unique mixture of all cultures: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, and Norman. Oh, Taormina. I must live there when I get old. I pointed to a charming house with a balcony full of flowers and told the kids that I wanted it as a gift for my 60th birthday. “Ok, Mum. Only if you buy us gelato first.” “Good deal”.
