From Sole To Soul

We left Brindisi with memories of summer visitors and looked ahead towards an expansive and unknown fall season. We had several long days of sailing ahead as we worked our way around the heel and along the sole of the boot towards Sicily and eventually, Malta. Our very brief stops included Leuca, Crotone and San Propolo.

I would start out by recommending one visit this part of Italy by land. Although the coastline is beautiful, It’s rugged, out of the way, unforgiving, a bit less touched, a lot more authentic. We were strangers not tourists and at every turn we felt like unexpected guests. The afternoon riposo is strictly followed and we always arrived right when shops and restaurants closed. Thank you, come back at 8pm.

Each morning we would wake at sunrise and leave the marina or anchorage for a full day of sailing to the next stop. If we were lucky, we’d get in early enough to walk around in the afternoon. Some days we just sailed, anchored, slept and started over in the morning without ever leaving the boat. Approximately one day into this 4 day trip, our air-conditioning completely quit, leaving us to sweat it out for several days and nights. My notes from these days mostly read, It’s very hot, all the shops are closed, nowhere to eat, so hot.

We finally made it to Taormina, Sicily, which dazzled us. We hired a car to take us up to the tiny village of Castelmola high above the sea, and then on to the highlight: a helicopter tour of Mt. Etna at sunset. Rosie thought this was torture and we literally forced her to go; after a few minutes she started to love it (whew!). We learned so much and were amazed we could get so close to an erupting volcano. We asked our pilot what it’s like to live with something so unpredictable and he answered, “Ah, they give us 4 hours notice. No problem.”

We only had two nights in Taormina before we headed south to Siracusa. Siracusa is definitely worth a visit with well-curated shops, quaint cafes, fountains, and a really pretty anchorage. It was everything we love about Italy—food, culture, beauty, history, architecture, nature — without all the crowds. (Also, we got our coolant refilled there so life improved dramatically.) Goethe said, “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all,” and it’s true. Although it was just a brief first encounter, we made it around the sole into the soul and we were not disappointed.