My friends and I took a weekend trip to the infamous island of Sicily this past weekend. Sicily is everything and nothing like I expected. The island is much like it's own country, and reminds me of Texas in it's pride. One of our tour guides joked to never call a Sicilian an Italian, because they are Sicilian. 

   We stayed in the city of Catania, one of the largest on the island at an apartment through Airbnb. For those who are not familiar with Airbnb, it's a website where people rent our their apartments to travelers. If you can find the right deal and go with other people, it can be just as cheap as a hostel if you divide it up. I prefer it because most have kitchens, and we can save on food by buying our own and making it. 

  On Thursday night when we arrived, the owner of the apartment gave us a quick tour of the city. He didn't speak English, but he spoke French and I became the unofficial translator of the tour. It was refreshing to practice my French again, and made me more excited to visit France at the end of my program. He brought us past the famous cathedral, along the main shopping street, and showed us some good bars and restaurants to visit.

   Catania is situated on the foothills of Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe. I somehow find myself constantly in the vicinity of volcanoes. We took a bus and drove past Etna on our way to Taormina, a quaint coastal town located on the opposite side of Etna. 

   Taormina is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. With some of the best views and beaches in Sicily, Taormina borders the Mediterranean Sea and in the distance, you can see the Calabria region of Italy, the mainland where the boot touches the island. The town itself lies on top of a cliff and is home to many pizzerias (though Sicily is not known for it's pizza) and cafes. We took a cable car down to the Lido Beach, which is supposed to be one of the best beaches in Sicily.

   After an unsuccessful attempt at getting tan, we made the spontaneous decision to take a boat tour around the coast of Taormina. Carmello, our guide, took us to to grottos and caves, one of which had orange coral under the water. He pointed out good dives spots and tunnels to swim into in the caves. The blue of the water reminded me of the blue grotto in Capri.

   Carmello took much joy in pointing out some of the filming locations of some of The Godfather movies. We rode by five star hotels and houses that had indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a couple million dollar house owned by a famous Russian woman. He also showed us a World War II memorial, and the Isola Bella. 

  We finished our day exploring Isola Bella, an island with a museum at the center. We had to walk through 2 feet of water for a minute to get to the island based on the time of day we went to the island, but it was worth it.

  The next few days we explored Catania and saw what the city had to offer. Catania is one of those overlooked cities that doesn't get the attention it deserves. It has character, a rich history, exquisite architecture and not to mention a stunning location. The city has been controlled by the Greeks, Romans, Spanish, and Italians all at different times in history. During WWII, it was bombed many times, but you wouldn't guess it based on what it looks like now.