This is the last part of our big day of adventure – I broke down into three parts for the blog because so much to tell.

The first part recorded our hike through the lava fields of Mount Etna, while the second part had us rappelling down a volcanic cave. After all that action, it was time for lunch!

Agriturismo

We had lunch on a working farm that is also an agriturismo, which means they have rooms for guests as well. We sat at a communal table with people from all over the world, while they served us a mixture of typical Sicilian foods from antipasti (appetizers) to pasta to carne (meat). They had pitchers of red wine on the table and ended with an ice cream dessert.

The Gorge

We ended the day at the Alcantara Gorge, which was formed thousands of years ago by a huge lava flow. The lava cooled in very interesting geometric designs, and each spring the snow melts from the top of Mount Etna and cascades through the gorge.

So, as you can imagine, it is VERY cold. But we were brave and boldly stepped in (Frank forgot his bathing suit, but he rolled his pants up and waded in right with us). There was quite a current, so we had to really work to make it upstream – and then really watch ourselves as we were pushed back down. They even had a waterfall, and John and family were brave enough to take a shower under it, which they declared as “freezing.” But a fun way to end our trip to our new favorite volcano, Mount Etna.