2017 - Sicily

Messina, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAD such a great time in Venice that it would be hard to top it. After boarding the Reflection, our first two stops - in my mind at least - bore that out. But comparing almost anything to Venice is probably unfair.

Sunset Bar - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WHAT DID completely satisfy, though, was that The Celebrity Reflection fit with my memory. Now our 3rd voyage on the ship, it was everything I remembered, and it was fun to show Paul and Linda around the ship. Our first day was at sea. Paul and I spent a lot of time on the back at the Sunset Bar on this cruise, even shutting it down a couple times. We got to be on a very close basis with the bar crew there, including the head bartender, Charel, as well as Andrew, and Punta. Lots of laughs, a few drinks, and a cigar or two.

My Buddy, Paul, with a cigar and probably the biggest Gin & Tonic he had ever been served
(That's our new buddy, bartenter Puta, in the background)
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST port stop was Messina, Sicily. We had sailed by Messina on a couple of occasions, making the passage from The Ionian Sea into the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Strait of Messina. The Strait is the the narrowest water between Sicily and mainland Italy, narrowing to under 2 miles just north of Messina. On a clear day, you can easily see both land points as you sail through.

Strait of Messina - Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved

WE SPENT very little time in Messina. Basically a quick drive around to a couple of the scenic points, and a stop at the town center where the church and a really cool movement in the bell tower at the end of the day. In 2022, my wife and I would spend some time in the city and learn that it is a very nice, kind of smallish city - much like the place we lived for many years (Saginaw, Michigan). This trip though, we had scheduled a tour south along the coast, visiting volcanic Mt. Etna, but first stopping in Taormina, a coastal village south of Messina, known as the gateway to the numerous little villages and scenes for the famous Godfather movies. Taormina's origins date back to the ancient Greeks, was actually popular prior to its "Godfather fame," though as a haven for artists and gay men as far back as the early 19th century. It was also the headquarters of the German Werhmacht during WWII.

Taormina, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WE ALSO made a brief stop in Savoca, a picturesque little village up in the mountains, made famous by movie maker Francis Ford Coppola, who shot scenes from the Godfather movies in and around the village, as well as a couple other nearby villages - as the home/headquarters of the Corleone family.

Francis Ford Coppola Marker - Savoca, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WE MADE the "mandatory" stop and look in to the famous "Godfather Bar," Bar Vitelli, the spot of the famous proposal scene in the movie. Timing is everything, and I had the good fortune to have camera in hand to catch the dog being shot for what seemed to me to be a beer advertisement.

Bar Vitelli, Savoca, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017

Bar Vitelli - Savoca, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

LOOKING DOWN from Chiesa di San Nicolò, the little 13th century church at the very top of the hill (where Michael Corleone and Apollonia's iconic wedding scene was filmed), it is easy to see the visual appeal of this little village. We moved on from there to the famous, vocanic Mt. Etna.

Savoca, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

THE LARGEST, and one of the most active volcanos in Europe, Mt. Etna just began early eruption activity around Christmas (2025). In its history, there has been near constant activity. You can see from the photo that there is also rather constant tourist activity at this UNESCO World Heritage site. We did not climb or go up it, but just observed from the base station.

Mt. Etna - Taormina, Sicily
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 -  All Rights Reserved

OUR DAY (and tour) ended back in the city of Messina. We were first treated to the view down on the city from up high, as shown in the opening image above. The we drove down to the Messina Cathedral (just a couple city blocks from the cruise port), where we saw the mechanical astronomical clock with is part of the Cathedral. Built by the Normans in the early 12th century, the Cathedral is now the Catholic Diocese of Messina. Almost completely destroyed by the devastating earthquake of 1908 (which destroyed much of the city, resulting in massive rebuilding and a city ordinance forbidding any building to be taller than 2 stories - except for the Cathedral). Most of the building that stands today was rebuilt after the earthquake, but the tower, much of the exterior walls, the gothic archway and the apse all remained standing after the quake.

Messina Cathedral - Messina, Sicily - Mechanical Astronomical Clock works
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

THE ASTRONOMICAL clock and carousel were added in 1933. The carousel was on the ground in 2017 as repairs were being done on the tower. The bell tower is said to be the largest "choir" in Sicily. Our tour ended here, and we walked the couple short blocks back to re-board our Celebrity Reflection.