Ski lifts on the way up to the top of Mt. Etna.
The scooter only takes you so far. Then you need to get in one of these babies for the rest of the trip.
The guide is giving his explanation in French. I'm trying to understand it in order to explain it to the other tourists. The actual summit is still a ways off. You can see puffs of smoke coming out of the right side. The area we are standing on was a fresh eruption in 2002. Just an inch or two down in places the lava is still to hot to touch. Plus it was chilly here. We are already over 10,000 ft above sea level.
We often had trouble getting to shops when they were open. This one seemed to be open only on Sundays from 5 to 8 pm. Taomina was a very cute town perched on mountain side that caters to the super-rich. All of the big mark stores have shops here.
This Greek Theater built in 300 B.C. has stunning views from both sides. Here you can see the town of Taomina and Mt. Etna in the background. From the other side is view out over the water. It is still in use today as a theater with a very active production schedule. One of the many narrow streets in Taomina.