Palermo-Nebrodi Forest-Milazzo

We departed Palermo on Thursday and it was an adventure from the outset.  Like a knucklehead I didn't realize our car was to be picked up at a different train station than the central one, which was a mere 10 minute walk from B&B Allegretto, a great location and warm family with a comfortable setting.  Carmen the baby was the cutest little kid I've seen in awhile.  Anyhow, I got a taxi to the other station instead of waiting the hour on train, then wandered my way through Palermo back to pick up Kathie and the bags.  Thankfully it was a holiday so traffic was light, however road closures and missed turns made it about 2x the length of a trip.

A small sample of the traffic is here; you gotta be crazy or brave to drive south of Florence in this country, I suppose I'm a little of both.

Our trip across the northern coast of Sicily was uneventful, lots of tunnels on the Autostrade and several very compelling views, however even with our extended holiday we cannot stop for everything.  We did make time to drive into San Fratello and then the Nebrodi Forest, famous for the black pig that makes the best salami you can find.

We saw not only the pigs but cows and donkeys grazing aimelessly alongside the road, and then stopped and took some photos with the drone.

San Fratello 

We then cruised into Milazzo for a short one night stay in the Eolian Milazzo Hotel, a very welcoming establishment who agreed to allow us to keep our car in their secure lot, with a trunk full of clothes, while we jetted out to Stromboli the following day for the weekend.  We did find a quaint trattoria, eating outside of course, and enjoyed some delicious pizza and wine for supper.

Tomorrow we depart for what may be the highlight of our entire trip, a two night stay on Stromboli including a sunset hike to the summit to watch it erupt.

Ciao