2nd May

Today's forecast is windy from the wrong direction. We took the round Etna train from Riposto to Catania. This narrow gauge railway loops round the back of the volcano. When we set off it was shrouded in cloud. On the far side the clouds lifted and we could see the snow capped peak. We stopped for lunch in Randazzo. The town was deserted. With the strong wind it only needed tumbleweed and a change in architecture to make it seem like an abandoned cowboy town. Our plan of lunch was aborted through total lack of anywhere to eat. So it was back on the next train. If you ever wondered what the EU did for us they co-funded the marvellous new train and also the Catania underground which we had to take to the main train station. Thirty minutes on the mainline brought us back to Riposto.