As a reward for studying hard and doing well at school, my parents promised to take me on a day trip to Sicily. The day finally arrived.

My mother woke me up when it was still dark. This added to the excitement. My grandpa took us to the harbour. Although it was 5am the terminal was already crowded with people of different nationalities such as Indians, Spanish, Portuguese, Russians, Bulgarians and Italians. It is a small world. Listening to different languages spoken at one go was quite impressive, not to say confusing.

The catamaran left at sunrise when the sky changed from black to pink. This was a sign that it was going to be a wonderful day.

During the trip we could relax and enjoy some family time together.

We arrived in Sicily at about 9am. Immediately we hopped on our coach and went straight to Taormina. Taormina is a really nice town. The name means bull in classical Greek. We visited the old Greek theatre. Operas such as the Aida are still held there today. Backstage we could see the costumes of a recent performance. From the Greek theatre powerful Mount Etna was visible. Misty smoke was coming out from one of its many craters. It looked magical.

Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe. Sicilians like to call the volcano the naughty child. It is also known as the Giant as it extends for approximately 1,250 square km and reaches a height of 3,350 metres. For its repeated eruptions over the last few years, it can be considered to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

On our way up Mount Etna we could observe the destruction of recent eruptions. Mount Etna can be beautiful and monstrous at the same time.

The most exciting part of the trip was the ride up to the peak on the cable car. To be honest it was quite wobbly. I didn’t mind it at all.

Up the mountain it was cold and chilly. I ended up having a snack in Mount Etna’s refuge. My parents were more interested in the lava and the smoky craters. We could also enjoy breathtaking views of the lovely island of Sicily.

It was soon time to return home. We were exhausted but happy that it had been a day to remember.

Editor’s note: Julianne Marie Vella, eight years old, came to our offices with her mother last week because she wanted to know what goes on behind the printing of a newspaper. It was a pleasure to show her around as she showed interest and asked pertinent questions. At the end of the visit, she was invited to write a small story about her recent visit to Sicily.