Sicily was a dream come true for someone like me who has an interest in both history, and volcano studies! I also tried my hand at a cooking class learning how to make true authentic Italian pizza. It's a long process but worth it when learning Italian culinary skills. Etna Volcano was my first excursion. I went on a jeep 4x4 trip booked through Viator. I got to see several old lava fields dating back to the 1970's to 2001. I was then taken to an underground lava tube cave. I then got to do something I have always wanted to do and experience hike to a volcanic crater. We were taken to the crater and lava flow from 2001. We were not able to go to the most recent crater as it's still active and closed to the public for everyone's safety due to the fact that eruptions can start back up suddenly with little warning. The volcanic hazards at Etna are lava, toxic gases, and pyroclastic flows.

The second excursion for me was a trip to Taormina. It's a small yet pretty city right by the ocean. I went and took a pizza cooking class run by a local pizza chef (also booked through Viator). He taught us how to make the pizza using both hands, and what do if we have a mixer to help make the dough. He also taught us the cooking differences between baking with a pizza oven, and with a regular household oven.