We docked at Messina then did excursion to see Mt Etna. I went prepared with reversible fleece but even two thirds of the way up Mt Etna it was warm even with a breeze! Our guide Guiseppe gave a long history for Sicily, including raids by Arab pirates but not including anything about the Mafia. Mount Etna is still very active as volcanoes go. Recent eruptions flattened ski lifts and restaurants which are rebuilt to cope with the visitors. There's a sharp tree line, then where grass is trying to colonise the dark earth, then where its naked rock which has oozed and conglomerated. Some of the trees were dying of a growth. The food was limited (a ricotta bap) and four of Azura's passengers contracted gastro-enteritis (norovirus) on another excursion in Sicily. These four despite being told to stay in their cabins decided to go round the ship infecting everyone else. As a result the Azura became a plague ship, and restrictions had to be imposed to stop everyone becoming sick. So the staff served you in the buffets, packets of butter and sugar and salt rather than dispensers, more rigorous hand cleansing. I felt for the poor staff who had even more to do.

I will remember Venice as the highlight of this cruise, and especially the enchanting ride on a gondola. This really gave me an impression of Venice as an ancient city with rills for roads. A city where you get around in a boat, where you might take a vaporetto rather than a taxi. A city defined by water not by land. On our tour we saw the famous Bridge of Sighs which led to the prison, the Doge's Palace from which not only Venice was ruled but also the vast area Venice had dominion over when it was a city state. We also trooped around St Marks Basilica, from which the water had just receded. As an organised tour we beat the massive queues in St Marks Square. There were seven cruise ships in and Venice was packed. People said this was the last time cruise ships could sail up the Grand Canal. We didn't however beat the dire massive queue to get back on board though, or the massive walk from where the shuttle boat dropped us off to the cruise terminal. The system just couldn't cope with the sheer numbers even without the Italians doing everything in their own time. Even back on board our problems weren't over - we were too late for proper food, the buffet was crowded and slow. So we had a good lamb burger in the Glass House albeit it took ages to come.

We wandered into Cagliari this afternoon - bought some sweets to take back and some postcards. One shop offered us small treats to taste so we had to buy something to discharge the guilt. A lot of Africans either begging or selling things. Cagliari itself is a port city, sloping hills - rich shops but also narrow streets and holes being dug.