IMG_2251 - Santa Venerina en route to Catania, and on to Agrigento via the middle of Sicily.
IMG_2253 - Farewell to the eastern coastal plain.
IMG_2255 - The toll booth on the A18 autostrada, a fast route from Messina to Catania.
IMG_2257 - Catania
IMG_2269 - Until 1950 all this land was feudal, owned by nobles farming grains. Then it was divided up into family farms.
IMG_2271 - On around south of Mt Etna. It dominates eastern Sicily.
IMG_2275 - Mt Etna's snow supplies much of the water for this arid isle. Deep groundwater gives some more to be piped.
IMG_2278 - The natural supply, minus Mafia interference, leaves a marginal water supply for agricultural and other uses.
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IMG_2291 - Sicily was originally deforested for large cereal grain farms owned by the nobility and worked by poor peasants.