Volcanology conference

We are providing the catering for a volcanology conference this week in the castello. They want breakfast and lunch provided on site everyday, with the occasional aperitivo and evening meal at ours. They checked out a few other local restaurants as regards menus and rates and chose ours. That's nice. We also heard from the Mayor's assessore who dined at ours during the week that the conference organisers had met with the mayor and some of his council to discuss the running of the conference and the catering. Other council members had suggested more established big name restaurants in town, insinuating that we might not be capable. But the assessore told them we would do a great job. So nice to have been chosen over the big names - for that is all they are: restaurants with flamboyant owners who swagger about spouting on about how fantastic they and their dishes are, heaving their convincing pot bellies from one table to the next with a handsome glass of red wine in hand (this tactic clearly works but it's just not our style).

I wonder what is being investigated: Mount Etna to the south, or the Aeolian islands - the closest one, Vulcano is a dormant volcano, could explode any moment. And excursions to the summit of Stromboli (the furthest from Milazzo - 30 km away) were stopped this summer because of larger explosions and a small tsunami on its shores. Two underwater volcanic craters between the islands and Sicily are apparently responsible for the rougher seas this summer too. Interesting ....

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