When Jennifer Albert and Wendy Moyer told me they'd just returned from hiking an active volcano in Sicily, I assumed they meant viewing it from a safe distance. Turns out, "safe distance" is relative when you're trekking across lava ash at 6,000 feet while steam vents from craters all around you.

But Mount Etna was just one highlight of a six-day Backroads adventure that took four Admirals Cove members and five friends from the New York and New Jersey area through one of the Mediterranean's most captivating islands. This past September, Jennifer and Wendy, along with fellow members Lisa Beck and Karen Fine, embarked on a journey that combined challenging hikes, rich history, spectacular scenery, and enough five-course Italian meals to require all that mountain climbing.

Fresh off last year's successful Croatia adventure with Backroads, which featured a different mix of Admirals Cove members, the group decided Sicily was their next destination, partly for the stunning landscapes, and partly (let's be honest) because of Season Two of "The White Lotus." The HBO series may have sealed the deal, but what they discovered was so much more than a television backdrop.

Sicily isn't just beautiful. It's a living history lesson wrapped in Mediterranean sunshine. As the group quickly learned during their pre-tour days in Palermo, this strategically positioned island has been everyone's conquest at one time or another. The Romans made it their first colony outside the Italian mainland around 200 BC. Then came the Vandals, followed by the Goths, the Byzantines, the Moors, and the Spaniards. The French even had a brief turn in the 1800s.

"It wasn't until 1860 that Sicily voted to become part of the Kingdom of Italy," Jennifer noted. And that's when things got interesting, or at least more cinematic. The unification sparked resistance from local families who had ruled their own territories for generations. Enter the Mafia.

The tour didn't shy away from Sicily's most famous (or infamous) export. The group visited sites from "The Godfather" trilogy, including the spot where Apollonia Vitelli, Michael Corleone's Sicilian wife, met her tragic end, and sat in the royal box of Palermo's Opera House, the second largest in Europe after Paris, where Al Pacino's character held court in "Godfather III." They even had a guide who claimed to be related to American movie director Quentin Tarantino, though the details remained delightfully murky.

But here's the twist: while the Mafia of old was all violence and vendetta, today's version is more about white-collar crime, as Wendy put it. They still control waste management, and in a bizarre power play, sometimes stop collecting trash to make local politicians look bad. The kicker? Citizens can't even pick up the litter themselves or they'll be fined. "Even the dirty diapers," Wendy added with obvious frustration. It's an odd welcome to some of Sicily's otherwise pristine hiking trails.

Backroads doesn't believe in easy. Each day, participants could choose between easier and harder morning hikes, with optional afternoon excursions. Jennifer and Wendy, whom Karen Fine affectionately dubbed "the Mountain Goats," tackled both options most days, racking up eight to nine miles daily with significant elevation gains. For Karen, this was her first hiking trip, and she wisely chose her battles, skipping some of the more grueling climbs that the Mountain Goats conquered.

"The hikes were challenging, shall we say," Jennifer admitted diplomatically, "because it is much more mountainous than Croatia."

Some trails tested even the most ambitious hikers. One trek to an ancient castle covered six miles with a 1,000-foot elevation gain over rocky, nearly vertical terrain, with only three brave souls making it to the summit. The last-day climb from Taormina began with the Stations of the Cross, then continued straight up another 1,000 feet in just half a mile. Again, only three made that ascent, the Mountain Goats among them.

But the crown jewel was Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano. The northern route took them across a dried lava riverbed (uneven, rocky, and requiring careful footwork) before transitioning to volcanic ash that felt like trying to run uphill through fluffy beach sand. In a windstorm. At 6,000 feet elevation.

"It was steaming the whole time we were there," Jennifer recalled, showing photos of steam venting from distant craters. The volcano had been active just before their arrival, though the ladies learned Etna is a "slow-moving" volcano. "You can out-walk the lava," Wendy assured me, which has to be one of the more unique selling points of a hiking destination.

The temperatures up on Etna were surprisingly cool despite the volcanic activity, and the views were otherworldly. Black recent lava flows contrasted with older eruptions where grass and vegetation had returned. Looking across the moonscape of craters, they learned that once Etna erupts in a particular spot, it won't erupt there again. Each crater is a onetime vent, now dormant forever.

Between the challenging hikes, the group explored Sicily's cultural treasures. In the medieval seaside village of Cefalù, featured in the Academy Award-winning "Cinema Paradiso," they stayed at a hotel right on the beach where "The White Lotus" filmed its beach scenes. "The water is gorgeous," Wendy raved. "You can see right through it; it's warm, and there's no seaweed or sharks like here. It's just magnificent."

The historic town centers offered their own rewards. In Cefalù, cobblestone streets wound past churches displaying both Norman and Moorish influences, architectural reminders of the island's layered history. The cathedral there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the spectacular Greco-Roman theater in Taormina.

That theater, originally built by the Greeks around 500 BC by carving directly into the hillside, was expanded by the Romans around 200 BC. The Greeks used it for their famous tragedies, but when the Romans took over, they converted it for gladiator contests. Though, as Wendy discovered, gladiator fights weren't quite the deadly spectacles Hollywood portrays. "It was kind of more like worldwide wrestling," she explained. "They didn't want people dying; they wanted people coming back." The theater was simply too small for the really large animals and major spectacles, making it more of a mid-tier venue for less lethal entertainment.

If the hiking didn't burn enough calories, Sicily's food culture was determined to undo any caloric deficit. The group quickly learned that Italian meals are serious, multi-course affairs designed to take up most of your afternoon or evening.

"None of us realized that after the antipasto and the pasta, there's a main course," Jennifer laughed. "Then there's dessert. Every meal is five courses."

They took two cooking classes during their journey. In Palermo, they learned traditional Sicilian dishes: handmade cavatelli pasta, involtini di pesce spada (pounded swordfish rolled and fried), and caponata (an eggplant dish with tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, and capers). They finished with homemade biscotti and limoncello.

Later, at a villa overlooking Cefalù, complete with its own chapel, they made Sicilian pizza. Not the thick, square deep-dish creation Americans call "Sicilian," but thin-crusted, authentic versions that bear little resemblance to what we get at home.

After the hike on Mount Etna, the group visited a prestigious centuries-old vineyard in the Mount Etna region, where the volcanic soil produces distinctive wines with protected appellations. They toured the grounds, which also grew fruits, vegetables, and the ubiquitous prickly pear cactus. The cactus fruit turned out to be popular in local cuisine, though "a lot of people found out it was a natural laxative by mistake," Wendy noted. Probably not ideal information to learn mid-hike.

One memorable lunch featured caprese salad, farro salad, grilled vegetables, caponata, eggplant parmesan, vegetable lasagna, and cannolis for dessert. And wine, of course. Then they went hiking again.

"Italians like to take their time with their meals," Jennifer observed, which might be the understatement of the year.

What makes these adventures work so smoothly? Backroads provides two tour leaders from the region who know every trail, every historical site, and every participant's food allergies. They arrange the logistics, keep track of everyone on the trails, and make sure an array of snacks (M&Ms, nuts, energy bars) is available before each hike, even if no one ends up eating them.

The accommodations were consistently beautiful: beachfront hotels with spas and pools that beckoned after long days on the trails. The weather cooperated perfectly with low 80s temperatures and low humidity throughout. The full tour group of 16, ranging from couples in their late 50s to an impressive pair of 78-year-olds who tackled most of the hikes, created the kind of camaraderie that develops when you're collectively conquering mountains together.

"Everyone in the group got along really well," Karen noted, which is no small feat when you're spending six days together navigating challenging terrain and sharing countless meals.

"They take wonderful care of you," Jennifer said. "They add in history and culture, in addition to exercise. The hotels are beautiful, the food is delicious. It's an outstanding overall experience. I don't necessarily like tours where I'm just on a tour bus the whole time."

Safety is paramount. Sicily's primary industry is tourism, and they want visitors to have positive experiences worth sharing. The Backroads team knew exactly where everyone was at all times, which trails suited which fitness levels, and when to gently suggest that perhaps the afternoon's "challenging" hike might be better left to Wendy and Jen.

Already, the ladies are planning next year's adventure. The Greek islands are in the running, as is Scandinavia, with the Canadian Rockies around Banff and Lake Louise as a dark horse candidate. For Karen, who thoroughly enjoyed her first hiking trip experience, the adventure has sparked a new passion. "I hope it's not my last," she said with enthusiasm.

Wherever they land, one thing is certain: there will be challenging hikes, incredible scenery, too much delicious food, and the kind of stories that make the rest of us want to lace up our hiking boots and join them.

For anyone inspired by their Sicilian adventure, Jennifer and Wendy recommend doing their homework. Watch "The White Lotus" Season Two for motivation, read up on the history (it's as complex as it is fascinating), and prepare for longer hikes than you might expect. Backroads doesn't do gentle strolls; they do real adventures. And if you're not quite ready to earn your Mountain Goat status, that's perfectly fine too. The beauty of these trips is that there's room for everyone, whether you're conquering every peak or taking the more leisurely route and savoring the views from below.

As for Sicily itself? It's a place where you can walk through ancient Greek theaters, hike up active volcanoes, learn to make pasta by hand, and maybe, just maybe, glimpse what Michael Corleone saw in his family's ancestral homeland. Just remember to bring good hiking shoes, an appetite for five-course meals, and the stamina to walk off every single cannoli.

Because in Sicily, la dolce vita requires some serious footwork.