NOTO, SICILY, ITALY–Our last stop of the day on this International Bryozoology Association field trip was on the southeastern coast of Sicily just north of Syracuse at Scala Greca. There are several very small bays here which have been used for fishing boats since very ancient times. The whote rock is the Calcari di Siracusa (Miocene).
The rock is made predominantly made of little algal and bryozoan spheres called rhodoliths. They rolled around on a shallow, warm seafloor and are quite common in some parts of the tropics today (although with fewer bryozoans).
This part of Sicily was an invasion area by the Allies in World War II. This grim German pillbox overlooking the coast is a reminder of those times. More on this later.
Finally, I wish to record part of my dinner this evening! I ate every piece of octopus in my large shell bowl. I saw it as a duty.
