ITALY

Seated as if on a pedestal, high up on a hillside on Monte Tauro, Taormina is the small town that made me fall in love with Sicily a long time ago. I do not know how others may refer to it, but for me Taormina remains the jewel of Sicily, to be discovered and rediscovered over and over again. Flying to Catania for work a number of years ago, and fortunate enough to have a few days off, I heard about this nearby place called Taormina, and took the public bus to visit it.  I was love struck at first sight and I had to come back again and again. I recall telling people in the hotel in Catania how much I love Taormina and that I want to move there. Someone laughed and said “in the winter just you and the wolves will be there”. In the fall of 2013 I found out  how wrong he was! Winter here is a soft breeze for most people. The mild climate makes it possible to take sun, and possibly even swim, from March all the way into the beginning of November. Taormina is blessed with the magic of a perfect picture. Corso Umberto, the main street, is full of color and style with chic boutiques, designer shops and bright ceramic tile stores, as well as gelato and pastry places or pizza, pasta  and wine restaurants. You can please your visual, gustatory and olfactory senses here and come back for more. Following the appealing smells of fresh cooked foods or the temptation of colorful views around the corners and narrow alleys, one might discover great photographic treasures or enjoy a hidden and more quiet piazza to relax in. There are a lot of streets and churches to discover in Taormina, but the Greek Theatre is a must (for pictures see post: Taormina and the Greek Theatre under Mt Etna Ash). Also, it is nice to visit the free but small Roman Odeon, as well as the pleasant Public Gardens, with their magnificent view of the Ionic Sea, their colorful plants and Alhambra like structures. For a great stay with a magic view, right next to the Greek Theatre is The Grand Hotel Timeo.  The entrance to the theatre is next to the one for the hotel. What a beautiful place and terazza! A great place for great pictures of the botanical garden below and the Ionic Sea. If you have a minimum of 410 Euro per night for a single room as a travel budget, you are of the lucky few. Also, a double runs over 700 Euro. One memorable time in Taormina was last Saturday, a sunny, late November day. Returning from my walk to the Madonna della Rocca and entering the main street and Piazza IX Aprile, I heard a strange noise that sounded like hail. With the sun up and people around the sound did not seem to make sense at first. It turned out that chunks of volcanic stone and ash were coming down from the eruption of Mount Etna. (see post: Mount Etna Eruption)

Piazza Navona in Rome is all ready for Christmas. When I visited Rome in early December, a lot of places were already set up, selling Christmas ornaments, candies and toys. Clowns, musicians and all kinds of entertainers were already performing. True, the area was not full and crowded, and people were not stepping on each other’s toes just yet. Even the better for me!  I am sure that by now in Mid-December the crowds are there. Enjoy the Christmas Market at Piazza Navona if you are around Rome these days! Maybe send me some new pictures so I can see the difference! Click any photo to enlarge and comment. Again to view image full screen.

A major cultural city in Sicily with a lot to see and experience, Palermo is also a big port and airport hub. Two good airports are located nearby. Punta Raisi Falcone e Borsellino (PMO)  is the city’s international airport and a bus that runs every half an hour and costs 6.30 euros connects it to the city. This trip takes about 30 minutes. Trapani Birgi (TPS) is 49 miles away from Palermo and it is another option, good for flying on low cost airlines. The trip from Palermo to Trapani takes two hours and costs 9 euro for one way or 14.50 euros round trip. For bus schedule see the website: www.interbus.it Visiting Sicily, Palermo can be your starting and ending point due to its easy access. Catania would be another great option, as far as airports go. Many buses cover entire the distance along the coast, as well as inland between these two main cities. Palermo has many palaces, churches, museums, gardens and theaters to visit. Worth mentioning is the Marionettes Museum, another Sicilian tradition, as well as the unique Cappuccini (or Capuchin) Catacomb. The Botanical Garden is part of Palermo University. In its large park an amazing number of plants from all over the world are cared for. The beautiful buildings within were designed by French and Italian architects.  Located next door to the botanical gardens is a free city park, and close by it a board walk going towards the picturesque Port of Palermo. Teatro Massimo and Teatro Politeama Garibaldi are both impressive buildings and home to many spectacles delighting locals as well as visitors of this great city.  With luck and enough time here, a special performance could enrich the visit. Walking the streets of Palermo one is delighted by the architecture and life of this city. Outside markets color the streets while large and impressive structures dot the area. Almost fifty statues of white carrara marble are part of the Pretoria Fountain. Located by the city hall, this is another picturesque attraction, in a city where arts and architecture are abundant. The work of Florentine sculptors for a villa that, in the end could not afford it, the fountain ended up in Sicily and locals here either either hate it or love it. The piazza got the double name of “Piazza of Shame” as the Sicilians are more conservative than the Florentines. The Palermo Cathedral is another impressive building and the many architectural styles that are part of it are not a surprise. Sicily is an island which was dominated throughout history by many different dynasties and imperiums, holding different cultural and religious beliefs.            

Strange for some and creepy for others, the Cappuccini Catacombs of Palermo (also Capuchin Catacombs) became a tourist attraction, just like a museum, with a ticket and fee to visit. The catacombs date to the 16th century and now hold about 8,000 bodies. In the beginning, the Capuchin monks were the only ones to be mummified in the catacombs. However, not too long afterwards it became a status symbol to be entombed here. Wills soon started to indicate what clothes were to be worn and even specified certain times to have them changed. Relatives would come to visit and pray for the deceased and they would donate money for the maintenance of the catacombs. If donations were no longer being made, the body would be transferred onto a shelf from the temporary niche, until donations came again. One of the last bodies to come here is that of a two year old girl (Rosalia Lombard), who died in 1920. Her body is still in great shape, exhibited in a glass case. Each hall has a separate category: men, women, children, virgins, priests, monks, and professionals. Some bodies are better preserved than others and most are very close to the walkway. Time has put its unforgiving mark on what once must have been fashionable clothing. Even on the embalmed human flesh, which on some of these bodies is totally or partially gone, only bones and rags remain. The Cappuccini Catacombs is a good place to visit and reflect on our transitory passing through this beautiful planet, which our greed devastates. Can we all stop for a minute and really understand that we will be gone someday, but all that we create, buy, or do might make a great difference to the future of Earth and its inhabitants? These Palermo mummies might not hunt us, but our own doings might.

The town of Monreale, Sicily is just a 30 minute bus ride (15 km) south of Palermo and it is famous for its Cathedral. Located on Monte Caputo, its streets are uphill, making for a picturesque view of the valley bellow, called “La Conca d’Oro” (The Golden Shell). The Cathedral of Monreale is a national monument of Italy and a great example of Norman architecture. The church was built in 1174 by William II and elevated to the rank of metropolitan cathedral by Pope Lucius III in 1182. The marble capitals are carved with biblical scenes and no two are alike. The plan is a mixture of Roman Catholic and Eastern Rite, like two churches put end to end together. There is also evidence of work done by Muslim sculptors in the marble fountain here. As I am neither historian nor art major, for more information with pictures on the Cathedral in Monreale I recommend the site SicilyTourist. On the practical side of the matter of getting to Monreale from Palermo with the bus, I advise checking the schedule first and keeping in mind that the Cathedral is generally open from 8:30 am to 12:45 pm (10:00 am on Sundays and Holidays) and again from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm (schedule in November 2013). The bus that goes directly to Monreale is with the company AST and it has the name of the town written up front. In the bus station you will find the bus schedule on a metal post. The station is in Corso Calatafimi, at the corner with the small street of Via Barrile (by the Piazza Indipendenza, close to Palazzo Dei Normanni). The tickets are purchased in the bus. I think I paid 3 Euro for a round trip ticket. When you get there it is advisable to check the schedule for the return buses. It is posted on the post of the bus station. There are not that many buses out of season and they do not wait. I learned that the hard way for being just 2 minutes late. I had to spend another 90 minutes in town, but it turned out good as I then had more time to visit the church and also to climb the Terrazze del Duomo. Certainly a 2 euro worth spending! What a wonderful view of the gardens of the Benedictine monastery. And climbing higher, what a magnificent view of “La Conca d’Oro”! Click individual images to enlarge and comment. Click the image again to view full screen.  

Made famous among the tourists by Coppola’s movie “The Godfather” (Padrino), the town of Savoca sits high above the sea. The road that will get you there is narrow and curvy, as are most around this area, but the drive is captivating and picturesque. A silver silhouette of Coppola filming will welcome you into the town. Hanging over the  cliff’s edge of a homey little piazza, the Coppola outline has within view behind it the church where the Sicilian marriage scenes were filmed. Walking the cobblestone road uphill, the old houses are full of history. And the view over the mountain, towards the sea, precious. The church was closed when we arrived. Many places close mid day here, but admiring the church from the outside was good enough for us. The panel in front has a scene from the movie and for me this was fresh and exciting as I had just watched The Godfather movies for the first time only a few days ago. Gianni, the owner at Gianni House in Giardini, decided to treat Yosette and I with this trip here. We were all excited to walk around and explore the place more.  Walking past the main church we discovered a smaller church in ruin, stone walls perfectly standing, roof completely gone. Exploring nearby we found a few houses in similar condition and I made my way inside one of them, through high weeds and grass, watching for snakes and careful not to twist my ankle again. Of course I had to get in, since there was a niche in the wall holding wooden shelves with tiles piled on them. I had to find out if any other old time souvenirs were in my destiny. The walk was worth the rusted basic door handles and iron window bars I recovered. Needless to say their weight and length together with the old roof tile from the other abandoned home near Alcantara Gorge will make my bag 3-4 kgs heavier and might puzzle some customs control officers. But these are the kind of gifts I enjoy these days: with a long history, an old and unknown story, and did I mention free? Laughing and joking about my new found treasures and the old walls that were made out of all kinds of reused materials such as stones, pieces of old roof tiles and some bricks, the three of us followed the road further up. Turning the next corner we encountered two men leaning on a short wall,  a protection from the cliff, on the road in front of the Borgo San Rocco Resort. The older of the two men, Vittorio, asked us something and the conversation began. He was curious where we were from and he was very friendly and talkative. Clearly he loved company and conversation and later we found out he loved people, too. He owned the hotel,  invited us inside and showed us around. It is a beautiful place designed with great taste, integrating old and new into a stylish symbiosis. Part of the old walls were intentionally left bare to show the stones they were made of. The path towards the dining room resembled a cave, with the stone  left bare and rough. The  pieces of furniture around the resort were all old and precious, with long historie, some coming here from other far away countries. The conversation with Vittorio was the highlight of  our day. He has an open mind and a lot of  life and travel experience. He is a poet and philosopher with a great love of life and people, and the perfect attitude for the kind of business he is in today. We tremendously enjoyed the time with Vittorio and hope to see him again some day soon. At some point during the visit I became too hungry to stay any longer and I mentioned leaving so we can look for food. Vittorio right away and with no hesitation led us into the big commercial kitchen of his hotel, now out of season, and began cooking. While some meat was being prepared on the stove we had some yogurt and yellow apples first, and fresh bread with olive oil and a rich balsamic vinegar soon after. Like a hungry wolf I devoured all that was offered and by the time the meat was done my tummy was full and happy. Even the better since I am vegetarian and try to stay this way. With regret and early nostalgia, we left Vittorio and his beautiful hotel behind and retracted our steps back to the car on the same road we had came from. What a great day with beautiful views, special encounters and famous movie sets! For an enlarged view or to comment on any Savoca image below, just click on the photo and it will open larger in a new screen. For a full screen view, click on the photo once more.

Situated above the Ionian Sea, with an amazing panorama of the water, the beaches and the towns aligned below, the Greek Theatre in Taormina has a spectacular view. Mount Etna is an imposing presence in the background and it can put on it’s own spectacle of black ash, red lava or a bright, white cap of snow. On the day I visited the Greek Theatre the large, high circle of seats around the stage were covered in thick black ash: the result of Mount Etna’s mood swing. It was really a special show, and even for the locals chunks of ash this big are not usual, but rather rare. Many that have lived here for decades  say they do not ever recall ash and stones of this size. A fine black dust from eruptions that will continue  settling for a day is more normal and heard of. Is Mount Etna upset with us, humans, or does she have her own issues and cycles that we have no part of? Surrounded by ash I laid down in the sun, admiring the Ionian Sea, towns, beaches and mountains, all framed by the ruins of the stage’s back wall and columns. This still remains for me one of the best views I have come across. November not being in the touristic season, the place was quiet except for a few people coming in and out. The sound of crunch-crunch footsteps on the ash and voices carried high in the theatre, designed and built acoustically for spectacles and sound. A visible presence higher above the Greek Theatre is the Madonna della Rocca church and the town of Castelmola. All around this place is magic and under the November sun, surrounded by ash, I had to take time and enjoy the vibe of the site. Relaxing this way reminded me of another special place where I sat down and relaxed the same way, even dozing off. It was on the site of Machu Picchu. Which site is better? Can’t tell. They are both rich in history, powerful energy and magnetism. In my search of magic throughout our marvelous world I revere and recall them both with pleasure and awe.      

Turkey is out of the question for a vegetarian in Italy. For me, even on Thanksgiving the rules are out. Running out all day fueled just by a chocolate croissant and tea, the breakfast that’s included at the B&B I am staying at, I began running out of steam around 3PM. I went looking for a nice restaurant with Internet, and just when I thought I had I found one, they turned the lights off. The place was closing and would open again only later at night. The next place along my way, open and tempting, was a small Indian food restaurant. Not bad, since I love Indian food and they usually have vegetarian options. Overestimating my hunger I ordered three small plates but the spiciness of the dishes had me struggling about half way in. Glass after glass of water helped to put out the fire in my mouth, and the energy I had spent by walking all day returned. Later I also spoiled myself with a Cassata Siciliana as it is a famous desert in Palermo and I had to try one delicious piece before leaving for Rome tomorrow. The ricotta cream inside was a sweet delight for my taste buds. Since Thanksgiving should be about giving thanks for all I have and less about what I eat anyway, I made this Thanksgiving in Palermo a day about churches, catacombs, prayer and grace. Visiting the Cappuccini Catacombs (also Capuchin Catacombs or Catacombe dei Cappuccini) first thing in the morning, I was clearly reminded of how all life ends, no matter if we are rich or poor, anonymous or famous, sick or healthy. More on this impressive site in a future post. Next stop after breakfast was the Palermo Cathedral. Large and imposing, surrounded by numerous statues, this place seemed perfect for my Thanksgiving of grace and thanks giving. I am so fortunate to be able to travel, see all of these amazing sites and enjoy the sun shining over different parts of our amazing world! I thank the Universal Power, God or Allah, my guides and angels for all of this! I thank them for my health, my energy and will power to go on, do all that I do, for my good luck and my loving family and friends. I give thanks for all the protection I have on the strange paths I take and for all the people I meet on my way. I thank my family and friends for the understanding they have of the life I chose. I give thanks for the excitement of my travels, the ability to do it all, and the great job of paid travels that I have enjoyed for a while now. Many thanks for my nice boyfriend, his love, support and patience and for his loving family. Many thanks for the reliable friends and roommates I have and have had; great people that contribute to my peace of mind when away from my home. Thanks for my new cat, Scooter, and the unconditional love she shares with me. Thanks for all that I have and did not say thanks for, all that I forgot to mention but I own or enjoy. This is my Thanksgiving in Palermo, Sicily.    

One memorable moment in Taormina will be Saturday, November 23rd, 2013, the sunny day when I experienced a larger than normal Mount Etna eruption. Returning from my walk to the Madonna della Rocca and entering the main street and Piazza IX Aprile, I heard a strange noise that sounded like hail. With the sun up and people around the sound did not seem to make sense at first. What was it? It was from the eruption of Mount Etna, raining down chunks of rock and ash. Looking at the pieces on the ground and taking pictures of them, people were just curious at first. I joined the crowd and soon our hair was getting full of ash and the pieces were becoming too big for comfort. Most people began walking around with their jackets pulled over their heads. The crunch-crunch under people’s steps became louder and soon most were walking around under umbrellas. The guys selling them on the street must have thanked Allah for the ash that was falling from the sky. I also seen an improviser, having a brand named paper bag over her head with holes cut out for eyes. What a spectacle! The sun was still up but a big cloud of ash was extending from the top of Mount Etna all the way here, to Taormina. A lot of people took refuge under patio covers while employees and restaurant owners were hitting the awning fabric with broom sticks from underneath to remove the weight of accumulated ash, dropping more onto the streets. With ash on my head and in my ears I pulled my hat out of my backpack. At times I could hear and feel a bigger chunk of ash landing on my covered head, while smaller pieces would find their way down my neck and under my T-shirt. About half an hour later, sitting down in the sun on an ash covered bench by a church, small pieces of ash were still dropping onto my notebook. A local guy of 52 years in Taormina told me that the fine ash from Mount Etna eruptions is normal for the place, but not big pieces like this. Just this year he had seen it this way. While store keepers were sweeping away the ash in front of their stores and lovers were writing their names in it, I crunch-crunched my way to the fantastic Teatro Greco. Back at Gianni House it would take us two hours to clean the ash from the terrazza, and the following day we helped to clean up the streets. Much of the ash is bagged and will be used in construction while other will be picked up by the city. I fell in love with Taormina, Sicily the first time I visited. Taormina was an unforgettable place I had been waiting to return to for an extended stay, to work on my Italian and immerse myself in the local culture. I have enjoyed my stay, I still love Taormina, and I think I can “safely” say now that I have truly experienced some of the local Sicilian culture 🙂 A Few Photos: Taken from Taormina, Sicily during and after the Mount Etna eruption November 23, 2013. For a closer look at the ash on the streets and embers in the sky, click an image once and it will enlarge on the photo comment page. Click the image a second time to view in full screen on your computer.