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)
