Taormina, Sicily

chebelladonna
Sep 30, 2024
4 min read

Sicily has been on my bucket list since the 90s but for one reason or another, it never happened. When we decided to make a side trip from our recent holiday in Malta, I knew it had to be Sicily.

From Malta, Catania is a 30 minute flight - the plane goes up and then comes straight back down. Flying across the Island from the south, it was apparent just how arid this land is, and yet it's a foodie paradise, in part due to the rich volcanic soil from Mount Etna.

We flew Ryan Air. They were efficient, clean and on time. No complaints. From the airport we caught a bus to Taormina. The buses were easy to find, and the bus stop even gave us our first view of Mount Etna. She's big, and she's close.

The ride was supposed to be about 90 minutes, but in reality it was closer to two hours with traffic, and for a bargain price of seven Euros. We sat in congested traffic for a long time within the city. Pablo, who was growing ancy, gave me a pained look. There were a couple of passive aggressive questions/statements partly stemming from hunger and overheating. "So how did you find this place?" and most notably "I couldn't live this close to a volcano."

Meanwhile, I started my own day dream. I was in Sicily! Pinch me. Eventually we moved beyond the stop and go traffic and found our way onto the highway. As we neared Taormina, we turned off the highway, making a stop in Naxos, a smallish town down by the water.

Then, we started to switchback up the mountain. There is nothing like an Italian switchback to bring a rush to the senses - the sea, the mountain and the flowers give me butterflies.

Pulling into the bus terminal we still weren't entirely out of the woods. We weren't exactly sure how to arrive to our accommodations. The map was confusing and our feet felt heavy and slow after the travel day. We asked a couple of people on the street where to go and there was a lot of hand signalling to keep going. Eventually we found a taxi and hopped in. It was an embarassingly short distance, but one never knows.

We checked into our bright little apartment just inside the city gates, changed out of travel clothes and ran outside to explore. The town like all my favourite places is predominately pedestrian. Some local cars and deliveries are allowed inside the gate but basically everyone walks.

Corso Umberto, the main drag, is absolutely stunning. The town square overlooks the Ionian Sea. Mount Etna looms in the distance. We arrived in the square as dusk set over the world. Pablo, initially speechless, said "and how did you know to come here?" He sighed. I had done it again. I was officially a sorcerous. I smiled quietly. I have lots of tricks where that came from.

Over the next five days Taormina was our home base.

The main attractions in town included

the Greek (and Roman) ampitheatre dating back to the 3rd century BC.
the public gardens (Villa Comunale) which were formally private gardens dating back to the 1800s.
a long and leisurely lunch at the San Domenico Palace (aka the Four Seasons where they filmed White Lotus) where they had the best landscaping I have every seen. My hats off to the groundskeepers. Bravo!
a day trip up to Castelmola, a medieval town on top of the mountain with phenomenal views, where you can get lost exploring the windy streets. I also had the best pasta of the trip, a simple aglio et olio, at the restaurant on the town square.
a funicular ride, and a long staircase, down to the beach including renting a sun lounger at a beach lido. From the beach you can walk out to the famous Isola Bella.
evenings listening to amazing live music while sipping on Aperol Spritz or Sicilian wine
eating beautiful things ... Bam Bar for granita and brioche, Minotauro for pastries and marzipan fruits. I couldn't get over how real the marzipan fruits look. They are delightful. Good coffee is everywhere, and they bring little bowls of savoury snacks when you order a drink. And then there is the actual food which is endless from Pasta alla Norma, pizza and arancini, oh my!
and quite frankly simply enjoying the moment. Around ever corner is an expansive view, an intimate side street to explore, beautiful flowers, people, food and ceramics! Slow down, stroll and take it in.

Reasons to return to Sicily (i.e. adventures not taken)

a day trip to the slopes of Mount Etna
a day trip to Messina (where they filmed the Godfather)
a day trip to the Valley of the Temples
exploring further towns and cities including Palermo, Cefalu, Syracuse, Catania
continue to eat, drink and explore this amazingly beautiful corner of the world.

Much like our first trip to Italy two and a half years before, Pablo fell head over heels. He had been secretly a little disappointed that we weren't returning to the Amalfi Coast but within an hour of arriving in Taormina, a second flame ignited. He didn't want to leave and sat quietly on the bus as we switchbacked down to reality to return to the airport.

A day in Italy, is like 10 regular days and it's never far from my mind.

Sicily I will be back.