Taormina

As a day trip from Giardini Naxos, we took the bus to the beautiful hillside town of Taormina. The journey was an experience all in itself, with the coach driver gesticulating wildly with one hand as he held a high volume animated conversation with a passenger. He rattled through narrow spaces we'd have been nervous driving the van through and swung round switchback bends with sheer drops to the side. It was when he placed his i pad on the steering wheel and started typing away with his other hand that we really began to feel nervous!

As we climbed we were treated to incredible views of snowtopped Mount Etna rising up from the vast blue sea below. After 20 minutes we pulled into the small bus station, checked the return times and set off up the hill to the old town. Passing by the two armed miltary personel and under the archway, we progressed up the cobbled streets towards Teatro Greco, a 1800 year old Greek Ampitheatre at the top of the hill.

We bought our €10 entry tickets and started up the stone steps as green speckled lizards scuttled accross our path and up the walls. The teatro itself was pretty cool with staging, stone pillars and tunnels, but the view of Mount Etna just 20miles away and the coastline below was jaw dropping. We were incredibly lucky to visit on such a clear day and feel we got the best out of the site.

After perusing the display of ancient stone tablets and a small sarcophagus, we went in search of food in town. We didn't want much, so we decided on a place called Piliere that was giving out flyers in the street and whose prices seemed reasonable. In short, we wish we hadn't! Climbing up to the 2nd floor we chose to sit on the balcony, only to be covered with flaking plaster and paint from the wall that acted as a backrest. Vicky had a salad but the Iceberg lettuce lived up to its name a little too much with the ice crystals it had on it. The upside to the experience was meeting a Canadian couple who were on an 8 month tour. We chatted away and each told of our favourite places in the world and our plans for future travel.Read more