We docked early in Taormina, Sicily. And I must say, we were all dripping in excitement to walk the ancient cobbled paths of this Sicilian hill town resort town. Lying on the eastern part of Sicily, Taormina houses an ancient amphitheater that looks out to the Ionian Sea. The ancient Greek theatre is the second largest theatre in Sicily next to the one in Syracuse, and it’s been sitting there since the 3rd century BC. It was rebuilt by the Romans around the 2nd century AD and has since been the top attraction in Taormina.
A day here simply isn’t enough. It would have been ideal to wander freely through the Corso Umberto past the Porta Messina just to browse through the many quaint shops, cafes, gardens and gelato bars. And don’t forget the cannoli! There is also the Palazzo Corvaja just past the arched gate to this commune. From its second level, one can observe the crowds moving through the Corso looking for souvenir items to buy or casing the ancient street to choose from the many cafes and bars.
We found an alley off the Corso lined by many trattorias and had an al fresco lunch of pulpo salad, pasta vongole and sardines in a place called Momma Rossa. The light, dry white wine I had with the very Italian lunch was all I needed after the uphill walks in and around the amphitheater. For a few minutes, I worried I was having one of those vertigo spells. But it passed. And we rewarded ourselves with a good proper lunch. The quaint shops with charming Sicilian vendors sent me back on the boat with a bag full of chocolate coated nuts and trinkets. After all the samples I had, only fair to buy stuff from those charming ladies. Let’s see if those chocs endure the trip home — I may be tempted to much on them while the trip lasts 😋
The Palazzo Corvaja just past the Porta Messina was actually closed for the day but for some reason, we managed to enter all the way to the second floor until a kind lady informed us that it wasn’t open. Well, that was a quick “tour” and with some time to spare before riding the shuttle back to our bus, we took some alleys leading to the Comunale Gardens. We could have spent more time here despite the rain, but word got to us that most everyone is back ready to hie off for the return to our boat. All’s well as we reminded ourselves we need another visit of Taormina as well as other parts of Sicily. Till next time!
