The medieval cliffside town of Taormina is spectacularly perched on the side of a mountain. It is Sicily’s favorite summer playground and it has the allure of Capri. This little piece of paradise is high above the Ionian Sea affording fantastic views of both the sea and Mount Etna. Its natural beauty is hard to dispute. We decided Taormina was the perfect place to spend 3 days and celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. The hillside town has numerous restaurants and high-end hotels near the beach or up the hill in the town center on top of the cliffs. The two areas are connected by a gondola that, we understand, is often down for maintenance (like it is now). Bus service is available but we chose to walk the 500+ steps up the hill to this quaint center. The uber-charming walking street called Corso Umberto is part of the city center and is filled with fabulous high-end retailers, shoe and leather good stores, and pesce (seafood) restaurants. Like Orytiga, Taormina is so narrow and populated (especially during the warmer months) that all visitors (except residents and hotel guest) must park in one of two parking lots and walk into town.
The views are simply gorgeous from our hotel room and deck. The aqua-colored water is crystal clear but the beaches, like Capri, are small and rocky. We look out onto the Isola (Island) Bella which means beautiful island. It was a private property until 1990 when it was bought by the region of Sicily and turned into a nature reserve. It has a very interesting history. There is a narrow path that often connects the island to the mainland beach. We enjoyed watching the tide from our balcony disconnect the island and people wading through the water to get to the island.
In Taormina, time is not seen as the enemy, but an asset; after all, this is Sicily’s chic resort town beloved by the high-rollers and visiting celebs. Everything seem to takes more time around here. We quickly learned to embrace the pace and enjoy taking our time while eating, walking, talking and even shopping! During our “honeymoon” here, it rained most of the time; so, we didn’t hike but had still had an amazing time relaxing and “taking it easy”. Besides being a spectacular seaside town with sun-drenched beaches, the remains of the Teatro Greco (Greek Theater) is the biggest tourist attraction. It was rebuilt by the Romans in the 2nd century and is currently used as a stage for operas, concerts and theatrical performances.
We actually feel that Taormina is our No.1 favorite “vacation” spot compared to the Amalfi Coast and Capri. We are going to sign off and enjoy the rest of our 40th. We are off to Berlin on Tuesday via Rome.
