Monday October 17th
Catania lies just to the south of Mt. Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. Of course we wanted to check it out. The ride up it was pretty darn nice. Lava rock, which is more of a dark brown than a black, is chunked up on both sides of the road. We even saw one house that was buried up to it’s roof in lava rock. I have no idea from which eruption that occured, but it sort of amazes me that people would take the time to build a house on the side of a still active volcano. We arrived at Rifugio Sapienza, which is as high as you can go without a guide, and it resembled a ski village. Definitely some tourists dollars at work up here. The trip into the ticket office was an eye popper. $42.50 each to get up to the top. When you consider the Funivia, the bus, and the guide that that pays for maybe it’s not too much, but it was more than I wanted to spend. Now if it was currently spewing lava, it might have changed my mind. If you have more means at your disposal maybe it’s worth the trip, but I couldn’t say first hand. In the end we just headed back down the mountain, and towards Taormina.
To say that we found a hidden gem would be a lie, because this place is a tourist haven. But it’s definitely new to us, I had never heard anything other than it’s name before. As you first walk into the pedestrian area it looks like most every other tourist town. Gelaterias, cafes, souvenirs shops, and signs pointing toward the sites. We took an immediate left for the Greek Theater, and none of that really changed, except for the addition of ceramics shops. The Theater is large and in pretty good shape, but it is covered with modern seating which in my opinion detracts from what you are there to see. But it is probably pretty neat to sit there and watch a performance nonetheless.
Head back toward the first Piazza and hang a left and that’s when you start to love Taormina. It’s ultra touristy, which is actually suppose to be a turn off, but here it isn’t at all. There are a ton of overpriced clothing shops, and just as many ceramics and antiques shops, though I can’t say if they were overpriced. The next Piazza that you come to is checkerboard tiled, and opens up on one side to a great view over the water and down the coast to Catania. The buildings all blend together well, and the lanes are probably the nicest we’ve seen so far. Back in the other direction, if you go down toward the sea it’s like a whole different place. A maze of tiny streets that all twist back and connect to each other, more restaurants than you can count, and then it opens to the public gardens. These are the nicest we’ve seen by far. There are strange structures, which look like “Swiss family Robinson” but with bricks, the paths are plant lined, there is a little park for kids, and there are free bathrooms.
Chiara was right when she said we would change our minds about our favorite place. I just wish I would have known ahead of time and planned more time in Taormina. It is hands down the first place I would recommend in Sicily. Not for the history, not for the off the beaten path experience, but for the pure touristic pleasure that this sort of town provides.
For our lodging tonight we headed back to the foot of Mt. Etna to the Agriturismo Biologico dell’Etna www.agriturismobiologicoetna.it It was the first time in a while that we’ve had 2 rooms, so that was appreciated. The bed was one of the more comfortable, the bathroom was very big (and handicap equipped), and there is a full kitchen for the guests’ usage. There are 2 hectares of fruit trees on the property, and a playground for kids is on the way.