Totally Taken with Taormina, Sicily

A big thank you to VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations for providing this breathtaking adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

We weren’t exactly sure what to expect when we signed on for a bike tour across Sicily with VBT, but we certainly were pleasantly surprised by our very first day.

We met up with our group in the incredible town of Taormina.

We say incredible mostly for the way that this ancient settlement is perched on the side of Monte Tauro, where it gets its name, but we soon discovered many other attributes that make it worthy of high praise.

Known in Latin as Tauromenium, and founded by the Sicels who gave Sicily its name, Taormina was once one of the island’s most important cities.

It remained so for a millennium because of its strategic position high on a hill, and the nearly impenetrable Saracen Castle guarding it from above.

This kept the pillaging and plundering to a minimum even as the surrounding country changed hands multiple times.

Having just unfolded our legs from the overnight flight from the states, we were more than content to let the biking wait for another day and set out to explore the village on foot.

First and foremost, for any visit to Taormina is a stop at the Ancient Greek Theatre.

It is thought to have been originally constructed around 300 BC as a classical Grecian amphitheater, with the Romans rebuilding it several centuries later during their control of the island.

Most of what we saw after our short walk up to the ruins was the brickwork from the reconstruction, but there is also evidence of marble columns from the Greek architecture still showing through.

No matter who built it, they did it right because it is still in use today for plays and concerts.

A new stage has been set up, and some of the seating refurbished, but essentially the audience sees performances just as they would have ten centuries ago.

We didn’t get to attend a show, but were treated to an extroverted tourist bursting into a Shakespearean soliloquy from the front of the stage.

We hustled up the bleachers to see how the sound carried, and check out the view beyond the stage.

Remarkably, we could hear every word clear up on the top row, and enjoyed it even more with smoke-blowing Mt. Etna providing the background scenery.

From the theater we walked down to Corso Umberto, the main street that runs between the two ancient gates of the city.

The heart of Taormina lies between these portals inside the ancient walls, and the stretch of medieval road thrives as a major destination for tourists from all over the world.

We began at Porta Messina, named because the road leads to the city of Messina, thirty miles or so up the coast, and then made our way through the center of the village toward the opposite gate, Porta Catania, which is named for the city to the south where we landed just a few hours earlier.

The street is lined with several intriguing alleyways made up of stairways leading up or down the hillside, so we wandered up a few, but the views are mostly obstructed by the tightly spaced construction.

Level ground is at a premium, so the buildings are packed in on every available inch.

We did find a few spots where small plazas opened up the feel a bit, the largest being Piazza del Duomo in front of the cathedral. The church is dedicated to the town’s patron saint, Nicholas of Bari, and dates back to the thirteenth century.

The square’s centered around a fountain from 1635 featuring Greek mythological creatures, and the town’s coat of arms, but that is not the main attraction.

That honor goes to the fact that this just happens to be the ultimate location for stunning views of Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and the highest in Europe.

Coincidence? We doubt it.

Our timing turned out to be about perfect, and we captured the mythical mountain just as the setting sun lit up the tufts of smoke rising from her summit.

No wonder Etna has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We have learned from experience that after flying across the pond darkness can be detrimental to one’s ability to stay awake.

But nothing conquers jet lag like a true Italian pizza, a glass of vino.

Of course the effect is only temporary, then the two gang up to put even the hardiest traveler out cold.

Not being nearly adjusted to the time change, we awoke the next morning before sunup.

The good news was that this gave us more time to spend in Taormina.

Peering off of our balcony at dawn we found Etna basking in the red glow of sunrise, blowing new puffs of smoke to greet the day.

That inspired us to set out for a morning walk.

The botanical garden, only a few steps from our room at the Hotel Belvedere, was splendid in the crisp air.

The plant selections were beautiful, but we found the odd follies scattered around the park more interesting.

These strange structures were created by Florence Trevelyan Caccioli, an English woman who married the mayor of Taormina in 1890, as a part of her private garden.

The grounds were then donated to the city after she passed away.

Just beyond the monument honoring the fallen soldiers from the First World War, we reached the edge of the garden.

From this vantage point there was a fantastic view of the ancient town of Naxos and the bay below, as well as across the Ionian Sea to the mainland “toe” of Italy’s boot about to kick us on Sicily.

Just the kick we needed, because as much as we were enchanted by Taormina, our time was limited.

We had to board a bus to make our way south and begin the bicycling portion of our Sicilian tour.

That prospect of exciting adventure awaiting us was just enough incentive to tear us away from this beautiful town high on a hill.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

A big thank you to VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations for providing this breathtaking adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

DELVE DEEPER:
How did we hang on our bicycle tour? See it from the beginning!
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