After a fifteen minute walk to the bus depot, and a one and
a quarter hour bus ride, we arrived at the spectacular town of Taormina, set on
the steep terraces of Monte Tauro, with direct views to Mount Etna. The landscape is very similar to the Amalfi
Coast. Taormina’s original settlement can be traced back to
about the eighth century BC; it was colonised by the Greeks in the fourth
century BC, then by the Romans, and was the capital of Byzantine Sicily in the
ninth century AD. It is a very pretty
and almost perfectly preserved medieval town.
After a short walk up the hill from the bus terminal (stopping for the
mandatory elevenses on the way) we reached the very busy pedestrian-only
thoroughfare that traverses the length of the medieval town between its two
historic gates.
Perhaps the highlight of a trip to Taormina is a visit to the
Greek Theatre. Built in the third
century BC, it seems suspended between sea and sky, with Mount Etna looming on
the horizon. It is regarded as the most dramatically situated Greek Theatre in
the world. We wandered through it at our
leisure, pausing to admire the views of sea, the mountains and the countryside,
and also to watch a short film which provided a very interesting digital
reconstruction of how the original theatre would have looked. Although principally a tourist attraction,
the theatre has been adapted for use as a modern theatre and convention
centre. Mount Etna, which can be seen
from almost every point of the theatre, is Europe’s largest volcano and one of
the world’s most active, with eruptions occurring frequently (incidentally, we looked closely at Mount Etna
for a full ten minutes, but nothing whatsoever happened. Very disappointing.)
The main thoroughfare of Taormina is lined with quaint
churches and renaissance palaces, as well as scores of shops selling everything
from designer clothing to food and souvenirs.
We visited all of the churches (that were open) including the 17th
century Duomo and its fountain, and the nearby 12th century clock
tower. We enjoyed lunch on the terrace
of a little restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, savouring the food, the
ambience and the cool sea breeze.
We then boarded the bus for the journey back to Catania and
decided to walk home a different way, which actually took us through perhaps a
less savoury part of Catania and through the red-light district, judging by the
bored looking girls sitting on plastic chairs every dozen metres or so (NB from
Elizabeth: John seemed to know his way
through this area; has he been here before? NB from John: as we were walking
along, a fellow approached me and asked if I was a rich American tourist, as
the girl on my arm would be very expensive!
End of NBs.)
Tomorrow: A last look at Catania – and Sicily – in the
morning, and then a mid-afternoon flight to Valetta, Malta.
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