May 21, 2023

May 21, 2023

We left Siracusa and drove north along the Sicilian coastline. We are supposed to explore Mt Etna this morning but it is not looking good as the weather is still cloudy and rainy. So we decide to skip it and spend more time in our next destination of Taormina. Taormina, derived from Taurus Mount or Bull Mountain, is an old coastal city that is now a tourist destination. It sits high above the beautiful coastline.

Our first stop is a coffee shop to buy a Cappuccino so we can use the bathroom. We walked down the main street checking out the minor sites. The town is cute with nicely decorated side streets and alleys.

After a short while we separated so my sister could do some shopping. The most common souvenirs for sale in Sicily are ceramic Pinecones (a symbol of Prosperity and Good Wishes) and a pair of Heads, usually a Saracen or Moorish male and a Sicilian woman, that derives from a tragic love story from the Muslim era.

Aimee and I continued to the opposite end to visit the Ancient Theater, the main reason Taormina made it on the tourist map. It is famous because its setting is arguably the most scenic of any theatrical venue. A hole in the Scenae (backdrop) allows an expansive view of the seacoast. The only thing missing in the vista is Mt. Etna. She is still hiding in the clouds.

While the theater started out Greek it was expanded during Roman times. In particular many of the walls were rebuilt by the Romans using Opus Latericium, a rubble interior core with a brick facade. The bricks would have been plastered white and painted.

We rejoined my sister to have a pizza lunch at a restaurant with terrace seating on the cliff edge. The pizza with spicy pepperoni was especially good.

From Taormina we climbed the northern slope of Mt Etna to find our next accommodation at a Wine Resort. It is really out in the country. We get the news that Etna is erupting again and the airport is closed because it is covered in ash. We are told that Etna erupts often but usually the wind blows away from the Catania airport. That doesn't bode well for our flight out tomorrow, assuming we survive the eruption.

After resting for an hour we join a bunch of other tourists for the wine tour. It is hard to understand the Italian accent of the winemaker. We then move into the dining room for a combination dinner and wine tasting. The tasting begins with champagne, and then a white and a red wine. The meal starts with a Pumpkin Antipasti, then Pasta, followed by a very tender Beef in wine sauce. We finish with a huge Cannoli and a sweet dessert wine.

We are stuffed. We retire early because we have an early flight and it is an hour drive to the airport.