We made it to Sicilia. The ship pulled into the port town of Messina
and we were off to the #7 bus that was to take us to Taormina. This being our first ship's tour, we were
feeling the shame of being “the bus tourist”, but we thought that it was the
easiest way to see Mt. Etna and Sicily's most popular
summer destination. Then the bus broke
down on the highway. So we spent the
next hour looking at the large tunnel that was just ahead of us and wondering
if the other 8 buses noticed we were gone.
Finally, bus model 7.01 showed up and after a rather interesting
transfer along the busy highway we continued on.
The village of Taormina is perched on a cliff
overlooking the Ionian Sea. There is a Greco-Roman theater, ancient
churches and squares filled with tables ready to serve lunch and
dinner. The German writer Goethe was responsible for putting this coastal
Sicilian town on the map for northern Europeans looking to travel in
the 18th century. In the 19th and 20th century the town became popular
with artists and writers looking for a colony to work in by the sea. D.H.
Lawrence, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Jean Cocteau, Jean Marais, and
Evelyn Waugh all spent time living and working in the village. The writer
Harold Acton called Taormina "a polite synonym for Sodom" which only
seemed to increase its popularity. Today it is a destination for tourist
and locals alike to come and walk the lanes, sample the gelato, and spend the
day looking at the wonderful views and winding medieval streets.
As
the crowds grew larger, we were overwhelmed with yelling school kids and street
venders until we found sanctuary from the chaos, the Grand Hotel Timeo. This gem is just around the corner from the theater and sits on a bluff overlooking the sea and
Mt Etna. Soon we found ourselves sitting on their balcony eating almonds
and olives with our gin and tonics. There in the quiet we started
to understand the draw for all the artists and writers. D.H. Lawrence
found his real-life inspiration for Lady Chatterley in Taormina while
staying at this very hotel. The light from the sky and sea was mesmerizing, just calling us to indulge. Maybe just one more drink.
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| G & T with Mt. Etna in the view. |
Taormina is located at 37.82N, 15.23E. The day was partly sunny and 74 degrees. Elvis probably didn't visit, but we like to think he would have enjoyed it if he had.
Cheers,
P&J