We woke up this morning and caught the shuttle for the 8:00 am Taormina Tour. We had a Sicilian Tour Guide on the shuttle bus, as well as throughout the walking tour in Taormina. We couldn't hear anything she was saying... and it was blazing hot outside. She continued to stop our group in the direct sunlight, with no shading. Ugh. But, the tour was worth those minor annoyances! We had done our research, so we were vaguely familiar with the main tourist attractions.
Taormina is an exciting place for Sicilians... it is really their downtown Sicily. The district has tons of shopping and dining... and pretty much anything else you are looking to do. Nightlife doesn't happen here. In Taormina, the operating hours are rather odd. The shops open at 10:00 am and close at 13:00 (1:00 pm)... then reopen at 16:00 (4:00 pm) and close again at 21:30 (9:30 pm). For a country that is financially struggling, they refuse to work their lives away. LOL They are on military time in Italy. So, if you travel to this part of Europe, then be sure you are familiar with military time conversion. Taormina is in the Province of Messina and Catania. It has been a popular tourist attraction since the 19th Century.
Taormina, also, housed the Ancient Greek Theater built in the early 7th Century BC. Such amazing ruins left behind of the impressive Greek Theater... there are still live performances in the theater to this day. We were amazed at the cityscape of Sicily inside the Greek Theater... and the architectural brilliance behind the creation of the theater. Wow!
Kevin and I really enjoyed spending the entire day in Taormina. Such a serene place to enjoy. Beautiful cascading floral bushes everywhere, unbelievable monuments and buildings... so many churches. Tranquil. Visiting this district sure impressed us, yet left us extremely exhausted at the end of the day. We enjoyed a beautiful dinner at a lovely local Italian restaurant with some wonderful company. We made good friends early on with Pat and Kristin... and made a week out of spending time and dining with them in Sicily.
Here are more pictures of our Taormina experience... Such a charming place to visit!
So much absorbed from Day 2 of our Italian vacation... Taormina proved to be exquisite! We made sure to visit the district at least a dozen more times before heading on to the final leg (Rome) of our trip. We just couldn't get enough of this place.
(Read more about our trip to Italy in the next MANY posts... Caio !!)
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