Latitude: 37.85° north
Weather: 14°C, 🌤️
Sunrise: 07:01 Sunset:17:25
A beautiful dream of a town, perched on the top of a cliff overlooking turquoise seas below. Magnificent Mount Etna dominating the view south. Smart streets, up-market boutiques, a host of gorgeous-looking restaurants. A main pedestrianised street just made for the evening passeggiata, winding between pretty buildings to stunning viewpoints. Vibrant colours, lovely flowers, trees in full leaf.
After the madness of our journey down here, we were more than ready to unwind and sink into a little bit of Taormina’s famous dolce vita. Our hotel, set just above the gorgeous public gardens overlooking the bay, was perfect for exactly that. We’d spoilt ourselves with a lovely room – views out to sea and across to Etna, a gorgeous free-standing bath perfectly placed to enjoy both with a glass of wine.
When I look back, I’m honestly not quite sure what we did with our time. The answer is probably: very little. Taormina was built for wafting around looking beautiful. Sadly, the only shoes I have is a scruffy pair of trainers, and I definitely didn’t pack any ‘wafty’ clothes. Taormina-level beautiful: a ways off. But we did our best.
Small steps and narrow alleys led from our hotel up to the Corso Umberto, the main pedestrian street through town, leading from the Porta Messina at one end to the Porta Catania at the other. A beautiful street, atmospheric street lighting, Christmas decorations still up but no longer lit. Maybe around half the shops and bars open in January. Handbags and Prada, souvenirs and expensive watches. An excellent gelato shop where I got a top-notch chocolate ice cream, and Tim opted for pistachio (and was wholly unconvinced).
Halfway along the street, it opens out into the beautiful broad space of the Piazza IX Aprile. Chequered-marble pavement, a beautiful church – and a balustrade overlooking a huge drop down the side of the cliff to the sea. Stunning. Stand back a bit if, like me, you have vertigo. Children playing, a few people sitting in the cafe by the church, sun warming the buildings, and a general sense of slow-paced meander.
We strolled gently on our first evening, mesmerised by the views of the sea and of the snow-capped volcano. As the light started to warm the sky into a pale pink sunset, a tobacco-coloured cloud streamed out from the side of the mountain – a reminder that Etna is almost always active. Later, to cap off a lovely day, we found good gluten-free pizza in a restaurant decked with sparkly lights, and went to sleep well-fed, shattered and happy.
A lie in and a lazy breakfast. A late-morning coffee in a bar on a square the next morning, looking up at the fortress-like Duomo. Nowhere to be and no agenda to complete. The sun: warm on my face. Today was destined to be soft and to let my shoulders drop a little.
After strolling the streets for a good 30 minutes, it was clearly time for more food. We ended up in a small trattoria on the edge of town: a good risotto, a glass of Etna white wine. The restaurant was particularly pretty, windows draped with flowers, and apparently an attractive photo spot for the tour groups who were arriving from a cruise ship, suddenly turning the quiet town busy. We sat in the window and did our best to pose nicely as group after group stopped for photos. Fame at last??
Like lots of Sicily, Taormina has astonishing history. Perched on the top of a hill just above the town is the arena. Originating with the Ancient Greeks in the 3rd century BC, it was then expanded by the Romans over several centuries. It’s a stunning site and also gives fantastic views back over Etna, which was by now disappearing into the mist.
The arena was busy with the cruise ship groups, so we didn’t linger hugely long. We stopped to enjoy a fantastic modern sculpture placed at the top of the amphitheatre. A beautiful bronze, named David, it reworked the traditional image in female form, keeping the rock and sling, and echoing in many ways the proudly defiant stance taken by Michaelangelo’s David back in Florence. Sculptor Jago is currently working on a version in marble which will stand at over 4 metres tall. I’d love to see it when it’s complete.
Throughout the afternoon, a mist rolled in, gradually blending sea and sky, softening the hills and eventually snatching away the volcano. A hazy shade of Italian winter, perhaps – but still beautifully warm for a Brit fresh from the Arctic.
We retreated from the now-busy town back to the hotel, where we soaked up some more sun, and lazed in our room enjoying the sea views. I drank a glass of fizz in the bath, watching the lights appear along the coast as the day faded. By the time we headed back out, the tour groups had left and the streets were gentle and quiet again. We ate another great meal, drank a little too much wine, and giggled our way home.
I imagine that Taormina is unbelievably busy by the summer. But, in January, it was dreamy. Quiet and peaceful at the start and end of the day, the sun warm, the colours beautiful. Turquoise sea below and an elegant volcano standing by – what more could you ask for on a gentle recovery day?
