The roadmap has been set for all highlights of the East coast with the first stop being Taormina. Close enough (at Letojanni), we take over one of the beach spots at Paradise Camping, including blue skys, empty beaches and a mostly regular bus service to Taormina downtown.
It feels like beach hours are rare these days, while in fact we are rewarded with the coldest May within 50 years (true at least for Sicilia). Only in my last week, when the typical heat kicks in, I will realize how favourable the lower temperatures are for the sightseeing parts of the journey.
Taormina offers a vivid historic centre and some ancient stones, most of them to be found at the Greek Theatre. Thanks to multiple tourist groups, we catch at least an impression of its shere size. Even with umpteen or hundreds of people around, the place is far from being crowded.
How we know that it has been built originally by Greek rather than Romans? Due to the site: Greek theatres are always located on fantastic spots that offer beautiful views on the surrounding – just in case the play on stage might bore you.
Impressive and Beautiful: Ancient Theatre in Taormina
We continue through the park with somewhat strange, yet fanciful buildings.
In centro storico, traces of all kinds of Sicilian cultures are visible. Strolling through the streets turns out to be quite a pleasant way to let the afternoon pass by.
By coincidence and hunger, we bump into the restaurant Porta Messina and enjoy wonderful pizza (even glutenfree!) and adorable antipasti. We could worship the food for hours, when eventually we continue our way through the city. They have several churches here, of which some are used as churches while others are used as libraries.
Being in Sicily for a couple of days by now, a certain pattern revolves: no matter what kind of job someone has, they all fullfil it with passion. Just like the chef of our lunch restaurant, the bus driver is one of the most passionate workers here, proving the vehicle and the road-turns just right for formula 1 races.
Church = Church
Church = Library
Speedbus on Racetrack
Travelhector 