Sì, Silly Sicily: Taormina

Just a few days before leaving for Sicily, I led an online meeting attended by people from all over Europe. And while waiting for the latecomers to join, I seized the opportunity to ask the folks for Sicilian tips—some of them are avid travelers too. Taormina! I was told immediately. What a striking coincidence! That’s just the village next to Giardini Naxos, which @honeydue picked as our base camp. Coincidence? I think not! Just one of the many advantages of traveling alongside a fellow globetrotter.

Piazza Nove Aprile

As you can imagine, Taormina is quite a touristy hotspot, especially since the second season of HBO's The White Lotus. Nope, I haven’t seen a single episode. I hadn’t even known about the show before coming there. The main street (Corso Umberto I, naturally!) was rather crowded even during our off-season visit. Yet there’s a magic trick: Simply delve into one of the picturesque side streets, and you’ll have it all to yourself. Or, even better, take the Via Crucis up to the Madonna della Rocca church like we did. Definitely worth climbing this rocky stairway to (almost) heaven. And the church up there? Oh, it makes one wonder!

Yet first, there’s the bus lottery—or rather, bingo this time. “Mi scusi, questo autobus va a Taormina?”
“No, no! Il prossimo!”
“No! Il prossimo!”
“No, no, no! Il prossimo!”

And then, finally, when we were about to give up and spend the entire day in a gelato store, methodically tasting every single flavor there, we hit bingo. “Taormina? Sì, sì!”

No worries, though. We did visit that very gelato store later.

The bus snaked its way up about two hundred meters above the sea, through hairpin bends so tight the driver shut his eyes, just so he wouldn’t feel afraid. Then, at last, it spilled us out into a hot September morning. On Via Luigi Pirandello, right beside a sextet of scraggy characters waiting for their author.

We passed St. George's Anglican Church, quite an unexpected encounter in Sicily. Then a cable car that descends to the fanciest beach of Taormina, and finally reached Porta Messina, the gate to the old village. Leaving the poet and playwright behind, we now promenaded along with the politician, Umberto Primo. So, is the pen truly mightier than the sword in Sicily?

St. George's Church

While the historical buildings alongside the Corso indeed had their charms, I preferred sneaking peeks into the tiny cobbled side alleys, some offering a view of the sea, and others—a treat for my Czech heart—leading the eye to the rock perching above the village. After refreshing ourselves with premium gelato and soaking up the picturesque atmosphere, we headed up to the sky.

Santa Caterina d'Alessandria

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The Via Crucis starts just a few dozen meters from the main plaza of the village, yet it's a path few tourists stray onto. Their bad! Apart from the Stations of the Cross, it offers some marvelous views over Taormina with all its charms and the Greek theatre, and also the nearby coast. Plus, Monte Etna, of course. Let’s walk that contemplative path with no further words to disturb us, shall we?

The pilgrims and wayfarers can feast their eyes on a true gem of Taormina, the Madonna della Rocca church. You can get there by car, too—we met an American couple who were taken up there in this funny, toy-like vehicle—but what’s the fun in that?

Enjoyed this one? Stay tuned for my next Sicilian post!

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