Taormina, Sicily - Italy
From Palermo, we drove to Cefalu and then to Castelbuono exploring these two towns before continuing on to Taormina.
Cefalu was possibly begun as a fortified Greek outpost and has a Lavatolo Medievale (old loutside aundry), ... View image... a Duomo, and the remains of Temple of Diana. Very small and charming to walk around and it appeared to be a nice-sized resort
Taormina is Sicily's most famous resort on the slopes of Monte Tauro. In ancient times, Taormina was protected by walls and gates, and traces of the walls and two entrances, Porta Messina and Porta Catania, still remain.
You either have to take a bus or the Funivia UP to get there. It is small, extremely popular and is another drop-dead, unbelievably gorgeous town. However, the group was not staying in Taormina but in Giardini Naxos (a beach resort area about 5km from Taormina) at the Hotel La Riva, a Sicilian, family-run hotel overlooking the beach.
We would walk up to Taormina and down to Giardini Naxos on paths leading through lovely, green parks...past fragments of old walls...and beautiful villas. ... View image... If you want to stay at a beach resort, Giardini Naxos is the place for you but we preferred Taormina and stayed there after the group left.
The ancient Greek-Roman Theate was the highlight for us. It is the second largest in Sicily after the one in Siracusa. The theater is divided into three main sections: the scene (stage), orchestra and cavea. (Cavea were subterranean cells in which the Romans kept wild animals before the combat.)
It is thought that the Theater was built by the Greeks around the middle of the third century BC. It is one of Taormina's main attractions and an international festival (music, art, etc.) is held there each year.
There is a beautiful (and expensive) hotel in the Dominican monastery, the San Domenico Hotel. It was a castle and has a magnificent park overlooking the sea and views of Mt. Etna. You can also walk down to the sea via the parks and gardens.
Taormina is stunning!
