T2

For Christie’s first full day in Sicily, we ventured up the coast about 45 minutes to the amazing hilltop town of Taormina.  (Yes, the title of this post does not refer to Terminator 2: Judgment Day but rather my second trip to Taormina).

Although I previously went here with George, it was amazing sharing the sunshine and beautiful blue water with my wife.

We had a very ‘typical’ day of Sicilian eating… Pizza for lunch on a patio overlooking the Ionian Sea (Christie enjoyed the tomato, shrimp, and mascarpone cheese while I opted for Salami) before grabbing a gelato to snack on as we walked down the narrow streets filled with designer labels and quaint shops.  (For scorekeeping purposes, I had a Stracciatella – similar to chocolate chip – and Bacio (chocolate / hazelnut) while Christie had Blood Orange (think the most intense Orange Sherbet EVER).  It was amazing… although that word seems to be losing it’s luster after all the amazing experiences we are having here.

 

Christie at the Greek Theatre... yes, she will one day own all of this land.

We finished our trip with a visit to the famous Greek Amphitheater.  The Greeks, and later the Romans, were famous for their love of the arts, and they built their theaters with the idea that the theatre’s location and ambiance was an important character.  In Taormina, the theatre was build between two huge mountains, with cliffs falling off hundreds of feet to the sea on both sides.  The half-circle design could hold an audience of up to 3,000, and faced a stage lined with marble columns.  Acoustically, you could whisper on the stage and hear it in the top row… amazing.  (Similarly, Catania’s Opera House to this day uses NO MICROPHONES or other audio enhancements – borrowing technology from the Greeks).  However, despite all those cool details, the best thing about the theatre it is build in such a manner that the seats directly face the (often smoking) Mt. Etna.

 

I often wonder how the Greeks built such elaborate theatres and towns without computers or machines.  But then again, if they were alive today, I bet they would marvel at how much glow-in-the-dark stuff we have, and how much we take it for granted.

 

~ J. Twice