Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The TAO of Taormina


The view from Taormina overlooking the Ionian Sea.
Enjoying another pizza lunch.  It is what we are playing for, after all.
The town plaza and mandatory duomo.  Small streets lead from each side - NO CARS!
One of the many side streets full of more restaurants, shops, B&B's, and patios.

Today we took an unscheduled trip North from Aci Castello to check out some potential "beach" sites as the weather starts to heat up.  Apparently, there are a number of white sand beaches to enjoy, and the Laird Hamilton in me wanted to find out for certain.  After driving about a half hour, we realized that we were within minutes of the famous hilltop town of Taormina.

I had researched a lot about this city before coming to Sicily -- and how Taormina has been a popular vacation spot for celebrities dating back to Hollywood's golden years (the 50s, not the 80s).  It sits upon a bluff 500 feet above the ocean, with sheer cliffs crashing down into the sea.  Cars are not allowed in the city center - so think of it as Whistler meets the Mediterranean.
We parked just short of the town and walked through the amazing streets.  They are lined with shops, vendors, and all sorts of cool "nooks and cranny's."

George and I grabbed a quick lunch -- margherita pizza - before calling some of George's friends to taunt them (a mean but fun tactic).

All in all - the trip made me both happy and sad.  Happy that I am experiencing all of these great things, but sad that i'm not (yet) sharing them with my family and friends back home.

Well... I hope these pictures are enough to entice all of you to come visit!

~ J. Twice

1 comment:

The Lindermans said...

J - Thank you for the great descriptions under the pictures. Jorje could learn a lot from you.

Love, Your Sister - H