Taormina, Sicily – part 2

Taormina was easily reachable from the regional international airport, Catenia, where we flew in from Geneva. In our last post, we posted photos of views from Taormina, the town being situated high up on the mediterranean coast. Here are some photos of the town itself.

The Piazza IX Aprile is spectacular, both for its views of the sea below and Mount Etna in the back, and being surrounded by bars and cafe, its ambiance in the evening.

The main street, Corso Umberto I, is car-free and lined with boutiques, jewelers, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars.

 

Early in the morning, there were few people about but when the tour bus arrives, the place is overrun by people rushing through the narrow streets.

 

We stayed near the east end of town. These are some of the streets around our place. We really enjoyed the brioche and granite for breakfast.

This trattoria was very quiet. We suspected that the tourist season has not really started.

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We also visited the town’s municipal garden, Giardino Pubblico. It is very shady, almost dark, due to the thickness of the vegetation which will provide a much-appreciated refuge from the sun in the summer.

In the grounds, there are quite a few strange-looking, half-size brick pavillions or follies, as well as a memorial for the soldiers who died in World War I.

The garden was built by an English woman Florence Trevelyan who moved here in the late 1890s, allegedly a lover of Edward Prince of Wales (Edward VII). She also owned the Isola Bella visible in the photos from our last post.

There must be a story behind this sculpture.

It reminds me of the angels in the movie by Wim Wenders – Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin).

This garden is the second most popular attraction in Taormina after the greek theatre (the subject of a later post). A long panormaic avenue runs along the cliff side of the garden affording magnificent views of the sea.

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More photos around Sicily to come …