Travel
Published on November 27, 2017
Comments 20

Taormina, Sicily

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Taromina is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s one of the places that can offer pretty much everything you want for a holiday, view, beach, food, entertainment, nice accommodation and shopping experiences. No wonder Taormina is such a popular travel destination in Sicily.

We only planned to spend one night in Taormina. We drove from Syracuse to Taormina. On a side note, we were so impressed by the motorways in Sicily. They are fantastic to drive on. We were a bit worried when we were planning the trip. If you want to travel from one place to another in Sicily, the roads are good. If you want to drive in the old town, that’s a completely different story. To me, it’s nerve-racking because of the extremely narrow streets.

There are so much to do in Taormina, beaches, food, shopping and sightseeing. I think I will just talk about two highlights during our visit, the Greek Threatre and Castelmola.

Teatro Greco (Greek Threatre)

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One must-see in Taromina is Teatro Greco (Greek Theatre) from 2nd century A.D., the second largest Greek Theatre in Sicily. Like many other Greek Theatres, it has perfect horseshoe shape. It’s situated high and facing the ocean. From the theatre, you can see Taormina town and beaches. The view is magnificent.

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The theatre was transformed to a Roman theatre later on. It was expanded to accommodate games and gladiatorial battles. The columns were inserted. Most of the original seats were damaged, only a few left. However, the wall remained, which were mainly made from bricks. DSCF1329DSCF1319

To our surprise, the theatre is still in use regularly for concerts and all sorts of performance. During our visit, I can see they were preparing for a concert. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to check it out. If you are interested, you can check with the information office or online to find out if there is any concert or play is scheduled. I am sure the experience will be one of a kind.

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Castelmola

Castelmola was my choice for the day instead of Isola Bella. The tiny little village is built high above Taromina, about 1700 feet above sea level.  If you are up to the challenge, you can choose to have a walk to Castelmola from Taromina.  We took a bus to Castelmola. The bus stopped there for about 40 minutes. It was just enough time for us to walk around the little streets and have a quick visit to the church.

The church of San Biagio is just simple as the village. From what we heard, it’s probably the oldest building. It was founded after the arrival of San Pancrazio in Taormina for the evangelising mission.

Now, time for the splendid view from Castelmola. I trust it’s self-explanatory enough for my choice of the day. 🙂

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Night life in Taromina is wonderful. Shops open till late. We had such a hard time to choose the restaurant we want to try. There were just way too many. Bars offer live music. It’s a heaven! 🙂

xx

20 Comments

  9. Tracey O'Brien says

    Loved this post, Jen. The theatre looks similar to the one as you climb the Acropolis in Athens. What incredible views! We had a day in Sicily while on a cruise last year but I would loved to have seen more. Will need to make another trip, I think. Gorgeous photos.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • Jen says

      Thank you, Tracey. Sicily is definitely worth visiting. We spent about 10 days there. It wasn’t enough. I think we will go back. We just love it. It’s quite different from the rest of Italy.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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