My Italian sojourn continues with a trip to Sicily in March 2009. I stayed in Taormina, which is a pretty town situated on a mountainside in the north-east of Sicily, overlooking the sea and with spectacular views of Etna. Etna was smoking the whole time I was there, and you could see the red lava flowing down its sides at night. Taormina has some expensive, chic boutiques, and some tacky tourist shops. There are plenty of restaurants, and not all of them are expensive (although many are). There is a funicular railway that gives access to the coast, although I didn't use it - it's a bit nippy in March. The whole area has evidence of the Greek occupation (5th - 4th century BC). I took a day trip to Syracusa - when the Greeks ruled there were 300,000 inhabitants, so lots to see.
Click on a picture to make it bigger.
 The view from Taormina |
 Taormina, seen from the amphitheatre |
 Mount Etna, as seen from the amphitheatre |
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 The Porta Messinia, one of three entrance arches to the old town. |
 The Greek amphitheatre, Taormina dates back to 3BC, but had a major make-over by the Romans (columns and lintels = Greek, arches and bricks = Roman) |
 The Duomo in Taormina. It was closed when I was there. |
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 The Giardino Pubblico (public gardens) are well worth a visit. |
 This lovely sculpture is in the Giardino Pubblico (public gardens). |
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Syracusa
 The 5BC Greek amphitheatre in Syracusa is pretty impressive. It is both earlier and bigger than the amphitheatre in Epidavros (but not nearly as beautiful!) |
 The 2AD Roman theatre at Syracusa - you can still see the gangways for the animals and gladiators. |
 The bizarrely-named Ear of Dionysius - a man-made cave within a stone quarry. |
 The Duomo in Syracusa has parts that date back to the original building on this site - a Greek temple. |
