Written by After a satisfying spread at Catania Hotel and trying to order Pop something similar to a flat white, we caught a taxi to the station and jumped on a train to Taormina. A Sicilian lady attempted to talk to us the entire way; I was surprised at how much I could understand. As we approached our destination, the terrain started to become a lot more mountainous and we started to see a lot of towns scattered along the cliffs. To reach Taormina, we needed to get off the train and catch a bus up to the town. The kind Sicilian lady waited with us, making sure we got on the right bus, and then walked the opposite way. We stumbled onto the crazy packed bus with our luggage and somehow found some seats at the very back. The bus ride was somewhat scary. The road up to the town centre was narrow and steep, and it expertly curved around the handles of the mountain. The bus took up majority of the road and would constantly cut off other vehicles coming the opposite way, especially on the corners. And then there were all the cars that were parked on the road; seriously mad. Once we reached the bus station in Taormina, we took a short walk to our accomodation, Sirius Hotel. Checked in, dumped our luggage, freshened up and then we headed out to explore.
Taormina was magical; the cobbled streets and old buildings splashed with orange and pink hues, the views out to sea and the picturesque landscape of the towns below and Mt Etna, this town was full of life. After grabbing a bite to eat and people watching, we had plenty of daylight to spare, and ventured to the ancient Greek theatre of Taormina (Teatro Greco). Perfectly perched on the mountainside of Taormina, lay this extraordinary place. Instead of being overcrowded like some archaeological sites, there was barely a soul. We breathed in the coastal fresh air, as we explored the miraculous ruins.
After a caramel gelato and some more wandering through the streets, we sat down for an early dinner off the main thoroughfare. For our first dinner all together, we stuck to the classics and warmed up with tomato soup, followed by carbonara and lasagne for main course. Pop enjoyed some minestrone. On the way home, we picked up some juicy, bright red strawberries to munch on for dessert.