Taormina and Mt Etna

This has been one of the times when all the travel experiences have worked well - apart from almost missing the train to Taormina from Messina because we didn't know that it was ours!

Kitchen for guest use - opens onto terrace overlooking sea

We are staying down there

Staying in a lovely B and B, Sottocoperta, which is on the coast below Taormina hilltop town. Chose it because it is across the road from the station and it was a good choice. It is spotless, beautiful and run by a lovely friendly, helpful Italian family. We breakfast on the terrace overlooking the sea each morning with fellow guests.

great view for dinner

After a perfect grilled seaood dinner overlooking the sea and a great sleep, we spent the morning topping up the tan, then explored the town, taking the local bus up the hill. Pretty but lots of people. Caught a cable car to another part of the coast, enoyed a drink at a very chic hotel, went back up for dinner at a restaurant run by an Italian who used to own a restaurant at Glebe in Sydney. He looked after us very well and the pasta was the best we have ever had.

Isola Bella

Narrow street in old town

Greek theatre with Etna smoking in background

Then it was off to performance of Il Volo, and Italian pop opera group who did really well in Eurovision this year. The real reason for going was to experience a performance in the old Greek Theatre - an amphitheatre on the top of the hill, overlooking the town and sea with Etna smoking in the back ground. The lighting highlighted the stone columns and pillars and the effect was stunning. The performance was also delightful. We were in the cheap seats (ie benches - no cushion) up high but not too high and right in front. An unforgettable experience.

Then today it was Etna - a drive, a cable car, a four wheel drive truck and a walk around some craters - very lunar and very, very high! Amazingly people still live relatively close and there are hotels right up there for the ski season.

Add caption