Castelmola

Castelmola is a small village perched precariously atop a rock which overlooks Taormina, which itself is built on a rock almost directly above the coast. It is a very steep climb up so we caught the local bus. From Castelmola the views were amazing - across barren rocky hills, directly towards Mount Etna, out across the sea, down to Taormina and the beach resorts on the coast. We could see the Castello Saraceno, the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Rock and even into the Greek Theatre that we visited yesterday.

We visited the castle ruins, walked through the little streets with cameras running hot, went into all the churches and then had a lovely lunch under a jacarandah tree.

We had decided to walk home via the Saracens' Gate path. As it was 32 degrees the lady in the Info thought we were a bit strange... a piedi? (walking?) The path was stepped for much of the way but had a good layer of black volcanic material  over it. In fact everything has this black crumbly little rock on it. Better it than hot running lava I guess.

We walked through giant prickly pear until we came to a part where the path was less accessible. That didn't last long then we were back on the steps and continued successfully back into Taormina. 

Mount Etna is still putting on a show with booming noises and red hot sprays of rocks being thrown in the air. It not only has the crater at the top but a fissure down the left side as we look at it. It gives the impression that lava is flowing down the side. It is frustrating not being able to photograph it successfully.

Taormina

We discovered all about Mount Etna today. It has been active for the past five days and the cloud over the mountain during the day is caused by the volcanic activity. This morning we could hear rumbling noises and this evening we can see the explosions. It is a very impressive sight to see.

Mount Etna by day

Mount Etna by night

This morning we went to the Greek Theatre, 3rd century B.C. As a comparison with many we saw in Turkey it is well down the list, however, it is still worth a visit just for the view of the volcano behind the stage. There is an opera being performed in the next few days.

The water tap in the photo below is in the piazza near our apartment. To get there we go up the stairs, turn right and walk 10 metres.

Vincenzo Nibali

On Sunday Vincenzo Nibali won the world's greatest cycling race, Le Tour de France. It is sixteen years since an Italian has won Le Tour.
Nibali is a Sicilian and as Sicilians like to not think of themselves as Italian, I am sure this fascinating island is very proud of his great achievement.

Palermo to Taormina, Sicily

Today has mostly been spent in travel. We broke with tradition and took a taxi to the railway/bus station because our hotel was conveniently located by the port for our arrival into Palermo. An express coach took us to Catania in two and a half hours where we had a quick break for necessities and then caught the local bus to Taormina, arriving about 3.15 pm.

We have a great little apartment for four days with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette on the first floor and taking the outside steps to the 2nd floor we have a sun room/lounge with windows all around. From there we can see the Doumo and the sea. We also have a small garden. This place is definitely location, location.

Taormina is described as an old world resort town with gardens, cafes, a cable car to the beach and a Greek theatre (Turkey trip friends please note, a photo will follow for your comparison.) From our first impressions it seems that there are hundreds of restaurants and upmarket shops!

Note the stunning oleander bushes that have grown into trees. Tomorrow we hope to see Mount Etna, it was covered in cloud today so I hope it is not like Mount Fuji and often hidden.

Arrivederci Palermo

Once again we have walked a great distance but kept our energy up with gelati! The English garden was interesting as most of the trees were pines and large yukka and cacti. It did have statues, some follies, a tea room and a fun park so I guess it qualified. The children were enjoying the open spaces so that was good to see.

J

Markets are always fun and the Capo Mercato was no exception. Sword fish is a great Mediterranean favourite.

Last on our list for the day was a guided tour of the Opera House, Teatro Massimo. It is the second largest opera house in Europe and still has opera, ballet and plays in the season. It has all the trimmings of an 1860-90s classical building, including a royal box. We sat in the royal box for a few moments but were informed that the cost is about 3000 Euros for a performance.

Palermo has been described as a city of raw energy, deranged driving and chaos. A more appealing description is "a city of decay and splendour."  Arrivederci Palermo!

Monreale and mosaics

Today we took a trip to Monreale to see the famed mosaics. It is a hilltop village about 8 kilometres out of Palermo. Every centimetre of the walls, ceilings and floors of the Benedictine monastery church are covered in intricate and beautifully coloured mosaics.It is quite spectacular to see; if we had not been to Ravenna previously we would have been totally wow-ed. In Ravenna there are many buildings with the spectacular mosaics and I think the colours are better in Ravenna. However it was certainly worth visiting for the other points of interest.

Mosaics

Inlaid marble

The cloister garden was interesting too as it also had its share of mosaics and intricate carved pillars. Water is scared here in Sicily and only the toughest plants survive. It was interesting to see that the feature trees in the cloister were an olive, a fig, a pomegranate and a date palm.

One of the specialities of Sicily is almonds so today we tried an almond tart full of marzipan ... very delicious.

We have also done some general sightseeing on the on-off bus. The commentary was interesting in its approach to public spending, corruption and the Mafia.It is very possible to see things started and never finished as they ran out of money. The university is a great example where buildings have never been finished and what was built has fallen into disrepair.

Time for a drink on the 7th floor balcony ;)

Palermo 1

Our hotel has a breakfast room with a view - right out over the port in one direction and into the rocky mountains in the other. Breakfast was pretty good too.

The weather is hot and a little humid but we have walked many kilometres already. Being Sunday most shops are closed, as are the churches and other attractions.

We went to Mass at the Chiesa San Domenico. This is more of a regular parish church rather than an historic monument like dozens of others we have seen. The older ones date from the 1100s to the 1600s with Moor, Arab and Norman influences.

We are doing the Sicilian thing and enjoying La Pausa - 2.5 hours at home before we head out again. At least it has given me time to catch up with the Blog when the internet is faster, and also to write the journal and maybe look at the email.

After the rest we went to see the Cathedral. It is absolutely huge and was built in the 1100s on even older foundations. The photo shows only about one third of it!

We finished the day as we started - on the 7th floor balcony, but this time with cool drinks in hand and watching today's ferries arrive and depart.