AND THEN WE WENT TO TAORMINA

For the next part of our vacation we were going to a new hotel but on the way we wanted to check out a gorge that we heard about. And we wanted to go for a hike. Well, it didn’t really work out as we imagined.

We did see the gorge – with it’s interesting rock formations that were created from cooling lava. First we almost paid about 25 Euros to get into the area. It was a run-down hokey tourist attraction with fake dinosaurs and stupid souvenirs. Luckily I had read that there was a public access up the road where we could see the gorge for a few Euros. So we went there expecting to see the gorge an have access to some hiking along it. But no – it was just a bunch of stairs down to a small area of the river enclose by rock. My dad would have called it a zoo.

We quickly did some Googling to try to find an area for hiking. The land was beautifully hilly and it was a sunny day and we really wanted to explore. Brian found some trails close by so we hopped in the car and we were delighted to find a marked trail head. Off we went. The trail was overgrown but we were hiking… for about 100 feet. Then the trail abruptly stopped and it was fenced off. You can see Brian’s frustrated look above and I’m rolling my eyes behind my glasses below.

Time to bag it and drive to our next destination. It was another moment where I felt a little sad for Italy. Maybe we were missing something but it seemed really hard, as tourists, to take advantage of the highlights of the area. The area is also where some parts of The Godfather were filmed so it seems like they could really take advantage of that. Like the Sound of Music tours in Austria – every American loves The Godfather and it would be fun to see the sights.

So off we went to Taormina – a gem of a city that has been popular with tourists for a long time. It’s perched above the sea and full of charm (and people). We started with a walk to Isola Bella. A British lady bought the island in 1890 and made it her home. The home was built right into the rock of the island it was charming and run down.

I didn’t take many food photos but I was pleasantly surprised at the delicious meals we had. Seems like sometimes when you go to a popular spot like this the food can be so so. But we found that there were great restaurants where you could tell the people really cared about the food they were making. Yum!

Here are some photos from a hike above the city of Taormina. Claire and I turned back part way up because I was pooped (sorry Brian) but I did appreciate all the flowers and the views.