Sicily automatically reminds me of Mafia - a criminal organization originating in Sicily. The first time I learned about Mafia was from the movie – The Godfather. As a tourist, Mafia influence was nowhere to be found. Sicily is the largest island separated from the Continent by the Strait of Messina and surrounded by the Ionian, the Tyrrhenian and the Mediterranean Seas.
Taormina is a small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Province of Messina. Corso Umberto is the main street in Taormina. It takes about 40 minutes by car from Messina – the capital of Province of Messina. After driving up the winding road, we were in the city center - Corso Umberto. The town is on the hill and offers fantastic views of the sea and the nearby Mt. Etna; the town itself has a wonderfully picturesque, medieval-village atmosphere. The old buildings really reflect its glorious past. The stone gate at the entrance to Corso Umberto gave us a great first impression. There are three gorgeous piazzas along the streets - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza IX Aprile and Piazza Duomo. The 13th century Duomo di Taormina is located on the Piazza Duomo.
The street is less than one kilometer long, but you need to spend an hour or longer to enjoy this medieval town. It seemed the narrow street was pedestrian only, but we saw a police car driving by. Along the street you can find boutiques, jewelers, gift shops, restaurants and bars. The boutiques and designer’s jewelers are beautiful but expensive; it definitely will take away all of your hard earned money. When we were tired, we just stopped at a café and had a cold drink to cool down from the heat. The street side cafés and restaurants offer more reasonable price than the formal restaurants. You can easily find a sandwich for about 10 euro. I would like to go back and stay overnight there sometime in the future.
Taormina is a small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Province of Messina. Corso Umberto is the main street in Taormina. It takes about 40 minutes by car from Messina – the capital of Province of Messina. After driving up the winding road, we were in the city center - Corso Umberto. The town is on the hill and offers fantastic views of the sea and the nearby Mt. Etna; the town itself has a wonderfully picturesque, medieval-village atmosphere. The old buildings really reflect its glorious past. The stone gate at the entrance to Corso Umberto gave us a great first impression. There are three gorgeous piazzas along the streets - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza IX Aprile and Piazza Duomo. The 13th century Duomo di Taormina is located on the Piazza Duomo.
The street is less than one kilometer long, but you need to spend an hour or longer to enjoy this medieval town. It seemed the narrow street was pedestrian only, but we saw a police car driving by. Along the street you can find boutiques, jewelers, gift shops, restaurants and bars. The boutiques and designer’s jewelers are beautiful but expensive; it definitely will take away all of your hard earned money. When we were tired, we just stopped at a café and had a cold drink to cool down from the heat. The street side cafés and restaurants offer more reasonable price than the formal restaurants. You can easily find a sandwich for about 10 euro. I would like to go back and stay overnight there sometime in the future.
More photos please click the photo below for larger picture
James Huang - All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment