The day after leaving Dubrovnik was a sea day. The Silver Wind traveled from the Adriatic Sea across the sole of the boot of Italy then northwest towards Sicily. I spent time with Michael and attended a cooking demonstration. I caught up on my blog thru Corfu. There is really too much to see and do on a sea day to spend a lot of time writing. Come to think of it, there is even more to do at home so I am completing this travel journal rather slowly.
We anchored in Naxos Bay off Taormina on Saturday, July 2nd. As on all our prior stops, it was "chamber of commerce" weather. Michael and I were not taking a tour but we managed to be in the first tender ashore supposedly reserved for tour participants. We were on the first shuttle bus up the mountain to Taormina.
There are really three towns here. Giardini Naxos is at sea level. The tender landed there. Giardini Naxos is a small community with many beaches and beach hotels. Taormina is on the mountainside several hundred feet up. Taormina can be reached by bus or car but only official vehicles and delivery vans are allowed in the semi walled part. Hundreds of feet higher up is Castelmola, a small town clinging to the top of a nearby peak. It is accessible by a very windy road or hundreds of steep steps. Taormina is the main tourist attraction of the three. It is an archetypal scenic Mediterranean village.
Really, the main tourist attraction for our Bay of Naxos stop was Mt. Etna. Many of the people taking tours were on an all day trips partway up the slopes of Etna followed by a long lunch and an hour or so at Taormina. It proved to be an exciting day for a trip to the volcano. Etna is still active even though it only occasionally spurts ash and steam. Lava flows, when they occur, are slow moving and do little damage. We saw clouds of ash and steam coming from the mountain as we anchored. Later, around noon, when we were at the fort at the top of Castelmola we heard an explosion and more clouds could be seen swirling around the volcano. Later, when we heard from passengers who had made the visit to Etna, they reported that there hadn't been much to see – just clouds and the smell of ash. Michael had visited Etna on his prior trip to Taormina and found the trip to the then-quiet mountain somewhat disappointing. That is why we decided to spend our day visiting Taormina and Castelmola instead. Mt. Etna was just entering a more active period while we visited the area.
Taormina is a pretty town. It is also full of tourists. We walked through the main streets and saw, along with the usual picturesque churches, stores selling pottery, fashion, tourist type gifts, wine and liquor. Many small coffee and pastry shops lined the streets and small squares. I gave in to the temptation of a large chocolate cannoli displayed in a small bakery. Michael had a small pistachio cake. They tasted wonderful. As we walked I saw a number of places selling tee shirts picturing Marlon Brando as the Godfather. How can tourists be so silly as to fall for something so phony?
Taormina's main attraction is a Greek theater. The ancient Greeks built an amphitheater on a hill overlooking the bay with views of the nearby mountains. Much of it remains. It is used today for musical and theater performances and even the occasional motion picture. The day we visited, the present day operators were setting up for a rock performance. Michael and I were able to climb around the ancient stones then sit in a shady place and watch the boats on the bay and the train station hundreds of feet below. We visited the bookshop perched at the highest point. I decided not to buy a picture calendar of Taormina, as my pictures are at least as good as the ones in the calendar.
Leaving the theater, we wandered around the streets some more. One of the more interesting sights was an unexpected find. We visited a church built on the site of the Greek Odeon. An Odeon is a small theater where plays were performed and speeches and recitations were given. A Christian church had been deliberately sited on top of the pagan ruin. The surprise was behind the church. We could see the stone seats and remnants of ancient stone walls of the Odeon.
Michael wanted to visit Castelmola at the very top of the mountain. It was a worthy goal. We started to walk uphill following the map we had with us. The distance was about two miles. Very quickly, we found that it was very steep and there was no shade. The temperature was above ninety degrees. There was no sidewalk and we were dodging Italian drivers. Have you heard? Italians drive very fast and swerve at the last second. It was prudent to return to the square by the town gate and hire a taxi to take us to the uppermost town.
Michael "bargained" with the taxi driver and agreed to his initial asking price with a tour of Santa Maria del Rocca thrown in. Santa Maria del Rocca is a church carved from rock at the top of another hill above Taormina. It is most picturesque. We arrived at Castelmola in comfort and spent half an hour exploring the old fort at the summit. I took many pictures. Santa Maria del Rocca had breathtaking views but the church itself was closed. The ride up and down the very twisty roads was fun. Passing other vehicles was sometimes challenging. I think we got our money's worth.
Back in Taormina, we wandered around the square by the cathedral. We happened upon a wedding in progress. We were able to peek into the cathedral and see the couple getting a final blessing from the priest. When he pronounced them man and wife, the whole congregation applauded. I have never seen that before.
We sat down at an outdoor table at the tavern across the square and ordered beers. We observed the post wedding festivities while we cooled off. All the Sicilian men wore black suits and looked very serious. Mafia clichés came to mind although there was no evidence that this was anything but an ordinary Saturday wedding. Everyone congratulated the bride and groom. The photographer took pictures. The tiny ring bearer and flower girl looked adorable in their miniature formal outfits. Groomsmen escorted Grandma to the tavern to use the restroom. By the time we finished our beers, the florist was already removing the floral arrangements and village life returned to normal. Scenes of real life and real people are what make visits to places like this memorable.
Michael and I returned to the Silver Wind tired but happy after a fun five hours ashore.
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