Taormina: The Pearl of the Mediterranean

What do Goethe, Alexander Dumas, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Klimt, D.H. Lawrence, Richard Wagner, Oscar Wilde, Truman Capote, John Steinbeck, Ingmar Bergmann, Francis Ford Coppola, Leonard Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Federico Fellini, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Elisabeth Taylor, and Woody Allen have in common?

Simple – they have all sojourned in Taormina, the pearl of the Mediterranean.

Taormina’s past is Sicily’s history in a microcosm: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, the French and the Spanish all came, saw, conquered and left.

The main attraction is, without doubt, the theatre. The Teatro Greco, was first created in the 3rd Century BC and hosted performances of works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Originally quite small, it was enlarged by the Romans to accommodate their own particular brand of theatrical extravaganza. The views from the theatre are spectacular, taking in a (usually) smoking Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos down below.

Stephanie and her father, Mr. Pike, were kind enough to invite Trenton and me on their family day trip to Taormina. We hiked around the city, had a lovely lunch by the Bay of Naxos, and made in home in time for reposa. Here are a few photos from that trip.

All Things Trenton: 

All Things Tia:

All Things Shopping:

Mr. Pike was kind enough to introduce us to freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, which I envisioned my bourgeoise self loving. NO THANK YOU. Super bitter juice of the Gods. 

All in all, a great day!