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| Taromina, from the boat |
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| Taromina, up there |
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| Dinghy aarea |
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| Taromina |
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| Looking over Messina strait |
The town of Taormina is enchanting and idyllic, but given over to tourism completely. Nevertheless, one has to see it because I am sure the pictures we took do not do it justice. In the town, there is a Greek amphitheater while above there are the ruins of a Saracen castle on one peak and a monastery on another, both of which overlook the town.
About 2 km away and another few hundred feet higher is the smaller town of Castelamola, crowding the top of a peak which yields magnificent views of Taormina, Mt. Etna smoking in the distance, the Italian mainlaind across the strait, and the whole coastline northwards and westwards. Maggie and I climbed up there in the blazing heat of the afternoon (there is a bus that can take you there from Taormina), but the "Path of the Saracens" was too alluring to pass up. Besides, we met an older French couple that looked barely able to tread level ground never mind the goat path that went up to Castelamola, and I was shamed into it. (They did make it, too). It was worth it even though we were sweating like inmates on a Mississippi chain gang. Along the way we stopped in to a little vaulted chapel that was built about 1900 years ago high on the hill overlooking everything. We took the bus down after a brief lunch in the ruins of the castle crowning the town.
Right now I am writing this as we motor along the toe of Italy, making our way northeastwards. It is delightfully warm and Maggie is sleeping in the cockpit while I write. We are a couple of miles offshore and the lights from the mainland are guiding us.
Despite the fact that we stayed in Sicily so long due to mechanical troubles that we had, we have no regrets because everywhere we went it was beautiful and the people were warm and friendly. We are sorry to leave it but we will return to see more. It would be a great place to spend the winter.
Branko
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