Taormina gets all the press for its beautiful hillside village, the public gardens (outstanding), Teatro Antico, Isola Bella and the list goes on. Unfortunately, it is long past discovered and the main pedestrian Via Umberto felt more like a subway platform at rush hour than a street turned sidewalk. As someone who likes to walk fast even if I have no idea where I’m going, this was the first place I found myself mumbling under my breath at tourists standing in the middle of the street, looking at their phones, eating ice cream, and generally looking confused. It is also the first place in Sicily that I’ve seen anyone carve out the inside of their pizza to discard the crust. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I stayed three nights at Hotel Casa Adele, which was a perfect location, reasonably priced, clean and new with good service.
Taormina served its purpose for me as a base to explore Mt. Etna Nord. Would I stay here again? Maybe in the off season. I just can’t handle the Disneyland type crowds and tour buses.
The 69th Annual Taormina Film Festival happened to be happening during my stay. Since Teatro Antico was one of their venues, it was going to be impossible to see it without buying a ticket to one of the shows. Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny happened to be playing on the night that made the most sense for me, my last night in Taormina. The show was supposed to start at 9 and I figured I’d be back at the hotel in bed by midnight so I could get up early and drive to the Port of Milazzo to catch the Ferry to the Aeolian Islands. By 10:15 the show had not yet started, and with no explanation or acknowledgment from the venue, the crowd started to boo and yell “andiamo!” and “respetto!” It was music to my ears. Harrisson Ford was finally introduced and the first thing he did was apologize, and say he was embarrassed. He cut his talking short so we could get on with the film. Seemed like a genuine, humble person. As for the movie- I left about an hour into it because it was getting late and I didn’t want to deal with the exiting mob at 1 AM.
In a few days I will be posting more about the food I encountered, and the restaurants I visited. One of the things I have been on the lookout for during my trip was Scacciata. I have found it in Melilli at L’Antico Fornaio di Biagio & Figli and in Taormina at L’Arco. I’ve included some photos of L’Arco’s below. It was a bit heavier than the one found in Melilli, but was my go to place for afternoon and evening snacks. Other photos include Bella Isola and the public gardens.
