Sicily, Italy 3 - Taormina
Day 3 was another day for an excursion. We took a train north. Our destination was Taormina, a hilltop resort town on Sicily's east coast, famous for its dramatic views of Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. The Taormina station (Taormina-Giardini) was located at sea level. A public bus service conveniently took us from the station to the town center. The uphill road was very steep, so we definitely didn't want to hike up. While we were on the bus, I was so excited when I briefly saw majestic snow-capped Mount Etna. Once we arrived in the town center, we looked for a place to have a breakfast - first things first. Caffè Forastiero was a brunch restaurant serving sweet and savory options. It was a perfect opportunity for me to try granita with brioche, a traditional Sicilian breakfast, especially in eastern Sicily.
Granita is semi-frozen dessert, similar to a creamy slushy or sorbet, often topped with whipped cream. Popular traditional flavors include lemon, pistachio, almond, strawberry, mulberry, and coffee. I ordered almond-flavored granita with whipped cream, of course. A Sicilian brioche, or brioche col tuppo is a soft, sweet, and buttery egg-based bread bun, traditionally topped with a small dough ball (tuppo). The brioche that I got tasted similar to a table roll, lighter than butter-rich French brioche. Pairing cool and sweet granita with warm and fluffy brioche together was more than ideal! By the way, what did J have? I think egg and bacon with toasts. I am sure that he had coffee and fresh blood orange juice as seen in the photo.
After the lovely breakfast, we strolled from one end to the other on Corso Umberto, the main pedestrian-friendly shopping street, stopping by some shops, churches and squares on the way.
Piazza IX Aprile was the main square located right in the center of Corso Umberto, featuring the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), originally built in the 12th century, the 17th-century Church of San Giuseppe, the 15th century church of St. Augustine that is now used as a library, and the checkerboard terrace with the stunning view of the azure Ionian Sea and of Mount Etna... well, clouds covered Mount Etna up, so we couldn't see any part of the volcano.
The Fontana di Piazza Duomo is a 17th century baroque marble fountain decorated with mythic creatures and the town's coat of arms.
Across the fountain was the Duomo di Taormina, or the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. The 15th-century medieval cathedral is often described as a "cathedral-fortress" because of its fortified structure. It stands on on the ruins of a 13th-century church, which was itself built over a Greek temple.
The interior features three naves, three apses, and six columns made from local pink Taormina marble. The ceiling is characterized by large, exposed wooden beams that reflect in an Arab-Norman style common in Sicily.
We reached the west end of Corso Umberto. We saw Castello di Taormina, a historic 11th-century fortress, perched atop on a mountain. I didn't find it much interesting, so we skipped it this time.
Instead, we walked up to a view point outside of the town center that I found on Google map.
I hoped we could see Mount Etna from there but it didn't work... It must have been a miracle to see Europe's most active volcano so clearly from the bus in the morning. Or, was I dreaming?
Anyway, it was getting hot and we decided to go back to the town center and visit the Teatro Antico di Taormina, or the Greek Theatre of Taormina. We accidentally took a different path and it took longer to get to the town center, but we were able to see new streets and new views.
The Teatro Antico di Taormina was seen far away...
Eventually, we arrived at the Teatro Antico di Taormina. Built in the 3rd century BC, the ancient Greek theater was originally to accommodate dramatic performances or musical. The Romans expanded the structure and modified the stage to host spectacles, including gladiator battles, particularly during the 2nd century AD. By carving into the rock of Mount Tauro, the theater features a scenic backdrop with columns that provide panoramic views of Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea, which we expected...
Most part of the sky was clear except where Mount Etna was supposed to be seen...
We sat on the stone tiers and waited to see if the clouds would move away. They didn't; actually, more clouds hung around. Mount Etna was hidden, but we still enjoyed the dramatic view of the theater and the sea breeze.
We walked around the rest of the theatre.
The upper-left side of the theatre offered a wonderful scenic view of Taormina. Mount Etna was still behind the clouds, though...
It was time for snacks. We searched the best Arancini in Taormina. stritFUD was one of them.
Actually, we were standing right in front of stritFUD. We both ordered a classic Sicilian Arancino al Ragu, an deep-fried saffron-infused risotto ball, stuffed with bolognese sauce, peas, and cheese (mozzarella, I guess). We were told there would be a wait, but we don't mind waiting for freshly fried food.
Ta-da! They were crispy and steamy hot from the crust to the center! The filling was very tasty and satisfying. By the way, the conical shape is typical of the eastern Sicilian style, whereas the round shape is more typical of Palermo in western Sicily. Some say that the pointy design resembles Mount Etna. While Mount Etna was hidden in the clouds, we found a mini version - actually two!
After fueling ourselves, we visited the Villa Comunale di Taormina, a public garden famous for breathtaking views of the coast and Mt Etna...
Yes, there was the coast, but not the mountain.
We happened to find a sign of the Naumachia di Taormina, the remains of a 1st-century-BC Roman wall that surrounded the Gymnasium. We walked along the wall to see where it would take us...
The exit of the ruins connected with a street with a quirky house.
The town center was small. Before leaving Taormina, we walked through the main shopping street one more time. It was the last chance to see Mt Etna, but clouds still covered the volcano, even though the rest of the sky was clear. I wondered if what I saw from the bus that morning was my imagination because J didn't see it.
We came back to Catania and had a late lunch at Spaghetti & Co., a local restaurant offering Italian grandma style pasta dishes. They make fresh homemade pasta daily with water and ancient Sicilian grain flour, bronze-drawn the traditional way, and prepare classic Italian sauces, including freshly made tomato sauce, slow-simmering ragù, and just-picked basil pesto. When we passed by the restaurant a day before, it looked very popular and their customer reviews have been very good, so we checked it out. I was ordering Spaghetti alla Catanese, a traditional Sicilian pasta dish from Catania. The ingredients of their version include pasta (spaghetti), garlic, onion, anchovies, tomato sauce, toasted breadcrumbs, anchovies from the Gulf, wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins, salt, garlic, parsley, pepper, oil. However, I was told it was already sold out for the day. I had to go with my Plan B - Maccheroni alla Norma, another classic Sicilian pasta dish from Catania. The ingredients were relatively simple - Pasta (Maccheroni), Sicilian tomato sauce, fried eggplant, salted ricotta, basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt. I knew the dish, so I could pretty much guess the result. I also expected the dish could be salty because of salted ricotta. I was right, well, partially. Other parts of the dish - sauce, pasta, and eggplant - were very salty, too. I wished I could have adjusted the salt level by myself because the dish had so much potential. By the way the portion was very generous.
J ordered Tortellini in Brodo - Durum wheat semolina flour, type 00 flour, egg, water, filling (pork loin, Parma ham, Mortadella from Bologna, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, egg, nutmeg, butter, salt); Meat broth (beef, carrot, celery, onion). It looked simple but hearty. J let me taste some. It tasted as it looked but too salty. J agreed with it. Although we had only two dishes, it seems that Spaghetti & Co. uses more salt than our tastebuds are used to.
We walked around the city center as it was our last chance.
We took a brief rest at the Piazza Federico di Svevia, a public square, where some young and old men, who looked like locals, were relaxing or socializing. The Castello Ursino, a 13th century castle was right next to the square, which was temporarily closed for renovation.
We strolled along Via Etnea while we headed to our Airbnb. As its name suggests, the city's main street runs directly from Piazza del Duomo toward the base of Mount Etna. I still had hope to spot the volcano down the street. The sky was hazy and cloudy, but I thought I could faintly see the silhouette of a mountain in the distance. I think the photo proves it.
To be continued...
