Day 1: This was a beautiful day. Perfect weather, no clouds. First, breakfast overlooking the view.
Then a walk up to the ruins of the Greek theater. Taormina seems to have been very successful in the 3rd century BC when this year was built. There was seating for hundreds, and it was all very big and fancy.
Greek theater
Then, a walk to the public gardens. Which were beautiful, lots of trees and flowers all overlooking the water. Also, cages with parrots for some reason. There were several large elaborate fake wooden buildings that looked like they had been designed by a eccentric and/or crazy person. Then a walk through the main tourist street, which was very pretty, but also very touristy. Mostly Germans and Brits. Then lunch at a pizza restaurant of course overlooking the water. The town is so steep that everything overlooks the water. Then a ride in a cable car down to the beach/the Isola Bella.
This beach is entirely made of baseball sized rocks, so not too comfortable to walk on. The island (isola bella) was unfortunately closed on Mondays. It’s connected to land by a tiny 3 foot wide sand walk. I saw people swiming around the rocks so I swam out too. Turns out, the only people swimming were Germans, their like the Canadians of Europe. Then took a boat ride with a local man and spoke only Italian! I saw a blue grotto, and swam a bit. Very very cold in the water. Then a dinner of pastries from “the wizard of pastries” Roberto. His specialty is the “mafioso”, which I think is flavored almond paste rolled in almonds, then powered sugar. Also, cannolis. Then, since my stomach was uneasy from the sugar, stopped at a bar for an espresso and a panini. It’s amazing how cheap little sandwiches are here. Then bed.
Day 2: Today was a bus tour of Agrigento and the Villa Armerino. Agrigento is all the way on the south coast of Sicily, and is a large complex of Greek Temples. One was almost complete, one was semi complete, one was totally ruined, and one was totally ruined, but extremely large. They were all Doric, which is the earliest and simplest temple style. Very successful civilization, until they got conquered (by the Capodocians I think?). Then to the interior of Sicily to see the Villa Armerino. This is an amazingly preserved Roman villa. Enormous. The reason to see it is the mosaics. Almost perfectly preserved. I couldn’t take pictures, but the most amazing are the “bikini girls”, and a very long hallway showing a hunt in Africa, and return to Rome. These mosaics had action scenes, and perspective drawing. It looked was more advanced than what I would have expected from 300 A.D. Then a ride back to Taormina. You could say that interior Sicily is not economically very good right now. Like 50% youth unemployment. They landscape is very mountainous and rugged, but full of wheat, grapevines, and orchards. At Taormina, more pizza, then pastries for the train. Then bed