Sicily by Cruise

Taormina in a day

Sicily is an autonomous region with special status in Italy, with an area of 25710 km² and a population of 5.1 million.

The cruise stopped at the port of Messina, where the main point of interest is the famous Taormina, a charming village perched on a cliff in front of a crystal clear sea!

There are three ways to get to Taormina, the fastest and most expensive and the cheapest. I chose the cheapest way to get from Messina to Taormina. I walked from the port to the train station, which is very close, but I was told that the next train would only leave in an hour, so I went for a taxi to speed up the process, but as soon as I spoke to the taxi driver I was startled by the price of 100 euros and ran back to the train, which cost just 12 euros! Much cheaper.

I was happy and content, it's a very comfortable trip with wonderful scenery, since almost every moment the journey is along the coast overlooking the crystal-clear sea. In 45 minutes I arrived in Taormina and the first doubt came! Should I cross the train tracks and throw myself into the sea or take advantage of what was left of the morning and get to know the town?

Of course, like any traveler, my curiosity got the better of me and I went to the village. It's very high up, far from the train station and to save time, this time I took a taxi which cost 10 euros to go up and drop me off at the village gate, as traffic in the village is very restricted.

Basically a single street, with lots of little shops, beautiful houses, a square and lots of restaurants/lounges. As usual, I went looking for typical things and found something unusual! Ice cream on brioche, or granita with brioche, you can try this delicacy in any Sicilian gelateria, where you have the option of gelato in a cone, cup or BRIOCHE! But what is really typical is granita, which is like a gelato, but is more like a frozen fruit and had its origins before the Romans. In history, there are reports of it during the period of Arab rule in Sicily, suggesting that it was created around this time. It's well worth a taste of Sicily! Hummm, not to mention the wonderful sweets there.

Taormina is also home to an incredible culture and history, such as the Ruins of the Greek Theater, a great place to visit and be enchanted by. If you have an adventurous spirit, you can go on an expedition to the crater of Mount Etna. Did you know that it is still an active volcano? Well, I was lucky enough to see it showing signs of life with its semi-explosions, spewing smoke! Pretty cool, right? Fortunately, I was a long way away and seeing it from a safe distance, the closest I want to get to the magma is the miniature I bought of Etna carved out of volcanic stone.

Like almost everywhere in Europe, Taormina also has public drinking fountains, one of which is in the little square near the entrance to the city. Remember to always carry a small bottle to fill up and stay hydrated, it's also the best place to see Mount Etna or the crystal-clear sea, with colors that blend together and show what Sicily has to offer!

I stayed there for a while and soon the itch to go down and see that sea up close took hold of me! This time I made the journey on foot and in 20/30 minutes I was crossing the tunnel under the train tracks and arriving at the sea, what happiness!

But don't go thinking that the beach is like most, because it's not! The ground is all pebbles, which makes it almost impossible to spread out a yoke and lie down.

Luckily there are chairs provided by the beach clubs, restaurants/bars that are right on the seafront, making life easier for us.

The water on the beach is warm and a delight to spend hours relaxing and enjoying, there are practically no waves and it's completely crystal clear, a dream! It's a mistake not to enjoy the beach at least a little, so make sure you take your bikinis.

Oops, the time flew by and it was time to leave, I still had a train ride to Messina and I didn't want to miss the cruise, did I?

Did you like this place? Let's travel!