Friday
16th October
Taormina
It
was a wet and wild night. The storm front hit early this morning and
as our hotel is on the edge of the cliff, it felt like we were hit
with the full force of the storm. Hail, local flooding – it was all
happening.
Nic
decided that he didn't need to traipse over another Greek/ Roman
theatre so Jim headed off to view this one by himself. (Nic stayed
in bed, finished a book.)
The
theatre was built in the 3rd century and is the second
largest in Sicily. On a clear day you can see through the arches all
the way to Mt Etna. Unfortunately today was not a clear day and the
rain put paid to any fabulous views. But it was an interesting
wander through an impressively well kept ruin. It's still used for
performances in Summer.
This
afternoon we both headed off to visit the 'town park'... another
example of the European Understatement. The town park turned
out to be the private garden Miss Florence T. Trevelyan, created at
the end of the 19th century and gifted to the town. Nic
thinks it's now his favourite garden of the trip. Perched on the
edge of the cliff, it is based on an English garden and filled with
the most intriguing follies. Again, we love a nutter who has money
and leaves such joyousness for the generations that follow.
After
the garden we continued to wander the alleys and streets of this
beautiful town. Suddenly in the distance we caught a glimpse of Mt
Etna's snow capped rim shining though the clouds in a blaze of
sunlight. It was short lived, difficult to photograph, but an
awesome sight. Finally, the rain seems to have begun to recede and
we hope that tomorrow it will be fine for a flight to Rome. Taromina,
despite the weather, is truly a beautiful town, perched high on a
magnificent part of the Sicilian coast and is a must see for anyone
wanting the quintessential Italian experience. If it had been fine
and sunny, we just might not have left!
