Sicily

On our last day in Malta, we enjoyed the hotel’s breakfast one last time. The Courtyard Marriott was definitely nicer than expected - we didn’t take advantage of the multiple pools or spa, as many seemed to walk around in their spa robes. But it was a pleasant stay and if I ever come back to Malta, I would maybe explore another part of the island but not because I didn’t enjoy the Sliema hotel.

The island had such an interesting and varying landscape and history. I learned as I was leaving there’s even a Popeye’s Village where the real movie set with Robin Williams was turned into a tourist attraction. I found it funny since my company owns the rights to Popeye.

As we headed to the airport, we passed and saw more churches - the country is 98% Catholic and it was nice to experience the history with my mom. At the airport, I tracked Justin’s flight to Rome and as we waited for our flight to Catania which is on the eastern coast of Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island. Our flight from Malta to Sicily was completed within Justin’s 1.5 hour layover! 

We were able to successfully rendezvous in Catania despite a slight difficulty in finding the Avis rental car office. My mom and I were able to find it and sent Justin photos, so he could meet us there quickly. We had a really nice attendant and we were assigned a Ford Kluga crossover SUV hybrid. I drove initially as Justin was beat from his two flights. Driving generally was okay, but there were definitely some speeders who felt very comfortable tailgating me. On our drive, we passed by Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe (it’s 2.5 times bigger than Mount Vesuvius), but it was pretty cloudy:



The drive to Taormina was about an hour and at one point, there were hairpin turns and very narrow streets. My mom doesn’t love this and it reminded her of when we were in the Pyrenees but she said, “it was empty on those roads and with no Italian drivers and motorbikes!” Justin was helpful in looking out, but sometimes he would get distracted as we were catching up and his response to me was, “just keep going, there’s nowhere else to go!” Oh brothers….A map of part of the route:



We arrived safely at Hotel Metropole Taormina. Taormina is perched on a cliff and accessible via roads or aerial trams and has been a popular vacation destination for decades. It has gotten more popular with cruises and the second season of the White Lotus. Our hotel room is two stories and has a king on the first floor and twin on the second with balcony views of the Ionian Sea:

Justin wanted to nap, but after settling in, my mom and I headed out. The weather tomorrow is all day rain, so we wanted to see what we can. We stopped in Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina's main square:



I had my mom point out our hotel:



And to the left is the Four Seasons, known for White Lotus:



As we walked down the main street, there was plenty of luxury shopping, but you could also admire the cute steps and alleys:







We walked about 10 minutes to the Greek Theater which is the second largest of its kind and notable, because its walls are very well preserved especially behind the seats. They hold concerts there still and was in the White Lotus. When we visited, they were apparently setting up for a private event, so there were lots of Italian construction workers:













There were also awesome views:









After the theater, I treated us to a granita or Italian slushy mixed with orange, lemon, and tangerine:



Then walked to one end of the old town signified by the arch:



We returned to the hotel and before heading out to dinner and while Justin got ready, my mom and I went down to the terrace for drinks which included snacks - we ordered a Bellini and Taormina Mule. You could also see the road below us where we drove in and left our car for the valet and the Ionian sea:







Justin finally joined us and if we had known he was coming down this quickly, we would have saved him some snacks!







For dinner, our hotel made reservations for us at Raya which we’re pretty sure is under the same ownership - but it was delicious and only 200 meters away. We had pasta alla Norma (which reminds us of our favorite Sicilian restaurant in NY called Norma’s), risotto with oysters and citrus, linguini with octopus, and cannolis:



To walk off dinner, we headed to the opposite arch that marks the beginning of old town…





Walked by the cathedral and square:





And took in more cute alleys and steps:





I declared it a successful Sicilian day as we had accomplished our rendezvous and in preparation for the rainy day tomorrow, tried to enjoy what we could of Taormina!