We supposed to join Linda for the Sicily Tour to visit Mt Etna and Taormina provided by Italy Tours (through coordination via Chicco). Not sure what happened, Chicco did not put our names on the reservation list, therefore we didn’t have any seat on the tour van. We had to find other local tour near the cruise port. We were sold to a tour to cover Mount Etna and Taormina, and it turned out the driver had a different itinerary than the sales person. We did not find out that he was not planning to go to Mount Etna after the visit of Taormina. We could not identify the driver for a bad review on the travel sites, we only captured his license plate number as “DN 869HC”. In general, we found the Sicily people are the least honest and hard to deal with in comparing with all other 16 ports of this trip.
The first stop was the Isola Bella which is a small island near Taormina. Also known as the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it is located within a small bay on the Ionian Sea; it is administrated by the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. There is a narrow path that often connects the island to the mainland beach. The island is surrounded by sea grottos and has a small and rather rocky beach which is a popular destination for sunbathers.
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| Isola Bella |
Then, we drove up to the mountain to visit Taormina which is a picturesque small town perched on a slope high above the Ionian Sea on the eastern coast of Sicily. A popular and fashionable destination for well over a century. The charming Main Street, Corso Umberto, is mostly pedestrianized and ideal for strolling and window-shopping. It runs through the historic centre between the two historic town gateways, Porta Catania to the south-west and Porta Messina to the north-east. Halfway along the Corso Umberto is the panoramic Piazza IX Aprile, a focal point for visitors, where you can sit on benches and admire the town's wonderful views over the sea and towards Etna. There is Taormina's picturesque cathedral (Cattedrale/Duomo) on the Piazza IX Aprile, dedicated to St Nicholas.
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| Corso Umberto |
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| Piazza IX Aprile and Church of St. Joseph (San Giuseppe) |
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| Church of Saint Augustine |
Picturesque alleys and staircases above and below the Corso Umberto are interesting to explore with a lot of unique shops and displays.
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| Picturesque alleys and staircases along Corso Umberto |
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| Picturesque alleys and staircases along Corso Umberto |
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| Picturesque alleys and staircases along Corso Umberto |
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| Picturesque alleys and staircases along Corso Umberto |
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| Picturesque alleys and staircases along Corso Umberto |
After we were dropped off nearby the Basilica Cattedrale Sant’Agata in Catania, we had our own walking tour of Catania. The cathedral sits overlooking the Piazza del Duomo. It dominates the Piazza with its impressive frontage, elaborately decorated doors, statues and a nice side garden.
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| Basilica Cattedrale Sant’Agata |
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| Basilica Cattedrale Sant’Agata |
We also visited the nearby Bell Tower to have the panoramic view of the whole Catania. At there we also ran into a nice lady Queen Huang who traveled from Taiwan by herself to visit Sicily for a week. It was nice to meet someone from home town while traveling around the world.
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| View from the top of the Bell Tower |
Then, we walked along the main shopping street in Catania, however, we did not find any store worthwhile to shop by. Then, we walked back to the cruise port to call off the day.
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| Main shopping street in Catania |
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