These two towns are early Greek settlements. Both sit in full, spectacular view of Mt. Etna;
Giardini Naxos low along the harbor with it's amazing beaches, and
Taormina high on the adjacent hill with it's spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea, Mt. Etna and the Calabrian coast of the Italian mainland.
 |
| Taormina up in the mountains |
Both towns also include Greek ruins to explore including a theater with a beautiful view. Naxos was the first Greek settlement on Sicily's east coast in 725 BC, while Taormina is an upscale resort with high end shopping and dining and boutique hotels.
Caltagirone
Click here for more photos of Caltagirone
We discovered this gem when Diane researched where to stop to eat on our drive back home to Cassibile from Agrigento. It's a big town noted for it's very fine ceramics, especially the Moorish heads that you've probably seen. The town's name has Arabic origins meaning Castle of Jars, so the pottery work there goes back to antiquity.
When we arrived at
La Piazzetta, the restaurant in
Caltagirone, it was 30 minutes before closing between lunch and dinner. The restaurant was filled but after a brief wait we were seated. Menus were distributed and the owner came over and chatted for a few minutes. He understood what we needed so he collects the unlooked upon menus and says "I'll take care of you" (or something to that effect in heavily accented Italian). He did. The food was fantastic and we dined as well as we ever had.
 |
| Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte. Each step with a different ceramic tile |
Diane wants me to tell the story of how we got lost trying to drive out of Caltagirone. It involved driving around narrow streets in circles and meeting (and trying to pass) an ice cream truck. Twice. Ask me when we next meet...
 |
Diane at the bottom of the steps of SMdeM. I drove down that road and made that left turn down the hill.
It wasn't easy! |
No comments:
Post a Comment