Moving on from Matera
As hard as it was to leave Matera, we had places to be. We would be staying in Italy for a while yet, and it would entail catching a plane across the water. The last week or so has seen us exploring Puglia and, with Matera, scratching the surface in Basilicata. Both these regions have exceeded expectations. And we hope to revisit both, at some time in the future.
If you are thinking of exploring Southern Italy, I would suggest you move it up the travel backlog. Right now, Puglia remains free of the hordes of tourists you see in other places around the world. It won’t stay that way for long. The place is too beautiful, and the food too good.
Arriving in Sicily
Knowing how much we enjoy the food of Italy, it is great to know that for the second leg of this trip we will be exploring Sicily, a short flight from Bari airport on the mainland. If thinking of Sicily has you immediately thinking of The Godfather movies, I am here to tell you that it offers so much more.
Sicily has a very storied history, and this explains why it can often feel very un-Italian. It was merged with the Kingdom of Italy as recently as 1861, and whilst it is the largest region within Italy, you can taste, smell, and feel the very distinctive culture of this Mediterranean island. The largest in fact.
La Cosa Nostra
Many peoples have passed through Sicily over the years, making various claims. In the 8th century BC it was colonised by the Greeks. And at various times the Romans, the Muslims, the Vikings, the Normans, the Spanish and the British have populated the island of Sicily. Reunification with the Italian mainland brought its own problems, with the Sicilian locals protesting against the attempts of the “North” to industrialise the island.
It is partly as a result of this unrest that gave the world the Mafia. Local networks, going by the name Cosa Nostra, became a part of the Sicilian social structure. Using violence to impose their “law”, the mafia had created a foothold that would last up to the present day. Emigration saw local mafia bosses move to the United States of America, and ever since, the “mob” has been glorified on TV. This came full circle when Francis Ford Coppolla shot scenes from his Godfather franchise here on the island. There is even a small town called Corleone, perhaps the inspiration for one of the most iconic movie characters we have seen.
In the shadow of Mt Etna
Whilst the mafia still exist today, you wouldn’t see any obvious signs of this, especially as a tourist. Sicily remains a very popular place for people to visit, and our visit was to start in Catania, on the east coast. Catania lives permanently in the shadow of Mt Etna, a very active volcano. In the days before our arrival it had erupted, with lava seen exploding out of the top. By the time we arrived, this had calmed down, and all we saw were plumes of smoke and lots of volcanic ash in the street.
I suspect Catania is not top of most tourists’ “must visit” list whilst in Sicily. We only spent one night in the city and managed to see a lot, including the famed fish market, views of Mt Etna, and much of the famed Baroque architecture Sicily is famous for.
Taormina
Our second stop in Sicily couldn’t have been more different. We took the bus along the coast to the beautiful town of Taormina. Perhaps a little too beautiful, judging by the vast increase in tourist numbers. Having spent time in Puglia, then Catania, this was the first time the vast hordes of tourists felt a little overwhelming. The narrow main street in Taormina was packed with tours from the visiting cruise ships. Little flag waving tour guides traipsing tourists up and down the main strip.
The location of Taormina is stunning. Perched high up on a hill, overlooking the Ionian Sea, with vistas stretching as far as the eye can see. One day we foolishly took it upon ourselves to walk down to the beach. It took 30 minutes downhill. And a little longer coming in the other direction. With a stop half way for a cold beer to ensure that I didn’t die on the way back.
Meeting a real life Nonna
Our bed and breakfast felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle, yet, we found out that we could walk there in a matter of minutes. The host, a quintessential Italian nonna, had lived and raised her children in the same house, so knew all the shortcuts. We could go from our silent balcony with views across to Mt Etna, to greedily eating cannoli in the main street in Taormina in under 15 minutes. Bellissimo.
Taormina is unlike many small Italian towns. The number of high end luxury shops immediately tell you that this town is targeting a certain demographic. Those with fat wallets. This takes a little of the shine away, in my opinion. You don’t need to come all the way to Taormina to go shopping for a watch that will set you back as much as a small car.
We did a lot of exploring of the side streets and found a little Italian grocery selling cold beer at a price I am very comfortable with. Perched on the supplied stools outside the store, using a handily placed bottle opener, we were far away from the madding crowd. The simple life that I so adore Italy for.
Passeggiata time
The evenings quietened down a little, as people headed back to their cruise ships and coaches. We had two very enjoyable evenings taking our evening passeggiata and pre dinner Aperol Spritz. It was in Taormina that we had our fastest ever pizza served. We ordered from the staff, who entered it into a handheld device. We also ordered an entree to nibble whilst our pizzas were being cooked.
No sooner had the waitress walked away than two pizzas arrived.
“No, no”, I said,” these can’t be ours. We have just ordered.”
Quick check, and yes, these were indeed ours. I was told that they only take a few seconds in the very hot wood fired pizza oven. That said, the pizza chef must have been adding toppings even as the order was coming through. We had almost finished our pizza by the time the entree turned up.
The Greek Theatre
One of the highlights of any trip to Taormina, perhaps even the whole of Sicily, is a visit to the Greek Theatre. Dating back to the 3rd century BC, the theatre remains stunning. What a backdrop. Sat in the seats, looking out to the ocean, it is hard not to imagine the people that have passed through this most impressive of sights.
Our thoughts turn to Cefalu
Strolling back to the bed and breakfast, we were still a little incredulous as to quite how fast the pizza arrived. Unfortunately, the days seemed to be going just as quick. Already this was night three in Sicily, and tomorrow was time to move on again.
We had a train booked to Cefalu. A place we were very excited about visiting.
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