Travels in Italy--Taormina (Part 4 of 4)

Our tour of Taormina terminates with a blog post about hotels. 

Normally, hotels are not blog-worthy.  If you have seen one hotel, you seen them all. 

In the case, two hotels in Taormina were especially interesting. 

The first is the cliff side hotel where we stayed, the aptly named Hotel Monte Tauro.  Because Taormina sits atop a steep hill, some of the hotels there are constructed on the side of the hill.  They are engineering marvels.     

Below is a view of the top of our hotel, with the lobby on the top floor and the rooms on the floors below. 

The all-glass elevator provided a view of the hotel's many balconies and the pool.

The hallways in the hotel offered a view of the cliff side, showing how the hotel hugs the hill. 

The other hotel that is blog-worthy is a luxury hotel in the center of Taormina, the Grand Hotel Timeo.  Below is a photo is the hotel's entrance.  The hotel is noteworthy for its luxury rates, starting around $1,000 per night for a room, and for its famous guests, including King Edward VII of England, D.H. Lawrence, Truman Capote and U.S. President Donald Trump.  If the walls could only talk.  Oh my.

Thanks for touring Taormina with us. 

Travels in Italy--Taormina (Part 3 of 4)

Our tramp around Taormina continues.     

Taormina is home to an amazing Greek theater.  Perched atop one of the town's highest hills, the theater is well preserved and provides amazing views of the surrounding area.  After Syracuse, Taormina's Greek theater is considered the largest in Italy and North Africa.  Today, it can hold about 4,500 people. 

The theater was initially built probably in the 3rd century B.C.  Like most ancient Greek theaters, the theater in Taormina was carved into a rocky hillside.  During the Greek era, Greek tragedies were likely performed there. 

Over the centuries, the theater was adapted by the Romans and most of what is visible today is from the Roman era.  The main clue is the Romans used bricks extensively, while the Greeks didn't.  During the Roman era, gladiator contests were likely performed there.   

A panoramic view of the theater from the stage

A view of the stage from an upper row of the theater.  The G7 leaders attended a musical performance in the theater. 

The theater's modern stage.  The stage was set for a sold out performance of Il Volo, three young Italian tenors who some believe are the next Three Tenors.  (As if!)

Because of its location, the views from the theater are incredible. 

In the photo below, the view from the Greek theater includes the helicopter landing pads built for the G7 leaders (indicated by the red arrow).  Our guide explained that decoy helicopters and smoke were used to protect the leaders. 

Next Up: Hotels in Taormina

Travels in Italy--Taormina (Part 2 of 4)

The Taormina tour continues. 
  

Taormina, with its beautiful scenery and ancient cultural sites, has been part of the Grand Tour since the 1800's. 

One of the ancient sites is the Roman theater, the Odeon, in the center of the town.  The theater was built in the 1st century B.C.

Another ancient site is the Palazzo Corvaja, first built by the ruling Arabs in the 10th century.  The building was both a palace with typical Moorish, Norman and Gothic architectural features and also a watch tower for defense. 

Façade of the Palazzo Corvaja

Inner courtyard of the Palazzo Corvaja

Another beautiful sight in Taormina is the public garden.  The garden was established in the 1880's by Lady Florence Trevelyan, who left Britain following an affair with the future Edward VII.  Today, the garden is a peaceful oasis with all sorts of flowers, trees, and other plants, plus other sights. 

One of the best features of the garden is the view.  Below is a view of the very large volcano Mount Etna. 

Next Up: Another ancient cultural site. 

Travels in Italy--Taormina (Part 1 of 4)

The sojourn in Sicily continues. 

Along the eastern shore of Sicily is the hilltop town Taormina.  The town sits on a steep, high hill known in English as Mount Tauro.  The names Taormina and Mount Tauro derive from the ancient location name--the dwelling place of the bull. 

The road up to the town is winding and steep.  In fact, we had to switch from a bus to a small van for the last part of the trip.  The views from Taormina are amazing and the town itself is beautiful and charming.  It is a vacation destination for Italians and foreign visitors today and for the past 200 years (.  As you might recall, Taormina hosted the latest G7 meeting in mid-May.  The town was immaculate with clean streets, flowers everywhere and no graffiti.

Like many other towns in Sicily, Taormina is very old   It already existed when Greeks established the first Greek colony on Sicily in nearby Naxos in the 8th century B.C.  The town of Taormina was then inhabited by indigenous people of Sicily (the Siculi) until the Greeks moved in and expanded the town.  Some of its ancient buildings survive, including a Greek theater and a Roman theater.   

After our thrilling drive up to Taormina, we took a walking tour of the town.  

One of the two large squares in Taormina, the Piazza IX Aprile.  The square was named for the date April 9, 1860, when Garibaldi landed in Sicily as part of the campaign to unify Italy.  In fact, the news of the landing was a false rumor.  Garibaldi did not actually land until one month later on May 9.  (In the photo are the clock tower, the Torre dell'Orolorgiio, and the Church of St. Giuseppe.)

Another view of Piazza IX Aprile, with the bell tower of St. Giuseppe in the foreground and the hilltop church of the Madonna della Rocca in the background.

A quiet street in Taormina

One of the many stairs in hilly Taormina.  Walking around the town is a good workout. 

Taormina's main street, Corso Umberto, filled with tourists during early evening

From Taormina, a view of the hillside, the Ionian Sea below and Mount Etna in the distance

A view of the Ionian Sea from Taormina, with modern cruise ships in the bay and the ancient town of Naxos on the point. 

Isola Bella on the shore below Taormina.  The island today is a nature preserve closed to the public. 

Pop Quiz:  Scenes for what academy-award winning movies were filmed near Taormina?

Next Up:  The tour of Taormina continues.

Travels in Italy--Anicent Myths

Wherever we travel in Italy, we usually discover some link to ancient Greek civilization.  Sometimes, the link is direct--a Greek temple, for example.  Sometimes, the link is indirect, such as a Renaissance painting or sculpture depicting a Greek myth.

During our travels in Sicily, we saw many reminders that Greek civilization once flourished there.  The many Greek temples in Sicily are evidence that ancient Greeks living in Sicily had a rich culture and mythology.   

While visiting Sicily, one Greek myth especially captured our imagination--the myth of the cyclops.  According to legend, a cyclops is a giant with a single eye in the forehead, like the cyclops depicted below.  The name cyclops means circle-eyed. 

The cyclops Polyphemus by Johann Tischbein (1802)

Over time, the legend of the cyclops became attached to Sicily, specifically, a cave near Mt. Etna.

The origin of the cyclops legend is subject to debate.  One interesting origin story is based on a prehistoric animal that once roamed Sicily, the dwarf elephant.  Although long extinct by the time the Greeks arrived in Sicily, some archaeologists speculate that the skulls of dwarf elephants might have been the source of the cyclops legend in Sicily.  During recent centuries, archaeologists have excavated skulls of dwarf elephants in caves and elsewhere in Sicily.  The archaeologists surmise that ancient people likewise found skulls of dwarf elephants and possibly mistook the hole in the forehead for an eye socket instead of a hole for the elephant's trunk.  Since there were no elephants still roaming Sicily during the Greek age, the inhabitants could not compare the skulls they found to a living animal.  So, perhaps they concluded each skull was the skull of a deceased cyclops. 

You can decide for yourself whether the explanation has merit.  Below is a photo of two well preserved examples of Sicilian dwarf elephants in the archaeology museum in Siracusa.

Skeletons of two dwarf elephants in the Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi of Syracuse

Could skulls like these explain the myth of the cyclops?

P.S. Have you ever wondered what a cyclops sounds like?  You can listen to one here. 

Travels in Italy--Noto (Part 3 of 3)

Our visit to Noto ends. 
   
While touring Noto's cathedral, we spotted an out of the ordinary work of art.  It is pictured below.

Perhaps you can guess what the artwork represents. 

If not, here is a clue.  Every day, 1,000 refugees arrive in Italy from Africa.  Most arrive in Sicily because of its proximity to northern Africa.  The refugees who arrive travel in large wooden boats.  Many refugees never arrive, perishing during the voyage. 

The artwork is obviously a cross and it is made from pieces of boats used by migrants crossing from Africa to Sicily.  The remnants were recovered from beaches along Sicily's southern coast, nearest Africa. 

As explained below, the artwork tells the story of the voyage, the pain (dolore) and the hope (la esperanza). 

After arriving in Sicily, the migrants are relocated throughout Italy so they are not concentrated in one location.  While living in Florence and traveling elsewhere in Italy, we have seen many African refugees.  In Florence, through our church and volunteer activities, we have met and gotten to know several recent arrivals--from Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and other countries. 

Some Italians complain that Italy should not accept migrants and they also complain that other EU countries are not doing their fair share to address the crisis. 

One Italian friend had a different view.  While working with other volunteers alongside several recent arrivals from Africa, she said matter-of-factly, "We are a Catholic country.  Of course, we are going to accept and care for them."   

The President of the European Commission recently lauded Italy's extraordinary response to the migrant crisis and saving living at sea.  He said, "Italy has saved the honor of Europe."

For all of these reasons, we found the artwork in the Noto cathedral especially moving. 

Travels in Italy--Noto (Part 2 of 3)

Our visit to the Capitol of Baroque, Noto, continues. 

One of the most beautiful Baroque-style buildings is Noto's theater, the Teatro Comunale Vittorio Emanuele.  The façade is especially striking.     

The Teatro Comunale Vittorio Emanuele

In the lobby of Noto's theater.  Random hottie twins?

Another beautiful Baroque building is the Church of St. Dominic, or Chiesa di San Domenico

Chiesa di San Domenico

Many buildings in Noto are constructed with stone from local quarries.  The stone is tufa, a type of limestone that is softer and easier to carve than marble.  The stone's color is especially beautiful--a soft orange in bright sunlight, as seen in the picture below.

Chiesa di San Domenico:  close up of the main door showing the many Baroque architectural details

Chiesa di San Domenico:  a side altar

Chiesa di San Domenico:  the main altar

San Domenico, with Susan emulating the saint's pose.  Since Susan taught at a Dominican institution and visited Dominican convents in France (Fanjeaux and Paris), we especially enjoy seeing artwork related to St. Dominic.

Since we visited during Spring, the flowering trees were especially beautiful. 

Each Spring, Noto hosts a flower festival and one of Noto's streets is converted into a work of art.  Below is photo showing the street after the festival.  Another photo shows the street decorated in flowers. 

Via Nicolaci in Noto after the flower festival

While touring Noto, we enjoyed everyday street scenes, like the ones pictured below.

Pop Quiz:  In the photo below, what are the tin contraptions that resemble bull horns?