Stone upon stone: an Italian sojourn: A touch of class

We took a bus to Taormina today for a day trip which involved an easy walk from home to the Catania Bus Terminal, albeit through Graffitiville and crumbling kerbing, where you have to watch your feet. I fell flat on my face yesterday and gave my back and knees a good jam, but gradually, exercise is reducing the swelling: I was lucky it was not a lot worse. With the black lava sameness of it all, it is hard to see the variations in height in footpaths here.

The Interbus (intercity bus) scooted along the motorway north, giving us glimpses between traffic and prickly pear hedgerows of the blue blue of the Ionian Sea to our right, as it heads down to merge with the Mediterranean.

Taormina is perched half way up a good sized mountain. About a dozen or more close shave switchbacks one after the other comprise the route folk take from sea level to the centro: where the lanes are mainly small and given over to pedestrians; or even smaller and turned into stairs, enticing you away.

From the main Corso to various attractions and venues, whimsically decorated stairs lead you up. And then down.

We walked up and down a lot of steps today: including the Greco-Roman Teatro, whose still beautiful ruins look out over the sea views that audiences would have been drawn to during intermission. In its day, the Teatro would have been one of the most beautiful in all of Sicily with its gorgeous leaf-topped polished Corinthian columns standing guard over niches bearing beautifully carved statues of deities from Greek mythology. And banners pulled overhead to flutter in the breeze, and offer partial protection from the sun. Watching a performance here would be magical. And they still have them in the summer.

Everywhere you go in Taormina you can see views of the mountains in front, or the mountain -- still rising, behind: with several castles and crucifixes at various outcroppings, then way way up, still further up, but under the clouds, yet another village, right at the top.

It was quite chilly in Taormina today as it is so high up. To go even higher you would have needed fur skin, today, I fear.

We didn't as there was a soft grey cloudy haze hanging over everything, that even completely cloaked Mt Etna today. But I think we saw it at its loveliest with white snow on black lava top against the blue sky, with tufts of soft white cloud clinging to its smokey rim on the first day we arrived. Meanwhile we have heard there is icy rain forecast for Perugia where we are next heading tomorrow night. Looks like we are in for some bad weather. I do hope it doesn't last too long.

Taormina is not very Sicilian to me. Though it pays much attention to the whole Sicilian folk culture in its decor in many of the little cafes and bars throughout the village. It could be any well kept tourist hill town in any country in Europe, in truth; but its souvenir shops, which are plentiful, do remind you that you are in Sicily.

Although it is well endowed with Euro boutiques, expensive restaurants and wallet-stinging cover charges, too: which is not at all the Sicily that we have come to know. Giant cedro is Sicilian: distorted pieces of lemon fruit are displayed everywhere. As are the whimsical pieces of pottery proudly on display here from Caltigirone, and other parts of Sicily. Reminding you that this is a part of Sicily.