Travels

Day 5 Wednesday May 27

We packed our bags & our Rome Cabs driver was waiting for us downstairs. I had checked with the concierge & taxis were 50 - 60€ & a private limo was 85€. I called Rome Cabs & they were very happy to do the transfer for 45€ again. We had a flight to Catania from FCO that departed at 12:50 pm. Well, it stretched to 2 pm but we finally did get off for this short hop. Catania has a small terminal that is under construction. Of course, what airport in the world isn’t under construction? You arrive in one section, walk out to the sidewalk & turn right to departures & there is a rental kiosk across the parking lot that is shared by a number of companies. No problems.

Speaking of driving, I might as well give you the details. We picked up our car at Catania. I rented through Auto Europe. They initially seemed high price-wise, so I looked elsewhere & got a solid quote from a competitor. Auto Europe bettered the quote by $30, so they got my business. It was rented through Avis which is in a combo office in the parking lot outside the small Catania terminal. As a general rule, you want a small car to thread through the small streets & to park in unbelievable tight spots. But . . . you also need a car with a real engine to surmount the hills & the guts to pass slow vehicles.

We got a black VW Passat 2.0 TDI 4 dr intermediate sedan. Very comfy. 6 sp manual with lots of zip. Somewhat larger than the econoboxes but worth it in my mind. Easily held our suitcases securely in the locked trunk. It cruised nicely on the autostradas at 120 km/hr & fit down some very narrow streets. I turned it in without a scrape.

Autostradas are the 4 lane toll roads. We drove the Catania to Taormina hwy. South of Catania it drops to a slow two lane road. From Siracusa to near Modica there was a four lane freeway. The only other freeway we used was from Castelvetrano to Palermo. All of these were good 4 lane fast roads.

All of the other roads that we drove were 2 lane roads that were well-surfaced but often had multiple switchbacks & blind curves with minimal shoulders. More care & attention was required on these as expected. Signage was good in general & the traffic varied from very slow trucks & farm vehicles to high speed drivers that would pass anywhere/anytime. Tailgating is common as they watch for passing opportunities.

Driving in towns was always an adventure. I will go into more detail as the trip report progresses.

We used a TomTom for navigation. It was very, very helpful. It did crash & burn several times, however. If you wade through this report, you will read more about these incidents.

As above, our steed was a Passat. Here's a picture. With the TomTom suctioned to the windshield & programmed for our hotel in Taormina we hit the road at around 3:30 pm. The traffic was pretty light & the drive was quite nice on a good 4 lane Autostrade. Etna was very visible dominating the view to the northwest, then west & finally southwest as we approached Taormina. I thought I saw a plume to the north of the main rise, but it might have been cloud. There was incoming cloud with slight spits of rain & a bolt or 2 of lightening during the drive.

To get into the town, you overshoot it by entering a long tunnel on the Autostrade & then you turn off immediately at the end – about 1 ½ hrs from the airport. Pay your minimal toll & start climbing. The road is slow & very twisty with great sea views to the east – since you are heading south by this time. All went well until we reached the main intersection of town where the traffic backed up. And we were on a serious incline. And we had a manual transmission with no handbrake – just an electronic emergency brake which I have never used before. So of course, I stalled the car. Then I rolled back a bit. Repeat 2 times. By now I was crazed & the driver behind me was getting pretty worried but at least the traffic had cleared in front. I did finally bolt forward with a nice tire squeal. At least I was good comical entertainment for the crowds milling around – and there were some crowds at that intersection. Later in the week, I learned that you simply engage the electronic brake & it will disengage as you move forward so hill stop & go's became much less stressful.

The Villa Ducale is just on the borderline between Taormina & Castelmola & very easy to find with the TomTom, although another couple told us that his GPS had miscued on a turn & he had a nice tour of Taormina . . . The road to/from Taormina central was entertaining to put it mildly. My wife was terrified by the twists & turns & blind corners but I drove it quite calmly swerving in & around parked cars & oncoming traffic. This basically describes driving in much of Sicily btw.

The Villa Ducale is beautifully located with spectacular views of the Ionian Sea & Etna & Taormina clustered down below. Alesia welcomed us warmly & insisted that we have a glass of wine. We didn’t say no. Our room (#30) was one of 3 at the lowest front part of the hotel with a sitting area with a table & 2 chairs. A smallish but well appointed room. We were quite pleased. I had originally booked the Hotel Taodomus but I upgraded to the Villa Ducale a month ago to remove ourselves from the action in town. The Villa Schuler was another option investigated, but they only allow 3 or more night bookings. The Ducale gave us everything. Free parking, free shuttle, views & a very, very helpful & friendly staff. (At 249€ it was our most expensive hotel of the trip excluding the Hilton twins). We both breathed a sigh of relief . . . ah . . . Sicily . . .

View from our balcony	View from our balcony		View from our balcony
We used the shuttle for the 10 minute ride to/from Taormina . For dinner we went to Licchio’s. (Now closed 2012) We had troubles finding it – even some police dudes didn’t know where it was. But my map instinct kicked in & we found it eventually. The food was very good & the manager was very friendly & helpful. 76€ including a bottle of ’06 Don Pietro – Spadafora. Other guests went to Le Botte where they had the fish cooked in salt. They raved too.
Tuna Burgers		Octopus
Day 6 Thursday May 28 Up early the next morning, it was a real treat to actually be able to have breakfast in the hotel. The Hilton in Roma was certainly a deluxe hotel but it is obviously meant for people with the wallets to match. An affordable breakfast would have been nice though. The Ducale was a different kettle of fish. Small, friendly & intimate, the environment encouraged relaxation. But of course, there were sights to see. The only one on my must-do list here was the theater. We had seen it in pictures & on travel shows as I am sure many of you have. I remember seeing some aerial travel show where the camera was mounted on a helicopter & they filmed a bunch of Italy. When I saw this theater, I knew I had to go. So, it was off into town . . . The shuttle dropped us opposite the beach cable car station. We headed up Corso Umberto (every single town we visited or traveled through in Sicily had a Corso Umberto btw) & we walked to the theater up through the vendors on Via Teatro Greco. Built by the Greeks & modified by the Romans, this was the town's big 'site' & its major draw - other than just the view. Its location, perched above that wonderful vista, certainly lived up to its billing. Judging from the modern add-ons, they still use it for shows.



After the theater, we wandered down Corso Umberto. This is filled with restaurants & shops – both of the tourist variety & seemingly normal banks, clothing stores etc. There were lots of people milling around. You hear Italian, German, French & multiple variations of English speakers drifting by. There was a piazza/veranda with the typical band playing the typical touristy music further down. To be honest, not much of interest there for us . . . getting jaded, I guess . . .


We hopped on the cable car for the 3 minute ride down to the beach for lunch. There is a slightly gritty staircase on the right at the end of the parking lot that pops out right on the beach. We had a panini in some beach front restaurant - maybe Terrazze? It is a stone beach btw. Lunch & the environment was just OK . . . Up top again, during siesta, we had espresso & cappuccino in a cafe on Corso Umberto - across the street from Santa Caterina Church. We were entertained by a singing waiter as he worked the customers. Thankfully, he didn't sing all of the time but a little bit was nice . . .

Back in the hotel, we decided to take it easy & eat dinner in the Ducale’s restaurant. This was a good plan because the weather turned cool & some rain swept in. They have a limited menu but we had an antipasti & a pasta main with a bottle of wine – ’06 Lanzara San Vincenzo for 18€. The total meal was 40 - 50€ or so. Two funny tidbits about the wine. After our antipasti, we ducked out for a cigarette & the foursome at the table besides us (who we kept bumping into on the shuttle & in town) thought that we had left & snagged our wine. Boy, were they embarrassed when we returned. They happily bought a replacement which we shared with them, of course. The whole dining room got a kick out of this. The second tidbit was, when I looked at the label, I realized that it was produced at the vineyard in Menfi where we were going to stay later in our trip. Off to bed, after a nice day. We decided to come to Taormina for the views – like everybody else. And they are stunning. The view from our balcony almost made us want to stay there all day. The trip reports & comments that I read on Fodors did warn about the touristy nature of the town, however - which is why I only devoted 2 nights. Although I could have easily spent another day just starring at the view, it was enough for us - but your results may vary.