TAORMINA

CEFALU' to TAORMINA- Thursday morning after the wonderful walk to La Rocca. Taxi to the train. Train to Messina chugging along the Northern coast, a beautiful calm sea, lemon groves, and the mountain range to the South. Arrived Messina and dragged my now extra-heavy bags down the stairs and then back up to Binario Numero 10. Finally the train arrived and we zipped past the straits of Messina (thinking of Alberto's "swimming crossing" there)...along and down the rugged East coast to (be still my beating heart!) Taormina and Sig Alibrandi. Feeling deliciously anxious with butterflies in my stomach.. I arrived and he was just walking in to the station as I was walking out...to his beautiful new big black Mercedes-Benz...which slowly climbed the hill to Taormina proper and Hotel Del Corso at Porta Catania -where I like to stay while in Taormina (see photo - a view from my room) After checking in, running to the store to buy S a beautiful bottle of Venezuelan Rhum, a quick shower, and costume change .. Seby was there at Porta Catania waiting for me with a costume change of his own! Now we're both wearing white. Down in the big black MB to Giardinia Naxos for a walk along the lungomare. Giardini Naxos is the location of the first landing of the Greeks to Sicily. A nice little town with a statue of Nike - we took pics beneath the statue that had a handful of the "lovers locks" which by now are seen on every landmark in Italy...we had a nice quiet dinner at a most elegant pizzaria (white table cloths and crystal wine goblets and the traditional "couples cloth" . I have only seen this in Sicily and when dining in nicer restaurants. A smaller tablecloth is place to top of the regular cloth just for the couple..its quite charming and makes a simple meal somehow "significant". In any case the pizza was delicios -I made up a new combo..pistacchio and artichoke heart..yum! Seby had a traditional margarita I think...after dinner back up the hill to Taromina and a visit to Casa del'Alibrandi ;-)
recently restored to a level any architect or interior designer would appreciate with lighting for every mood and warm colors, soft textures and extra special touches like the rain shower head, jacuzzi tub. It was nice to relax at his place and listening to music and getting to know each other again ... yada yada yada and back to my hotel with plans for tomorrow.