5 Days in Taormina, Sicily
The views from Teatro Antico di Taormina, the ancient Greek theater
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5
We Loved Taormina!
Snippets From Our France and Italy Trip
We had been looking forward to this break for quite some time. Before we even started our travel project, which involved traveling to 50 countries in 50 months, Taormina was on the list of places we wanted to visit, but for various reasons, we never made it.
Some may find the reason for visiting Taormina rather silly, but other than the fact that Sicily and any stay in Italy can be magical, a song by my favorite artist, Mark Knopfler, solidified Taormina as a travel goal for us.
Mark sings in his song “Lights of Taormina” from 2015
They were young and love was shining
Like the colours of the rainbow
Desire felt like choking
Love was smoking under the volcano
He can still taste her kisses
Sweet as the red wine from Messina
Now he's sitting out in the night
Looking down upon the lights of Taormina
Staying at Hotel Mediterranée
We booked five nights at Hotel Mediterranée, which is about a five-minute walk from the main shopping and restaurant area of Corso Umberto. Please note that there is no such thing as an easy walk in Taormina. The town is situated on a steep mountainside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, which means you need to prepare yourself to climb stairs almost no matter which direction you go in.
We are in fairly good shape but in our late fifties and although we didn’t have any serious issues, even carrying our luggage from the bus stop to and from the hotel, it was a challenge at times, and we tried to avoid the mid-day heat when it came to strenuous activities.
We only share this as you should be prepared if you plan to visit Taormina. Buses run from the upper part of town to the beaches below and you can also catch the Taormina Mazzaró Cable Car to the beach. We did this on our beach day and it was fully worth it.
Shopping in one of the many side streets from Corso Umberto, Taormina
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5
We have nothing but praise for Hotel Mediterranée. It was the perfect fit for us. It was quiet at all times. Once in a while, you could hear music from neighboring hotels but never late at night disturbing your sleep. It was such a contrast to our latest trip to Mexico where music was blaring all day long at the pools. Here at Hotel Mediterranée, it was pure serenity.
The decor in the hotel had not been updated, I think, since it was established in 1960. It felt as if we had stepped into a time machine. Although the hotel would be considered old it was well-maintained and we loved this vibe. The staff was friendly and courteous.
An excellent breakfast buffet was included and a couple of times we also had lunch at the hotel as well as snacks and drinks at the pool. It was all excellent.
Teatro Antico di Taormina, Greek Theater
We hit the Greek theater first thing in the morning and had the place almost to ourselves. The theater dates back to 300 BC and is now used for live entertainment. It has been featured in movies and, lately, in the HBO series The White Lotus. As we left, you could tell it was getting quite busy.
Returning to the Mark Knopfler song, it dawned on me that perhaps he played this venue and after a quick chat with my friend Russell, he informed me of the following.
Knopfler played the Greek theater on July 16th, 2013. During his time in Taormina, he stayed at Hotel Villa Angela, owned by Jim Kerr, the lead singer of Simple Minds. Knopfler states that he started writing the song when he was sitting on a beautiful terrace, looking down at Taormina.
After getting all the facts straight I dug out my headphones, stood at the top terrace of Hotel Mediterranée, and listened to the song while looking down upon Taormina. Mission complete :)
Gazing at the Mediterranean Sea from the upper balcony at Hotel Mediterranée in Taormina
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2
Beach Day
Hotel Mediterranée has a sister hotel located along the beach where we could use the sun lounge chairs and get towels at no extra charge. Several stretches along the beach are reserved for the local hotels so going to the beach may not be as straightforward as you may think. We took the Taormina Mazzaró Cable Car and walked for about 15 minutes before reaching the beach.
Once settled it was very comfortable and swimming in the Mediterranean was absolutely wonderful, and invigorating, and the experience surpassed our recent beach experience at the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.
After a couple of hours, we spotted a small boat getting ready to depart from the beach. I approached the man operating the boat and asked if he would give us a lift to Isola Bella Beach, the most famous beach in Taormina. This would get back near the cable car and give us a chance to take in the view from the water.
It was fully worth the 20 Euro we paid and we soon arrived at Isola Bella which, however, was a mayhem of a beach. It was so crowded with hardly a spot to settle. It was a beautiful setting which no doubt drew a crowd but we honestly could not leave fast enough.
We enjoyed a nice lunch above the beach area and quickly thereafter jumped back on the cable car and had a relaxing afternoon by the pool.
Dining in Taormina
For our dinners in Taormina, we chose restaurants along Corso Umberto or in one of the many cozy side streets. The setting was usually everything you imagine Italy to be with local entertainers going from restaurant to restaurant performing classic tunes that everyone knows and can sing along to.
The food was okay but rarely excellent or mind-blowingly good. I am sure if we had the budget or spent more time picking top-notch restaurants we would have had a different experience.
We did, however, love the ambiance and several restaurants had TVs set up for Euro 2024 football games (soccer). We are fans of the game, so we appreciated this.
Final Thoughts on Taormina
Taormina was everything we hoped it would be. The hotel was quiet and comfortable with that 1960s vibe that we enjoyed so much. The views were marvelous and we would often be first at the breakfast buffet and had the giant deck and views to ourselves.
Corso Umberto is buzzing with action, shopping, and touristy stuff and at times felt a bit over the top for our taste. It was, however, easy to get away from it in the cozy side streets.
When visiting Taormina you have a choice to make; if you want to stay near the beach or near Corso Umberto which is located above the sea, further than you probably want to walk, meaning you need alternative transportation to the beach. We chose the latter as we prioritized the hotel, pool, and nearness to more amenities, and did I mention the view :)
Please keep scrolling for more photos from Taormina.
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The photos in this article are made using a Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 and Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 lenses (links to my camera and lens reviews).
