What White Lotus made me do...

A bright 30 something degree celsius Sun beating down on your neck, you feel you may faint but you keep going, the smell of Lemons if not Limoncello, your taste buds sensing the rosemary, the plush tomatoes ready to be pummeled into a sauce, the sound of tourists from across the world and their conversations ringing in your ears...many words half o these understood...a glass of chilled Limoncello Spritz to cool down under the bougainvillea bush at the town square as you take in the view... Ah Sicily!

Why I chose Taormina:

I experienced this and much much more...and all thanks to a TV series by the name of The White Lotus. Back in mid 2023, I watched the absolute gem Jennifer Coolidge as she made her way to this little island of Taormina (only to die by the end of the season, in an honestly stupid and forgettable manner - bring her back!) and just watching her and the other characters traipse their way across Taormina, I just couldn't get this city out of my head.

So, as soon as I could (and weeks of homework later) in December 2023, I told Ken, "we are spending next Summer in Taormina", his reaction, "Ok. But where is that?" I am grateful to have a husband who trusted my instincts right off the bat!

Taormina is a commune that sits on a hilltop on the eastern coast of Sicily and sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano. If you don't know Italy, Sicily is an island. the largest one in the Mediterranean, per Wikipedia, its the toe off the boot of Italy. It has to be one of the most beautiful places I have been to.

Come July 2024, we were off...but not to a good start. Etna erupted and our flights got canceled. Unfortunately, our hotel was all paid up and so we just had to find a way there. Overnight, Ken had to make new (and 300 euros more expensive) bookings, which were duly reimbursed 4 months later by the cancelling airline (Air France) and we flew, via Marseille to Catania. So what would have taken 3 hours, took us 8 to reach Catania.

Getting to Taormina:

Now getting to Taormina is not easy. You will need to fly into Catania and then drive into Taormina. If you don't have a car, get ready for the very expensive taxis. The average starting meter is 25 euros - so even if you have to go 2km and can't do so in heels and in the heat, get ready to shell out the money. I drive, but cannot after my first year here as I am now a French resident and my international drivers license is no longer valid. So I now have plans to brave the French driving test in 2025...and if god willing get the damned license to be able to drive again. Needless to say, we spent a bomb on Taxis in Taormina!

The Hotel:

But I digress. We landed into Taormina around 6pm and drove to our hotel watching Etna still smoking. Our hotel, the Hotel Caparena, is a very cute hotel located right on the beach and included a private beach for access at 50 euros per person for the full day (which included some drinks and food). It has a pool and is very well located within the outskirts of the main city with very clean rooms, a very cute if tiny bar (with an adorable elderly bartender) and plenty of room service. Given we were exhausted and possibly buzzed from the wine we drank enroute, we upgraded ourselves to the suite, which overlooked the beach and the train line, that literally passes through the hotel property and was the best part of the stay for me. My grandparents' home was near a train line and each time a train rumbled by it took me back to my childhood. Luckily Ken is a heavy sleeper so it didn't bother him one bit, but I did see people leaving reviews about the noise - honestly it wasn't bad!

Getting around to doing fun stuff such as water sports is easier when you are staying at a resort, we explored Isola Bella, a White Lotus tour and even swam in the sea, however, most often our time was spent on the private beach, sipping on chilled pink Spumante, tanning myself on the beach and reading.

The Food & Wine:

Now when you are in Italy, how can you miss out on good food. Sicily didn't disappoint. I had some of the best meals of my life in Taormina. Armonia, is one restaurant you must eat at. Get a table on the beach, get some delicious Etna wine and enjoy the delicious food. We reached before Sunset and spent the evening watching the sun go down over the sea and honestly it was a memorable evening. Not just that, I found the best olive oil "Lutetia", I have ever had while dining at Armonia. Thanks to the maitre d we were able to locate a gourmet store in the city center and brought back 3 bottles to Paris with us. Another place, we loved eating was at the Four Seasons, The Anciovi! Ah the Anciovi! The hotel is situated at the top of a hill and the restaurant is located right next to its beautiful pool. The views are splendid and the food (though pricey) is scrumptious! I highly recommend going for lunch to get the views and definitely getting the Limoncello Spritz, along with the four tomato salad (I can still taste the juicy flavor in my mouth!).

My third favorite and possibly my most favorite place to eat in Taormina is a family run restaurant just near the entrance to the city center- The Liola Osteria & Bar. It is located in an odd place, right at the mouth of the entrance to the city center a few meters away from the Porta Messina entrance and across from a parking / pickup and drop off point, but trust me, get a table outside, get yourself a Spritz and watch the world go by. Aside from having very humble owners, this place serves incredibly delicious food and drinks. We ate here 3 times during our stay and even brought back dinner one night to the hotel. There are a ton of other great places and we ate at a few more during our week long holiday, but these are the ones I would recommend.

Etna:

Climbing Etna was a complete surprise. We were doing it while she was erupting! Dangerous? Not really, as the ground people would have stopped us. It did take us longer to get there as we had to be redirected to go up from behind her as she had yet again starting showing signs of continued eruption. A bus ride, a cable car journey, a special motorized vehicle to take us closest to the summit and finally a 2km hike later, we reached as close to the peak as we could. The ask was new and fresh, it felt like popcorn on touch. The sight was to behold and possibly one of the most beautiful, I have ever seen. If you can, go hike up Etna. It is worth it! On our way down we binged on Arancini and some chilled beer and as souvenirs brought back a special alcohol, the Volcano Fire liqueur, made in Etna which is not just highly potent, but honestly tastes really bad, but Ken insisted we get one for our bar, so there you go, it made its way back to Paris with us and sits proudly on our bar, I wonder who will have the courage to try it.

The City Center:

One advice I would give is to split time between staying at a resort on the outskirts and on the beach and the city center. We stayed entirely on the beach resort and I think missed out on a few things we could have done within the center. One of those things is staying out late. We got super tired each time we were in the center and as we had to go all the way back to hotel (25mins away), it was headache to spend the whole day in the center without rest, which meant early nights. We missed out on the karaoke bars, jazz nights and the lit evenings! When we come back next time, we will ensure we get time on both sides of Taormina.

There is a lot you can do in the city center. Walk from end to end, starting from the historical landmark Porta Messina, once before you begin your exploring. We climbed up to the villa communale, a public park, hiked up the steps to see the views from the ancient Greek theatre, spent some euros on shopping for ceramics and hand embroidered linen and sampling a lot if gelato (more of ken's thing than mine). Aside from that do visit the Duomo of Taormina, discover the mosaic of the Madonna with child that springs up on you as you wind your way through the city, make sure you stop by the view point and enjoy some live music as the sun beats down your neck, making you wonder how the colors of the world seem to have come alive in one town square.

So, after a whole week of sun, spumante, pasta and volcanic ash, I want you to know that if you make this trip, you will not regret it. You will come back with colorful memories as vibrant as the lemons that make the limoncello taste so zesty in Taormina.

Do visit!