Next stop on our tour was Sicily, starting with Taormina. While we were waiting in the airport for our bus, Dad suspiciously told me to head up the escalator and look out the window. A seemingly innocent direction, however he was trying and, as usual, failing to conceal a smirk, which was certainly suspicious. However I did as directed, and out of the big glass window upstairs I noticed a whopping great big mountain, well at least that’s what I thought… However upon closer inspection I noticed some strange sort of clouds near the top of the mountain, which is when I realised my mistake, because it wasn’t a mountain and it wasn’t smoke. It was an active VOLCANO.

Now for some reason I found it a little unsettling that we were staying near one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Not sure why, can’t put my finger on it really… I mean it’s not like it occasionally spurts out lava and KILLS people from time to time. After voicing my concerns, Dad teased me, telling me how harmless it really was. Harmless as a hellhound I say…

The people we were renting the apartment from picked us up from the bus station, and despite us being complete strangers, they greeted us like long lost family, hugging and kissing us on the cheeks multiple times. After their warm welcome, we did talk about staying in Italy permanently. The apartment was quite nice, and even had a terrace with views stretching over the town, out to Mount Etna, which was glowing red with lava at the top (but again, I was reassured by my dad and our new family members, that it was fine).

The first day we spent getting our bearings and wandering around the town. Well I say we, but I really just kinda lounged about most of the day, and went out in the afternoon to explore the high street nearby, which was beautiful in the afternoon glow. Mt Etna was visible in the distance, there was a beautiful big Christmas tree in the town square, and on the way back Dad and I tried some pistachio Nutella (it’s pistachio everything in Sicily, chocolate, icecream, biscuits, etc.).

The next day I was tricked into walking up a hill. Honestly I should have learned my lesson after the Monkey Hill (or as we know it better, Monkey Mountain), but alas I am such a trusting, naive soul. The incline was manageable at first, although perilous due to the winding roads, lack of foot path and the constant threat of becoming road kill. Towards the top, when we finally made it there days later (perhaps ever so slightly less), it became much steeper, and it was only my sheer determination and positive spirit that got me through.

At the top was the medieval village of Castelmola with a beautiful view of Taormina below and some shops (although mostly closed) that specialised in an odd combination of items; almond wine and phallic-shaped objects. We did buy some of the almond stuff, but not the latter.

Our final day was a big one and we woke up quite early (I’ve decided anything before 10am is early now) as my parents wanted to visit this small island called Isola Bella that you can only walk to when the tide is low. Due to delays because someone wouldn’t wake up (yeah that was me, my bad) we had to hurry down to the beach. By the time we got there the water was about ankle height deep, so after taking our shoes off it was fine.

The island was so small there was only a single building, an old house that was now being used as a lookout point to the other island across the bay and to display the boards recounting the island’s history. Dame Florence Trevelyan, who was a close relative of Queen Victoria (sent away from England at age 27 after it was rumoured she’d had an affair with the future King Edward VIII) bought the island in the late 1800s and built a small house on the island. In 1954 the island was bought by the family Bosurgi of Messina who built a much larger house set among the rocks and covered by dense vegetation. The ruin that now remained was a strange house, which I would describe as futuristic architecture meets cave age construction. The house melts into the rock; it is difficult in some places to tell where one begins and the other ends, and is all curves and round windows.

We lost track of time, and when we headed back the tide had risen considerably, and we were stuck on the island for two years after that! I grew a beard and used it as a net to catch fish, it was all very dramatic. Okay yeah that was a lie, but our knees did get wet, the water was really cold and I saw a jellyfish. So there was a little bit of adventure before our next attraction.

The Greek Theatre sits high above Taormina, with views out to the Calabrian and Ionian coasts, as well as of course to the giant glowing death mountain. It was built in the third century BCE by the Greeks, but columns and such were later added by the Romans. Originally it held dramatic performances and musicals, although later as tastes changed, instead of singing there was slashing, and instead of dancing there was being drained of your blood. Yep you guessed it, the Romans introduced gladitorial battles! Yay! Fun!

As a fun little afternoon treat we tried a Sicilian dessert, granita, which is essentially crushed up ice with sugar and flavouring (traditionally fruits such as lemon, mandarin, pomegranate, raspberry, orange as well as chocolate and coffee). While we were sitting down eating, a lady at the next table asked if we were Australian. We were amazed at how she guessed, then she pointed to my Dad’s hat, which really is a dead giveaway (one of these days I will include a photo).

She was actually a very interesting woman. She has been travelling the globe for most of her adult life, staying in each place for a few months at a time. A journalist by trade, she has written a few books about her travels. When she was younger she knew Fellini, a famous Italian film director and screenwriter, and had several small roles in his movies. Her daughter was also one of the first commerical female airline pilots. Another interesting fact she told us is that there is a bus that takes you to the top of the hill we walked up the other day (that almost killed me!). And my parents already knew about it! I never felt so betrayed.

After parting ways with her (or so we thought) we went to visit a a beautiful Victorian garden, that again was designed by Dame Florence in the English style as she was homesick. It is best known for its beautiful views, and buildings made from salvaged materials such as brick, cloth, pipes and stone.

After leaving we couldn’t believe the coincidence, when we heard a voice from above, not God, but the woman who we had met earlier at the granita place. She invited us up into her apartment, and gave us a tour. We spent another hour chatting with her, before we finally said goodbye, this for the final time.

After spending time in Taormina it is no wonder why it is a favourite haunt of the rich and famous. The people are so welcoming, the buildings so grand and the food so delicious — a great start to our tour of Sicily!