Fiery Sicily
I hated Sicily. There I said it. I would NEVER go again
But if you insist on seeing it, here are my recommendations for Taormina… most of them are what not to do.
Do NOT fly into Catania airport. It has a black cloud over it. There was zero communication that the airport was closed three days prior to our flight due to a fire. Apparently, the airport catches on fire often. So although terrible, you would think that they would be prepared for these circumstances and have some sort of communication system in place. Even when we checked into our flight the night prior, there was no notice that we were being rerouted to an airport two hours away. THEN, fast forward to the end of our flight when we did fly out of Catania… Due to the fire, more than half of the airport was closed due to space capacities so they were only allowing you to enter the airport one hour prior to your flight. This means that my friends whole family, whose flight was delayed 8 hours upon arriving at the airport, had to wait in an unconditioned tent in 100 degree heat with no water OR bathrooms and not nearly enough seating for all of the people crammed in there.
Just don’t do it, trust me.
Okay, now you’re there. Do NOT stay at Eurostar hotel. I’ve stayed at my fair share of hostels, Airbnbs, and hotels and this was the second worst experience I’ve ever had. It was dirty, the communication was terrible (and I am not referring to language skills, I just mean communication of information), and they forgot to confirm our morning taxi the morning of our flight. This is not like American cities where there is an Uber at every corner. You have to understand that they do not have Uber or Lyft, etc and have to call to arrange taxis in advance. It’s also not like NYC where there is a taxi every ten feet. Not only did they forget to arrange it, but I confirmed TWICE the day before and the desk attendant gave me grief when I asked him to check on it when it was five minutes late (it never showed).
On a final negative note, although not entirely Taormina’s fault, there were horrible forest fires that were very much NOT under control. They were blazing right out to the roads. They kept shutting off the power so we wouldn’t be able to get electric, and thus food. And one night they were so bad that the officials had to SHUT OFF THE WATER to the entire city. Please, I thank God I made it out of there.
Okay, finally, I’ll say something nice.
Mamma Rosa restaurant. In the main town. Delicious food. Lovely waitstaff.
Osteria de Rita. Sadly, I did not get to eat here. But there was a line out the door everyday and it looked AMAZING.
Lido La Caravella. Our hotel had a shuttle partnership so I’m sure most others do as well. They pick you up at a set time and drive you to the beach for a set price (18 euro) with chairs included. There is a restaurant bar there and the waitstaff were also very nice. Delicious fresh octopus and salads. Beach was pretty despite the literal ash falling on us from the nearby fire.
JL Sandalo Caprese. This is a little shop downtown where they custom make sandals to your feet. I have very flat feet so I love this because the top part of sandals is always too high for me! I got the cutest pair of white sandals with a horsebit buckle top for 100 euro. There was another black pair I wanted so badly but she was about to close and did not have the time because she was so deligent with making the first pair :,). The shoesmith was the sweetest pea I loved her. I think they also have this in Anacapri but I’m not sure of its exact location!
My friend’s dad also chartered a boat here! It was a rocky start this day but once we finally got on the boat it was so fun! Lunch and drinks were included and we were able to jump off the boat and swim around! They did also have a paddle board you could take out.
