So here is small update. We had originally booked 6 nights here at IL PRINCIPE DI SALINA close to the "hamlet' of Malfa, overlooking the sea. After one nights, I decided to extend our stay by one night because we found this place so lovely. Weather has been pretty poor, for May, but today (our last full day) the sun did come out and there are people seated at the small infinity pool, where I hope to take a swim soon.

Unlike my usual, as I mentioned, we've not at all explored Salina, the island. The hotel is so conducive to lounging around, the weather has in general been so cool and cloudy, and the only option to get around is the bus (not sure how partner can manage that but if I were less lazy I would investigate; on Ischia we liked to take the one circumnavigating bus--a couple of euro and we got terrific vistas and could hop on and hop off....I remember our former poster here, Caroline Edinburgh for giving me lots of tips about Ischia and Barrano in particular; I hope they are loving their life now in Venice..(??)). Other options is walking..long walks and a lot of uphill climbs... And then there are taxis.

I had booked a dinner at the Signum Hotel which is THE place to eat on Salina. But when Anita of our hotel here told me that a taxi would cost 25 euro each way for a distance that I myself could walk with little difficulty, I wrote to the Signum and asked them and sure enough, they arranged transport from here to their hotel for 10euro RT for both of us. And it was FUN, seeing a bit of the landscape on the way there and back..

Truth be told, it's now a few days later and ask me what I ate that night...I cannot remember much apart from a stellar spaghetti with clams (MUCH larger portion that that served at LA MADIA); partner had an excellent primi of lasagna, followed by a braised veal cheek and we both agreed that the array of sweet treats for dessert were superb....

Admittedly, I am still chasing that glazed Nebrodi pork we had for lunch at LA MADIA in Licata last week.


It's a pretty place and we had a nice chat with the young chef, Martina Caruso, who I believe had remembered my sister (they had stayed at the Signum about 8-10 years prior). Lovely young woman.....surely knows how to cook!!! She was so warm and welcoming, and surely is a still-rising star who is grounded in the primie materie and the territory of the islands; I would have LOVED to have time to speak with her...so young and charming, and so welcoming. But.....the restaurant is expensive. But this is a vacation and if you can put away the frugal thoughts, its worth a try, espeially if you can manage the short walk, and especially if you stay at the SiGNUM, which my sister and husband adored.


https://www.hotelsignum.it/en/signum-restaurant/menu/gourmet-restaurant.html


I just don't know enough what to say about getting around here. Lots of folks rent scooters but Anita (owner of our hotel) said that that was not great for 2 people, especially since neither of us have ever rented a scooter before. I do remember a few scary rides in Bali but those were so long ago and I was not as fraidy then as I am now. But if I were alone, I might think about the scooter rental; otherwise you are more or less confined t the area of your hotel unless you LOVE to walk and weather is not too hot, not too drizzly....

So many factors have to be in place..here and I imagine, on any trip.

So all this to explain that our exploration of Salina has been pretty much confined to moving between the various floors of this hote, each one more stunning than the last one!

And tonight: It's PIZZA NIGHT at IL PRINCIPE DI SALINA, with co-owner Filippo manning the oven and a choice of 8 different pizza selections!
The family who owns this hotel (for 7 years now) is just a joy, plain and simple! Not sure how I will be able to tear myself away tomorrow morning for the hub bub of Taormiia!!

What a wonderful exciting adventure this trip has been and you exude joy in all you are doing!
I was concerned about you and flights from CTA due to Etna but saw it will reopen soon
crossing fingers for you and for sunshine to follow you to Taormina!
I look forward daily to your updates !
enjoy your last days there !!

SD, thanks! Today the sun finally came out and we are now in dream place, sitting around the infinity pool (too cold for me to swim) overlooking the sea...oh, boy, for once in my life I am sitting in one of those white lined-draped sun beds at an infinity pool!!!! I guess I've said this already, more than once, but this place is a dream come true and you know how some people are (like me, and I think, you also) already draming about the next Sicilian island to explore...I mean off the coast of Sicily.....there are SO many! I should live so long, like Nana would say!!

So since I cannot figure out how to link my photos right to this report, I am going to try to link the thread from that "other," newer website where I mostly repeat the same things I wrote here but there is more focus on food and, of course, some photos..

Let's see if I can do this: Just know that the link goes to the end of the Ho report, so to see all the photos, you have to go back to the beginning, to Trapani.




https://www.hungryonion.org/t/sicily...-2023/34398/48

On to Taormina!

So....yesterday morning (wait, is that the opening of a song I should know?) I once again had tears flowing as we said goodbye to Salina and to our new friends at the PRINCIPE DI SALINA. Never mind "tears flowing, I was pretty much sobbing). There is some magic here with so many Sicilians..you just make "friends" so quickly, or at least it feels as if they are friends, as the people are so very warm and open. II know that I am speaking about people in the hospitality business, but still, I get a feeling there that I do not remember having even in my very many visits to Italy.

So...hotel on Salina arranged all. The hotel owner drove us to the port, and what a gorgeous drive this was. Remember we did not get out of the hotel much even during the 7 nights we were there, in Malfa. So even the drive to the port was just surreal in its beauty. And here is ek..just on the verge of tears for every second of the ride..already dreaming about buying a little house here..blah, blah..

Ferry leaves right on time; skies are sunny and clear. Dock in Milazzo (which looks like a very nice town to spend a night if you happen to have a cancellation of hydrofoil (please keep in mind that there are hydrofoils and there are ferries, and both are operated by two different companies).

This (return) trip is calm, sea is clear and almost aquamarine...we can see fish swimming as we dock at: Lipari, Vulcano, and then, Milazzo. I would have given my all to have been able to jump in and swim but I am a baby and have to have warm water. At this time of the year, this year, NO ONE was swimming, not in the sea nor in the pool(s).

Look, Salina is like heaven, but for the oldsters, pretty isolated and not easy to get around.

Arrive Milazzo Porto, collected by driver arranged by Salina hotel, PRINCIPE DI SALINA, and in a minute or ten, are on the road to Taormina. Fascinating!!! You can see Reggio from the highway!! According to driver, it is but 3 km at the shortest point from Sicilia to the "mainland."

Wow..I almost think I could swim that!!

I am in such awe here...(remember, once a geography major, always a geography nerd!!) I am looking out at (mythology a very weak point here..but I think, what..Scilla and Charybdis?? Please do not laugh at my ignorance!!


We take the highway, first toward Messina and then south toward Catania. Less of the disgusting concrete development that you see on the coast of Calabria.....nice drive, great roads, and much discussion with driver of herniated discs and related medical issues (I listen..do not involve...) He is a lovely man who lives in Milazzo. Like so many we meet, he was born in northern Europe and returned as a young man, when parents made enough to relocate back home to their island. (Do not hold me to this, as I heard the same general timeline from so many people I may be confusing the stories)

So...we finally arrive in Taormina about 3pm yesterday. Drive through the town to get to our hotel (mind you, remember that I first stayed here more than 35 years ago, before taking ferry to Tunis from Palermo, and then returned once, and then again with current (now pretty cranky) partner about 20 years ago..that was our last time in Sicily, when I was robbed at the hotel in Palermo, etc etc....that long, silly episode (but I am still annoyed that I lost that Berlutti wallet that (the late) Mom had gifted to me)

Never mind all that..here is the scoop: We arrive in Taormina which is absolutely heaving with tour buses (parked outside the town), scads of scantily dressed tourists (who walks around in a Speedo in the middle of town, in the middle of May???

We look at each other, remember we had just left the celestial Salina, and we both are, in a word: DISMAYED. I love Jennifer Coolidge (and Christopher Guest) more than many people, but this looks depressing and disheartening.

Remember that we had cut our stay here from 4 nights to 3, and the hotel took the entire night's charge fair enough, I cancelled about 3 days prior to arrival date)

But we arrive at hotel and are then led to our "luxury: apartment in the hotel annex. All good, but this place has steps (happily, I had painter's blue tape with me and stuck it all along the steps....)

Ok..I am now too wiped to continue, but in the end, after much back and forth about getting out of this tourist haven, we came to understand that it was just not worth the pain and the cost of moving,, although I admit that I spend a lot of time looking at alternative places to stay that were less tourist ridden and close to Catania airport, which seems now to be open despite the smoke we see (be still, my heart) from Etna.

In the end, we have now planned to take a taxi tomorrow to LINGUAGLOSSA (Catania province) to explore a bit (find bench for partner) and have dinner at a butcher shop-turned-night-time restaurant that sounds pretty good..you know me by now with all the obsessive planning and reading about where to eat!!

https://www.daipennisi.it/

To sum up, Taormina is gorgeous for the first timer..still gorgeous but if I returned, I would hole up at a top hotel and just relax, but at the prices commanded, I could never allow myself to do that, so will say arrivederci to this spectacularly beautiful town day after tomorrow....

Happily reading this latest post
when you get home, hope you find time to comment on Taormina days and wrap up the wonderful TR which i have loved reading!
Salina does sound magical: wish we had more days on SIcily, but only 11 nights is limited to explore various places we want to see for first and only trip we will make here.
Taormina is the zoo I did fear…. We don’t go till end of September and it’s our one and only Sicily trip, so it’s currently our plan for our arrival to Sicily and 3 nights before moving on to Ortigia.
I could change to stay in Catania and just do a day trip;… ?
but the beauty of Taormina hopefully shines when day trippers leave at night.
PS i am so glad you now have a little sunshine at end of your trip.

Ecks, I get it! We visited Taormina last on our trip to Sicily. And Sicily followed ten days in wonderful Polignano a Mare, Puglia.
So it was a perfect trip until we arrived in Taormina. Ugh. Luckily we were staying at Villa Schuler with it’s nice garden where we could retreat.
It was the first time we saw tasteless tourist junk for sale on our trip.
Hordes of cruisers packed the main streets. Yet, it is so beautiful!
We were so happy to leave Taormina and won’t ever return. But we will return to Sicily! Thank you for this incredible A+ trip report. Your Geography professor would be so proud of you!

The best way to enjoy Taormina is to avoid the Corso Umberto. Spend most of your time just staring at the view with a glass of wine in your hand. We stayed above the fray in the Villa Ducale and just dropped in for short visits: the theater, the beach, lunch or dinner etc and then went back to the peace and quiet of our balcony or the hotel’s patio.

Enjoy your last few days eks.

Wonderful!

<<Everyone I asked was a little unsure about how often the buses ran. The guy near the bus piazza (The B&B owner, advised me to take the bus to the "Centro" from Piazza Republica) told me..."the bus should come within 10 minutes. But do not worry: " If that bus does not come, there WILL, for sure, be a bus in one hour more!!!"

Not to mention that NO ONE I asked had any idea fo what the bus cost (it's 1.5euro from Centro to Piazza Republica in Ibla). I asked the owners of our B&B about this and they replied that many persons who have businesses in Ibla live in the center; when they go back and forth, they tend to drive. (some did admit to walking at times)

I listened to that vague info about the time of the bus from Piazza Republica to the Centro and, not wanting to linger for what might be an hour or more at the bus stop, decided to walk. I should mention that, although the temperature was, I think, in the 60s, according to my online weather info, it was (finally) sunny, and seemed warmer than the stated temperature. And, I had forgotten not only my glasses, but a hat and sunscreen. (NOTE for next time!)

From Ibla, I walked and walked. And walked, uphill on stairs, with frequent stops to besiege passersby if I was, in fact, walking on the "right" steps, in the direction of the "Centro.)

And then, after getting hot and (sorry) kind of sweaty (I always bring either a wash cloth or a cloth napkin for these occasions) , I finally arrive: AT MORE STEPS!! My goodness, it took me an hour, more or less, to arrive at the main square in the Centro! Later I will go into the reason for this expedition; no surprise, it involves something to eat.>>

I'm only halfway through your report and loving it! Your descriptions of the food, the places and your adventures are priceless!

We were in Sicily in 2016, and I had to laugh when I got to your visit to Ragusa and the bus escapade, and again, when you described how one gentleman walked you at least 10 minutes in the direction of the Centro. We had similar experiences.
First, in Ortigia, when we tried to find the bus stop to the archeological park in Siracusa. Our B&B gave us directions, but we couldn't find the stop. We kept asking for directions but getting vague ones, walking back and forth, not finding anything. We were told there was a strike. Then we were told there wasn't a strike. We eventually stopped into a small bakery to ask directions, and were rescued by a father and daughter, who heard us asking for directions and offered to drive us to the site!

Second experience: we arrived in Scicli and had directions to the hotel, only to be stymied by a film shoot (Inspector Montalbano!). The directions had us going right through the film shoot so that didn't work at all! The poor polizia was not from Scicli and had no where our hotel was. We stopped 2 women, who spoke no English and our minimal Italian couldn't quite follow the directions, so we followed them in our car as they walked, taking us through the streets, until we arrived at our hotel door!

Enjoy the rest of your wonderful holiday! It sounds fabulous!

I am hone mow in NY, vo\th of did very well and if I hdad to pick one, Imight say that this one to Sicily was the Best trip of all!!

Ner never did I have so many moments of almost being closet to heaven,
Home late last night....

I am really snackered after flights. More on Delta later..

Give me a couple days rest and, meanwhlie there might me some food pics on that other site I add to: Look at that dish called OMBRINA



Where to go next.....in Sicily? Molise? One cannot stop dreaming, I think. Or many can but this has poor effect..

Looking forward to the rest of your report focused on Taormina. Fingers crossed that you didn’t eat where we did on our last night in Sicily. We flew to LHR and the doctor called to the Sofitel LHR to see me when I became very ill said it would have been where ever I ate X hours ago. Bingo! Our farewell dinner in Taormina was the culprit that gave me a bad case of food poisoning! A lovely looking place outside of touristy area.

Ciao to all you amici following along this, now sadly coming to a close, report. We got home late-ish (but one hour early) Friday night to JFK and I have been pretty much holed up in bed with book since we got home 3 days ago...lazy, lazy..too much jet lag...too much reluctance to unpack all this "stuff" brought home. Items shipped home arrived in prefect condition from Catania hotel....have yet to open....

Happy: I am curious..did that restaurant that gave you gastro troubles have a name beginning with "N?"

We had booked there but I cancelled because I thought we were going to to to Linguaglossa to have dinner. I really wanted to go there and we had driver arranged. But patnter was not up to the drive, and in the end, had a good meal in interesting place on the outskirts of the city, near Excelsior Palace Hotel, Osteria Le Tre Vie.....will put the report and photos up later today or tomorrow...


http://www.osterialetrevie.it/wp-con.../05/MENU-1.pdf

Welcome home, eks--what a wonderful journey. I remember you planning a return to Sicily on-and-off for a few years, I think? So glad you were able to go. How is your partner doing now that you're home? I hope he is feeling better.

I think our trips were happening at almost the exact same time, though it sounds like the weather was slightly better way down in the Salento than in Sicily. Regardless, I was very glad to have packed layers--I wore everything in my suitcase this time, a first for me.

Yes, the name started with an N. A Sicilian friend of my brother in law had recommended it.
Where to next? We have to wait for a surgery and recovery period before we make plans. Italy or Asia,.Thanks for taking me along on your adventure!

I have been enjoying you ur wonderful writing today. I was wondering how you got all of your goodies home. Now off to look at the other site for the food pictures. Welcome home.

I’ve so enjoyed your travels and thoughts. Thanks for sharing.

You are all so wonderful in your comments to me. I am so sorry about all the typos... Truth is that this trip was magical in ways that others were not. Could it be the understanding that time is passing and there might not be too many more of these adventures? When people I meet now on my small street in NYC ask me how the trip was, I find myself breaking into tears. This has never happened to me.

I know I will return to Sicily. I wish II could hug every one of you that has carried on throughout my ramblings and many typing mistakes.

Also, I lied: My first trip to the island was in 1974, part of my first honeymoon, that began in Rome and then we went to Naples for ferry to Palermo and on to a month in Tunisia....I think I wrote that it was 25 years ago but I think now it was 35 years ago! That marriage died pretty soon but not my love for travel and maybe someday might think even about that Sicily/Tunisia trip, but probably not....

Hope I can write a next post to delineate the things I could have done better, like: For second timers or those with car, stay in Ragusa and not in Ibla...
Spend more time in Catania....etc etc.... Next time I need to look at Enna.....

1974! It must have been so different then !
great to read this about early love of travel 😊
looking forward to your thoughts on what you advise us newbies to Sicily and return travelers.
you were fortunate to have a nice length of time too.
we will make the most of 11 nights there end September. ;)
So happy your trip fills you with such joyful memories

Thanks so much!! I am trying to finish up the report on that "other" site, but having trouble posting, and now distracted by these new reports on Sardinia! Italy has so much to offer..how to decide?