Taormina, Sicily

After our little snack break, we hopped in the car and drove back down towards Taormina.  Taormina is another town where they do not allow cars of non-residents to enter.  We parked in a lot outside and walked towards the city walls.

 

I've heard of Taormina, and that it was a beautiful town to visit.

  

And it was, with the well-preserved historical buildings and the narrow streets lined with stores and restaurants, many of them high end.

  

One of the pasticcerie or bakeries had this enticing display of frutta martorana, which are made of marzipan, a typical Sicilian specialty.  Don't they look so realistic?  They look almost too pretty to eat.  This is one dolce or sweet that I have yet to try. 

There were various piazzas that opened up into terraces with sweeping views of the coast.  At sunset, it was easy to see why so many people were enchanted with this town.

  

A church on one of the piazzas.

  

 And the charming stone stairways were lined with citrus trees.

 

And I loved seeing Mount Etna towering in the backdrop.

The town was fairly quiet in the off-season and I liked it that way. I can only imagine the bustling crowds of tourists in the summer.