The sea approaching the sickle shaped harbor of Messina was calm, which is probably why, in conjunction with the narrow naval squeeze point between the Italian mainland and Sicily, Messina was a strategic military port throughout history.
Church in Taormina
Starting 7 1/2 Centuries before Christ, conquerors including Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Mamertines, Goths, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans took control of Messina, which was already settled before the military invaders began arriving.
Sitting in the hillside about 45 minutes by bus from Messina, Taormina has been a vacation resort for over two millennia. With its panoramic views of he coast and Mount Etna, it isn't hard to understand why.
Though never conquered, Taormina surrendered to the Carthaginians and then the Romans to maintain peace.
Roads by Mt. Etna
After the Roman Empire took over in 212 BC, Taormina became home for Roman aristocrats and consuls, who built vacation villas there. Similar to Messina, Taormina changed political hands through the ages. It usually was a source of tax revenue for distant empires.
Taormina Street
When I hear a quaint medieval village is a scheduled stop for multiple excursions on a large cruise ship, I find myself a bit trepidatious, and when we arrived at Taormina, the many tour buses from other ships as well as our own seemed to confirm my concerns. We found hordes of tourists filling the narrow street, but as we walked onward, the crowds cleared out, whether because tours headed to the next stop or the visitors were happy with the first shops they found.
Taormina nightclub
On the tour bus ride, our guide told us to try the delicious local Sicilian food, including arancini, a deep-fried ball of risotto coated in Italian bread crumbs with a chunk of mozzarella cheese at the core. The appearance is sort of like an orange, which is how the Italian name translates. It was tasty, something I could see catching on as a special menu item at Jack In the Box or TGI Fridays.
Ionian Sea and Mt. Etna from Taormina
Amy found a restaurant with a beautiful view for an afternoon break. The logo on the menu for Ristorante La Buca was an ostrich. Isn't it odd how things you think about keep showing up in your life?
Wes & Amy at La Buca Ristorante
At La Buca, I had a beer while the others ate desserts. Julie's tiramisu was the best I've ever tasted, uniquely Sicilian in its preparation with intricate lacing of deep brown mocha icing.
My Birra Messina was a tasty tropical beer with a touch of citrus, though it turned out it was brewed in Milan instead of locally. All in all, we had a relaxing day in Taormina.
By the way, Scylla and Charybdis is the nickname for the narrow sea channel that made Messina such an important military fortress. For those who can't quite place where you heard the term "caught between Scylla and Charybdis," here's an old video:
