Taormina

We could barely wait to start exploring this part of Sicily. Taormina has Mount Etna as a back drop, and it's on the side of a cliff over looking blue-green ocean with islands dotting the coastline. If that's not enough for you, it has a 2,400 year old Greek Theater, numerous piazzas with breathtaking views, and one of the most famous shopping streets in Europe. No wonder it has long been the seaside vacation town for the rich and famous Italians from the mainland.

Our first night we went to a restaurant called Nino's, just down the street from our hotel. The food was excellent - veal marsala and insalada mista (mixed salad). We think that they think we are crazy since we are not eating four course meals every night. We sat next to a gentleman who was eating when we first sat down, and was still eating when we left. It was one of the most impressive efforts we have ever seen! It's no wonder with the food as good as it is, we are finding it increasingly hard to stop.

A girl that was eating in the back of the restaurant noticed that we were speaking English on her way out. That shows you how few English speaking visitors there are in Sicily. We are noticing that people hear us speaking and are very curious what we are all about.

She introduced herself as Danielle, from Toronto, Canada. We learned that she is an artist and painted the wall at Nino's Restaurant in this photo. Seeing that the Canadians are just as friendly as the Sicilians, after dinner she gave us a tour down the main shopping street, Corso Umberto, pointing out the spots the tourists may not find. We were quite excited to "cheat" and get acclimated in English!

Great first night in Taormina.