September 9 – Early Birds

The next morning promised another day of spectacular weather: blue and warm.

That’s me kicking back in the lobby of Hotel Villa Mora.

The proprietors, Anna and Nando, a German and Italian combination couple, were perfect hosts. Anna runs the front desk while Ando fixes a sumptuous breakfast. They have decorated every inch of this jewel of a hotel with Sicilian antiques and artifacts. The result is a perfect blend of elegance and comfort.

Hotel Villa Mora includes a separate breakfast room located in the adjacent building just across a narrow alley. Somehow we are always one of the first to arrive for breakfast, no matter what city we’re in. Today was no exception.

(Later on in the trip, I remember asking what time breakfast was served at our hotel in Monemvasia, Greece. Before answering, the proprietor looked at his roster of guests to see their countries of origin. He then responded, “8:30. If there were only Greeks here, I would tell you 10:00.”) We’re not Greek, so we were there at 8:00, hungry and eager to see this town.

Set in a separate building directly across the narrow alley from the lobby,
the breakfast room of Villa Mora

The breakfast room was as opulently decorated as the main lobby: Sicilian antiques, vases, collections of this and that (on the walls, as well as on tables and stands), little statues, paintings. The breakfast was impressive. A central round table filled with plates of salami, ham, breads, cakes, fruit, cheeses, and pitchers of juice awaited our appetites. And, of course cappuccini. Nando, the friendly husband half of the couple who owns the hotel, was a magician in the kitchen as he kept the serving dishes full and the cappuccini flowing.

Pretending to have taken a magical side trip to Morocco, I pose on a tile-covered bench in the lobby of Hotel Villa Mora.

September 9 – Beach Towels for Two

In the background, the heart of Giardini Naxos lines the bay. As the
curve of the cove approaches Cape Schiso’, crayon-colored boats
join sunbathers on the sand.

The immediate plan was to concede some well-earned beach time for Gino. He deserved a break from my relentless running around. From one of the many tourist shops facing the water, we bought two beach towels (each featuring a large map of Italy) and walked across the street to the strip of sandy beach. After finding a perfect patch of sand on which to spread our towels, we plunged into the waiting sea: refreshing, clear, and salty.

Gino intermittently basked and dove, while I read guidebooks and wrote postcards in between cooling dips. Usually, I am not fond of beach sitting, and swimming is not my favorite thing. The ocean in northern California is grey and numbs your toes within minutes of submersion. But these Mediterranean waters were something else. Slightly cool at first, you almost immediately warm up, and then it just becomes refreshing and rejuvenating. The extreme clarity enables you to see the bottom at any given spot, and the color makes you feel like you’re swimming in liquid azure jewels. So salty, the water kept us buoyant; it would have been difficult to sink if we tried.

The beach was just as interesting. Street vendors, or Bagabonds as we dubbed them, picked their way down the beach, arms laden with clothes on hangers. You could buy a dress from your beach blanket! A young and pretty Asian woman dressed in white gave back massages to beach-combers — a true entrepreneur! Her business appeared to be booming.

Enough relaxing. I was anxious to continue exploring this kicked-back little resort. Given the option, Gino decided to abandon his watery sanctuary to join me in further hunts.

The Sporting Baia Hotel. This fantastical sugar cube structure enthralled me.
Situated on the wide promenade curving along Giardini Naxos’ picturesque bay,

the views from the upper rooms must be spectacular. I was content to stand
with my back to the sea, gazing up at this marshmallow fantasy.

Looking back towards the main part of Giardini Naxos, colorful fishing and
pleasure crafts bob the surface of the cove. Note the Sporting Baia Hotel on
the left, past the flags.

Naxos Archaeology Museum

After shaking out the last bits of beach from our towels and stashing them in our room, we followed the waterfront road until we arrived at the Naxos archaeological excavations.

Gino pauses on the last few steps of an old Bourbon fort, now home
to the Giardini Naxos Archaeological Museum.

Already knowing not to expect Pompeii, I was still curious. A small, but artifact-filled museum offered a preview to our trek out to the digs. Along with items found at the ancient site, there was a collection of old anchors and amphorae (large vases) plucked from the sea. Then it was on to the ruins.

Leafy walls offer shade and a respite from the blazing Sicilian sun
on the grounds of the Archaeological Museum.

Splashes of color soften the iron bars of this enticing window of an
unidentified building within the compound of the archaeological digs.

A wide trail led us out about half a mile until we arrived at the first of the ruins. Not much was left of this very first Greek colony in Sicily. First established in 735 B.C., only the stony outlines of various buildings, a low-lying lava wall, and an ancient oven now remain. The only other explorers we met were one couple and one lone woman, who asked us if we knew where the distant road led. Unfortunately, we did not. “That’s OK, I’m in no hurry,” she said, as we hurried off.

A bronze statue of Sileno (Silenus, in Greek mythology) sits playfully
near the sea. Created by Master Domenico Tudisco in 1984, Sileno
celebrates the town’s ancient Greek origins. Never without his jug,
he was best friends with Bacchus and taught him the pleasures of
drink and the love of glory.

After paying our respects to Sileno, Gino and I pause for a cold beer
and a glass of local wine at a friendly taverna along the waterfront.

Back in the middle of town, we enjoyed a relaxing outdoor lunch, spent a little more time on the beach, and later heaved ourselves back on the bus for another trip up to Taormina.

Cable Car Ride to Mazzaro Beach

At the end of the funivia (cable car), Mazzaro’ Beach lies three
vertical miles from Taormina.

This time, instead of walking directly into Taormina, we pulled off the main drag to jump on the cable car that creaked down the steep hill to Mazzaro beach on the other side of the inlet from Giardini Naxos.

For the first time, the weather seemed to be turning iffy — we were glad we had already done our time at the beach. As our enclosed gondola creaked and groaned in its descent, we noticed gathering clouds and wondered if sprinkles would follow. Etna was shrouded in a gauzy mist.

Alice In Wonderland meets ancient Greece. Behind this whimsical gate
lies one of the exclusive hotels of Mazzaro’ Beach.

At the bottom, we searched around for the “most-often photographed patch of beach” in the area (according to the guidebook). We didn’t find it, our view obliterated by banks of trees or fancy hotel entrances. We did, however, find a trail that led to a tiny cove dotted with rusty little boats.

Satisfied that we were staying on the best side of the islet, we scrambled back onto the swaying cable car, sharing the ride up to Taormina with some nervous Italian tourists who kept hiding their eyes as we ascended.