Day 7 - Exploring at your leisure
You are free to spend today as you wish, perhaps unwinding on
the hotel's private beach. If you go for a swim, you can admire the
underwater fossilised lava flows from age-old Etna eruptions.
Another option is to take a boat tour from Giardini Naxos harbour
to the picturesque marine park of Isola Bella. This tiny outcrop is
connected to the mainland by a thin ribbon of sand rising above the
turquoise sea.
Heading to the Taormina-Giardini railway station, that featured
in a scene in The Godfather Part III, you can get the train to
Catania - a largely undiscovered city that buzzes with Sicilian
vibrancy. Having been reconstructed over the centuries due to
earthquakes and Etna's eruptions, its streets are dotted with
impressive sites situated unassumingly between recent
buildings.
The well-preserved 13th-century Castello Ursino sits in a
picturesque square and visitors can discover the city's history in
the castle's museum, while the 2nd-century Greco-Roman amphitheatre
is next to the Roman Odeon in the middle of a residential area. The
ornate Baroque exterior of the Catania Cathedral dominates the
Piazza del Duomo in between the main shopping street of Via Etnea
and the bustling fish market.
As the birthplace of composer Vincenzo Bellini, Catania honours
its revered son on the piazza that bears his name, as well as in
its cuisine. Named after his popular opera, Pasta alla Norma is a
delicious dish of aubergine in tomato sauce. You can stop at an
osteria or trattoria for a lunch of this signature Sicilian dish
and a glass of local wine, before returning to your hotel for
dinner tonight.
Includes