From Siracusa we traveled to Taormina. This city is broken up into two sections; the hilltop town of Taormina and the beach section of Mazzaro. (click on the photos to see the full sized image)

The view of the coastline and Mt. Etna from the main town square of Taormina.

 Right before you enter the ruins of the Greco-Roman Amphitheater in Taormina you will see this amazing hotel. The Grand Hotel Timeo is an ultra expensive yet incredibly beautiful hotel centrally located to everything except the beach. 

 The town itself is gorgeous. We loved the details and bright colors on the regular homes of the area.

 We stayed with our Go Ahead tour group in Mazzaro at a hotel on a cliff over the beach. There were stairs down to the beach so it was very accessible. This was the view of Castelmola from our hotel balcony near sunset. 

 Zafferana Etnea is located on the side of Mt. Etna. This is still a very active volcano so there are times when this beautiful cathedral often has to deal with sweeping up ash that falls like snow.

Having been to Kilauea and Haleakala many times I wasn't too terribly impressed by the craters of Mt. Etna but with the right lighting to punch of the natural colors of the minerals it became beautiful.

I'll finish up the trip to Sicily Friday and then start on the Bavarian Castle Tour after that. Hope you can join me here!

Cat