Taormina

Mamma Nelly, whose stunning cliff-side home I'm staying in while in Taormina, is the sweet warm welcoming Italian grandma of your imagination. She has a way of always speaking to me as though I'm fluent in Italian: of course she knows I'm not, but she speaks only Italian and just loves to chat. She's so sweet.









Took the Funivia down to sea level from Nelly's home in the Taormina hills. Got some sun and did some solid swimming in the Baia di Spisone (part of the Mediterranean Sea) at Mazzeo beach just north of Taormina in eastern Sicilia. The weather is about 85 degrees accompanied by a pleasant breeze, the sea is cool and refreshing, and quite buoyant due to it's high salinity.






Found both a good slowfood gelateria and a granita shop that were full of Italians and away from the more touristy areas. The pistacchio gelato was ultra nutty and simply delicious. It's made with a special type of pistacchio nut that is only grown in nearby Bronte, Sicilia.









Ate some dinner at a great little place. The menu was only in Italian, a good indicator of authentic quality. The spada linguine was intensely flavorful, the vino inexpensive and good.



The whole mafia thing must be a myth. So far in Sicilia I haven't come across anyone who seemed like they might be mafia.

Location:Sicilia