Exploring Taormina: A Morning Plan of Attack and Hidden Garden Gems

Day 30. 10th September: Getting up Early to Beat The Crowds

We finished breakfast around 8:50 AM, giving us just enough time to reach town before the shops opened. The weather was warm already, sitting at 28°C with humidity in the high 80s, so we lathered on the sunscreen and headed uphill toward the center.

Our timing was perfect. Store owners were out front sweeping and washing down their storefronts, while others were arranging their best outdoor displays to lure in the unaware tourists. Leanne began ducking into all the clothing stores she’d spotted yesterday, now enjoying the freedom to browse without me "annoying" her. I left her to herself as she knew exactly what she wanted and was busy comparing prices.

There were a few people about, but it was the perfect time to get some photos of this great-looking town and walk at your own pace rather than being herded into a corner. We took in the sights of the square, the many little side lanes, and the stairs to nowhere. We even checked the location of a lovely restaurant recommended by Bev for later: “La Scala.” We just walked and let ourselves get lost in the charm of Taormina. We also made sure to check out the gardens—another tip from Bev. We had heard they were small but quite spectacular.

The Villa Comunale di Taormina: A Welcome Break From The Humidity

We Googled the location and, after a short walk, found them: “Villa Comunale di Taormina.” They were built in the late 19th century (originally as a private garden by an English noblewoman) and later became a communal space. While not massive, they're really impressive and are something to see, offering amazing views of the town and coastline below. It was a relief, too, as the humidity had kicked in early and it was clearly going to be a stinker of a day, but the gardens felt a few degrees cooler with the sea breeze blowing up the cliff face.

We also stopped to watch some locals playing tennis on a pair of great-looking clay courts. How they manage it in this humidity, I’ll never know. Along the way, we spotted a few boys posing for Instagram shots alongside the makeup person who was a Botox "duck-lipped" woman—a sight that always gives me a laugh.

Leanne finally found exactly what she was after at a lovely little dress stall, and more importantly I found a man in a van selling granitas. With those two missions accomplished, we were both happy.

By late morning, the crowds were starting to build, and I was starting to see green wrist bands which meant a ship had landed, though not quite to the extreme we saw yesterday. We weren’t hanging around to find out. our shirts were already soaked through, and I wasn’t deviating from the "war plan."

We made our way back for a bite to eat on the hotel's bistro patio, then did a quick change into our swimmers. We hit the pool for a good couple of hours, which was a magnificent way to cool down. With a pair of deck chairs in the shade, it was the ideal way to spend a hot afternoon. The water was refreshing and surprisingly deep—ranging from 2.4 meters at its shallowest to 2.7 meters at the deep end. There was even a bar just off to one side for drinks or coffee with showers and toilets also handy.

There was a grand Italian buffet dinner at the hotel tonight accompanied by live folk music, with all the typical Sicilian dishes on display. We opted out, however, and headed back into town to “La Scala” to see if we could snag a table. It was just after 7 PM; a few people were already there, but we managed to get seated without a problem. Within thirty minutes, the place was completely full.

It is a lovely spot, with tables and chairs set up on small terraces tucked between the steps, decorated with large Sicilian vases, hanging lights, and flowers throughout. There was also a guitarist playing—Leanne affectionately called him “the boof head with the beard.” He was actually quite good, playing his own renditions of favorite songs in both English and Italian.

For dinner, I had the carbonara, and since it was another humid night, Leanne settled on the bruschetta. Both were very nice, followed by a tasty tiramisu that really hit the spot.

We walked back to the hotel and called it a night. The plan worked perfectly by getting us into town early, but tomorrow they’re forecasting scattered thunderstorms. We'll just have to wait and see what happens!