Castelmola & Isola Bella: Mountain Views and the Stairs to the Abyss

The morning was as humid as they predicted; we planned to see the small town of “Castelmola" which sits above Taormina. It's an old, ancient town that was once a military stronghold for the Spanish.

After another magnificent buffet breakfast, we made our way to the bus terminal, bought ourselves a couple of tickets, and waited for the bus. We got to talking to a couple from England and Wales who must have been on a cruise, as it was their free day and they were on their way up there too. I was hoping the other two thousand didn't have the same idea.

1985 Vespa Piaggio PK 125S 

The bus trip up took a little longer than I expected, winding along narrow roads where there was no room for error, it felt worse than the Amalfi Coast and that's saying something. Our typical Italian driver talked the entire way. We couldn’t tell if he was on the phone or chatting with the two ladies to his right, but the speed of his words had us giggling. The only time he paused to draw breath was when he wound down the window to yell at a motorcyclist who had cut him off.

Fifteen minutes later, we reached the top where a massive sweeping 180-degree view of the ocean and the surrounding hills greets you. We made our way downhill into the small town, wandering through narrow lanes and window-shopping along the way. The shop owners up here are more persistent than those in Taormina, bit like a dog snapping at your heels, though the prices are much cheaper.

Eventually, we found an old church courtyard where we sat down with a couple of granitas to cool off. Andrea Bocelli was playing over the speakers, which added to the atmosphere.

Situated near the Chiesa di San Nicola di Bari (Church of St. Nicholas), is a lovely small courtyard—the perfect spot to sit down for a bite to eat or a cold drink.

While the church today was totally rebuilt in 1935, it sits on the site of a much older 16th-century one. It’s only a small church, but it is well worth stepping inside to have a look at the history preserved within its walls.

It really is a picturesque little town, but two hours here will pull you up—especially in this heat, zig-zagging up and down their roads. While Leanne did some final window-shopping, I headed up to the ruins of the old castle which is just above the bus drop off point and well worth the walk for some amazing views.

By the time I reached the top, thunder was rolling through the hills and echoing around Mount Etna in the distance and it wouldn't be long before the rain arrived. The view from the castle is incredible, offering a full 360-degree panorama of the entire landscape. 

We caught the bus back down, and once we reached the terminal, we headed straight for the cable car (funivia) to get down to the beaches. The trip only takes a few minutes, and we definitely weren't keen on another bus ride in this weather! Just as we hopped off, the rain started with a few spits before getting heavier, so we ducked for cover at a café called Lido La Pigna perched above the sand for a quick bite to eat.

I’m not sure of the exact name of the beach, but it's a small cove with the classic Italian setup of umbrellas and tables. I wasn't sure if it was a private beach or not and further around the bend, people were still out swimming despite the storm we were about to get.

The rain didn’t last long and the sun was back out again and that lifted the humidity even more, so we set off to find Isola Bella beach, a small island off one of the beaches which you can easily walk across to. We quickly realized we were nowhere near it—it was about a kilometer away in the opposite direction so up one hill and down another we trudged along, past small shops and cafes, until we saw a sign for “Isola Bella Beach.”

Well, I have never seen hundreds of steps descend at such an angle. There were people coming up who were red-faced—and not just from the sun. People were hunched over panting and hanging on to the handrail for breath. The stream of people looked like a line of ants before rain. I turned to Leanne, but I really didn’t need to say anything as the look on her face was enough. I went down about fifty steps and snapped a few photos, but the steps just descended into an abyss. I had to agree with Leanne on this; it was just too humid, any other day I would have gone down, it's something one day I may regret not doing.

Isola Bella Beach

Back at our hotel, enjoying the air-conditioning, it was time to spend a good few hours by the pool—drinking beer, swimming, and doing absolutely nothing else for the rest of the afternoon.

After our swim, we showered and headed to the bar for cocktail hour to see just how many we could consume in sixty minutes. Surrounded by free nibbles like olives, salami, cheeses, and peanuts, we kicked back and listened to an Italian singer entertaining the crowd. In the end, we managed to put away three cocktails each—not a bad effort I thought.

It wasn’t what you would call a busy day, but the combination of the heat and the humidity can be exhausting, and the hills are an absolute killer on the calf muscles!

Tomorrow, we make our way to Messina, the gateway between Sicily and the mainland. We’re only there for one night to break up the train ride, but it will be interesting to see what the town has in store for us.