White Almond Sicily

Taormina is Sicily's first true holiday resort and has been drawing visitors to the island for centuries, all of whom fall in love with its sparkling and colourful beauty. Taormina makes a fabulous holiday with glorious hotels, restaurants and shops as well as gorgeous beaches and beautiful gardens. It is a great base for exploring the rest of the island and boasts a micro-climate all year round. One of the things I love most about writing my Blog is the amount of lovely emails I receive and it is such a pleasure and honour when people ask my advice on things to do and excursions to book whilst staying in Taormina. Whether you join a guided group bus tour, book a private driver or hire a car there are many wonderful things to experience on the eastern side of Sicily from Taormina. So by popular demand and in no particular order here are 21 recommendations for excursions and experiences you will love whilst staying in Taormina and its surrounding are...

The wine industry in Sicily has been going through a period of rapid change over the past twenty years. The popularity and prestige of Sicilian wine is rapidly on the rise. One of the best experiences in Sicily is wine tasting in a winery on the slopes of Mount Etna. Located in the Alcantara Valley on the northern side of Mount Etna you will find the medieval hilltop town of Castiglione di Sicilia which is also known as the City of Wine due to its proximity to so many of Mount Etna's wineries. Below the town is the delightfully named 'Strade del Vino dell Etna' (the roads of Etna's wine). Along these roads you can visit some of Mount Etna's wineries and taste the volcanos fabulously delicious wines. In May this year we had decided to escape the madness of the G7 Summit which was being held in Taormina and head for a mountain getaway to Agriturismo San Cataldo in the heart of the Alcantara Valley which put us in a prime location for wine tasting. We hav...