White Almond Sicily

Beach Life in Giardini Naxos This year we are celebrating ten wonderful years since we bought our Sicilian home. We first visited Sicily in 2005 after I saw an article in a UK fashion magazine about alternative Valentines Day weekends away which featured Taormina. With my love of all things Italian and my husbands love of gangster movies it seemed like the perfect place for us to visit. After a lot of research I booked our flights to Catania and the charming Hotel Villa Sirina which is nestled between Taormina and Giardini Naxos. As soon as we first glimpsed the peak of a smoking Mount Etna through the airplane window and our feet touched the tarmac at the airport we had already fallen in love with the island. Our host and hotel manager Salvatore had arranged for a car to pick us up and on arrival at Villa Sirina he immediately made us feel welcome. Once we had settled in he telephoned his friend to come and drive us up the mountain in his vintage Fiat 105 to see Taormin...

It is that time of year again when love is in the air which is the perfect opportunity to whisk your special someone away to one of Europe's most romantic destinations ... Taormina. Twelve years ago in a February issue of UK Glamour magazine I read a travel article about alternative Valentine Weekend getaways and that was how I first discovered Taormina. A weekend away was booked and we fell in love with Sicily as soon as we set foot on the island, two years later we bought our Sicilian home. Taormina is perched on a series of high terraces overhung with tropical gardens overlooking a breath taking coastline and views of Mount Etna. It oozes elegance, style and glamour which has been created by a rich history full of romantic myths, legends and love stories. The town is full of beautiful flower draped villas and palazzos amongst candlelit narrow alleys with boutiques, cafes and restaurants on the pedestrianised Corso Umberto. The town is the perfect destination ...

Each year the International book festival ‘Taobuk’ is held in Taormina, the festivals aim is to attract fans and readers of literature which Taormina has a rich history of. Most of the events are held in Taormina’s most beautiful places. At last year’s festival, the City of Taormina introduced Taormina Cult, a trail through Taormina showing  ‘21 places where the muses found their home’. It is a thematic route through and around the town which includes culture, history, literature, cinema, art and gives honour to Taormina’s glorious past. I am not going to reveal everything about the 21 places because I think it is a wonderful thing for you to discover  whilst walking the trail. Each place has its own marker detailing its story, which starts at: The Grand Hotel Excelsior and Renzino Barbera The Grand Hotel Excelsior was built in 1904 and is a wonderful example of Moorish style architecture. One of its most frequent guests w...