Ferry & Taormina Eventually

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Geo: 37.8531, 15.2878

This morning we took the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina. One trip on a Greek ferry will convince you that BC Ferries gives us a good deal. The ferries seem to be privatized and although very frequent (40 minutes for this company) are not very clean and the access is very difficult - you get the tickets in one place and then go to another place to board. Arriving in Messina is a bit of an experience. All the traffic converges to a T junction with 2 lanes turning into one. We finally got on the toll road and exited for the villa. The GPS took us on a circuitous route to a nearby town and then finally we found the villa.

The town of Taormina is a medieval town which has become a prime tourist destination. Again we found ourselves in the situation where the hotel does not have parking on site. However, a porter takes your luggage from the car and then takes the car and parks it somewhere (?) else.

The Villa Schuler is is a 3 generation family owned hotel since 1905. It is known of its refined ambiance and informal atmosphere and has seen extensive upgrading. It is centrally located in the town and is surrounded by its own gardens. Looking down from the hotel is the Bay of Naxos.

The main street Corso Umberto is traffic free and lined with shops and congested with tourists even though it is only May. One cannot imagine what it is like in July or August. We walked along many of the streets and returned to the hotel during the local "siesta time". Later we will venture out for dinner.

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Comments

[Carla]

What a beautiful place and the lemons, very bumpy on the outside but I would imagine they taste the same as ours. Enjoy, enjoy.