East Coast of Sicily – Taormina, Italy

July 2023

East Coast of Sicily – Taormina, Italy

After our amazing trip to Sardinia last year, we were hooked on Eurosummer. We had wanted to visit Sicily for a while and this solidified it for this year. We had a week for this vacation so with eight days, we did not have time to do a romantic road trip around the island so we had to make giant cuts from typical Sicily itineraries – including the major cities of Palermo and Catania. I considered planning the entire trip in one area and seeing as much as possible but I was ultimately swayed by the beaches in the west and the beauty in the east to spend four days in each area – 4 days in Trapani and 4 days in Taormina. 

Taormina is one of the most popular spots to visit in Sicily and has recently been on the global stage for the location of White Lotus Season 2. This town sits atop the mountains overseeing the beautiful ocean below and Mt Etna in the distance. Like many parts of Sicily, Taormina was conquered by many different groups including the Romans, Arabs, Normans, French, and Spanish. It is certainly one of the must-see locations in Sicily.

After a wonderful first half of our Sicily adventure exploring the west coast, it was time to make our way to the east coast. After much research, we took a bus to make the journey. Our total trip cost was 22 euro a person to get from Trapani to Taormina – much less than the other options available in exchange for a bit more of vacation time to get there. The bus terminal in Toarmina is centrally located and only a ten minute walk to the main downtown area around Corso Umberto.

Our Airbnb was conveniently located nearby and the location really could not be more perfect. It was steps away from Corso Umberto but a private and quiet area. The space was perfect and included a washer which helped our minimal packing strategy. The host’s nephew greeted us and gave us a ton of recommendations. He was so helpful in a number of ways and I can definitely recommend staying at his B&B Porta del Re which is also on this street. After a long travel day, we were starving and ready to explore.

We passed under the Porta Messina gate. Our first stop on our walk down Corso Umberto was around the corner at Gelatomania for one of the best rated gelatos in Taormina and it definitely deserves that praise. This spot was busy the entire trip but do not be afraid of the line as it always moves quickly. We thoroughly enjoyed our first treat as we explored Taormina. 

The views down Corso Umberto were straight out of a painting – beautiful balconies adorned with flowers and plants which brought such dimension of the street and alleys every which way completely decorated with lights or flowers that made each one a picture perfect scene. I could not stop taking photos so I have tons to share. 

There are several squares along Corso Umberto. The clock town has an incredible terrace when you will find iconic views of Mt Etna and the beaches below. It was hard to not go look out into the sea each time we passed this area. There is also a church opposite the terrace and beautiful floral trees that outline it. This area is obviously quite popular given the easy viewing access to such amazing views. 

The other square is home to the duomo which is simple inside and outside. There is also a large fountain here and all fountains contain drinkable water. Note that all the fountains and tap water are safe to drink!
Then we made it to the opposite gate to where we started and the views of Mt Etna only improved as we explored a little garden area. We were already so impressed with Taormina and it had only been a few hours. 

There are two attractions in downtown Taormina we wanted to explore. The first is Parco Duca di Cesaro which is a once private park and garden owned by Lady Florence Trevelyan. The park is now public and has free admission. During summer evenings, there are various performances that occur inside the park. Where the park is situated, it also gives for sweeping views of Mt Etna and the coastline below. 

We continued to weave through the streets and alleys to get to the second attraction – Teatro Antico di Taormina – but it was mobbed so we decided to check back later tonight and instead keep exploring. These streets were simply stunning.

Wedecided to head to our Airbnb’s recommended spot for dinner at Liola Osteria and Bar just around the corner from the Airbnb itself. We got front row seats to a wild intersection as we watched various cards and scooters continue to “fail” to navigate the two forks in the road. 

• We started with a glass of wine for myself and an Aperol spritz for Kevin.
• As an appetizer, we shared one of the specials which was Mozzarella with zucchini flowers. While I mistakenly thought it was fried zucchini flowers, this was mozzarella with raw zucchini flowers wrapped around it. Though it was not fried, it was really delicious and I am glad I ordered it. 
• Parmigiana di melanzane – fried eggplant, tomato sauce, parmesan, onion basil. Sicily seems to specialize in eggplant so seeing an eggplant parm on the menu really caught our attention. Kevin order this and it really was so tasty and flavorful. The eggplant was prepared perfectly and the combination of cheese and gravy felt like home. 
• Linguine Liola – prawn, Sicilian orange, pistachios. I ordered something very different which was pasta with prawns, oranges, and pistachios. And I have to say, it worked really well and I thought it was so delicious. The sauce had a creaminess to it and the citrus of the orange gave just a hint of sweetness that paired with the succulent prawn and the salt pistachio.
  While we did not have dessert, the server brought us Lemoncello to enjoy which was such a nice treat!
  

After a delicious meal, we returned back to Teatro Antico di Taormina to a much lighter crowd. It was our luck that for two nights the teatro was open to the public much later than normal. And I will say, the views from atop this amazing structure.

Read about Teatro Antico di Taormina and see all the amazing photos here!

For only a few hours, we explored so much of Taormina and got a great lay of the land. We could not wait for the next few days here.

Day 5

Our first full day in Taormina and we were very excited for our plans today. We started the morning with pastry and coffee – it was noticeable how much more expensive Taormina is from Trapani as this same breakfast was a few euro more here. Today we were going to have a full beach day!

Read about our beach day – including exploring the famous Isola Bella and visiting a beach club – here!

After washing away the salt of the ocean, we were ready for another evening strolling around Taormina. Our first stop was for the famous Bam Bar granita. Up until this point, granita had been a fun to try but nothing that could top gelato. Bam Bar is a Taormina establishment frequented by tourists, locals, and celebrities alike. According to reviews, this was THE place in Sicily to get granita. 

Does Bam Bar live up to the hype? Read about our experience at Bam Bar here!

We continued our stroll down Corse Umberto enjoying all the views as the sun set and the lights turned on all down the street. Our dinner tonight was at the opposite gate to where we were staying so once we made it to the end, we made our way to Trattoria Tiramisu Mimmo and Son. We picked here as it was our Airbnb host’s recommendation but when we arrived, it looked like the secret was out – the place was mobbed.

Read about our experience dining at Trattoria Tiramisu here!

I loved our walks down Corso Umberto as we had to walk the entire street to return to our Airbnb. It just allowed us to have constant contact with this street. On this night, the moon was low, enormous, and orange. We walked to the viewpoint by the clock tower to observe the spectacular show the moon had for us this evening. What a magical way to end our first full day in Taormina. 

Day 6

After breakfast at Bam Bar, it was Vespa time! After the delays with our first Vespa rental in Trapani, I sent a message to our reservation confirmation pick up for 830AM when they opened. After a series of back and forth messages, we found out that they would not have a scooter by a certain time since the one we rented would be returned that morning. We were a bit nervous since we had reservations at 10AM an hour away. Since we did not want to stress, we found a different rental company nearby our Airbnb – Autonoleggio Italia which worked out perfectly. We arrived at 830AM and drove off for our day wine tasting in the Mt Etna DOC. The drive out and around this area is simply gorgeous and exploring it on a Vespa was so amazing.

A note on driving in Sicily (and really Italy in general) – the reputation of crazy driving and no rules is accurate to an extent. There is an understanding between all the drivers on the unwritten rules of the road. For us on the scooter, we took a very safe approach to going to speed we were comfortable and allowing drivers to simply pass us. And I think that is the trick here – do not slow down the traffic, do not be the reason for honking and “rude” driving, simply pull over and allow the rush to pass and continue on. If you are uncertain about navigating city streets, do the same – pull over or find a safe spot to park to gather yourself, observe your surroundings, check a map, and then proceed. 

Read about our day wine tasting through the Mt Etna wine region here!

Upon our return to Taormina, we immediately returned the Vespa before walking back to the Airbnb to freshen up. Dinner tonight was located away from the tourist area down a few alleys at Teatro 44 for a different take on Sicilian cuisine.

Read the dining review for Teatro 44 here!

Day 7

Our last full day in Sicily! And we had something big planned. For us, visiting Mt Etna was essential for our trip and we were going to get an up close and person al look at the beautiful volcano.

Read about our journey climbing Mt Etna here!

We were filthily when we returned to the Airbnb – who knew lava could be so dirty. After washing up, we planned our final afternoon in Taormina, mostly be hitting all our favorites. We walked down Corso Umberto and made a number of stops:

• Re di Bastoni Pub for aperitivo of drinks and bruschetta
• Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto for a decent cannolo
• Granita at Bam Bar
• Various sites along Corso Umberto

At the end of our stroll down Corso Umberto was our dinner at CutìLuDissi. The restaurant has a fantastic terrace as it is on the second level and the views are just gorgeous, especially as the sun set. It is hard to believe we were actually climbing Mt Etna just hours ago.

Since we snacked the entire way to dinner, we kept it reasonable by ordering pasta only. I ordered the tagliatelle with mix shellfish and Kevin ordered the paccheri with white ragu and truffles.

We loved our meal and while we contemplated dessert, we were entirely too full. I was happy we had a nice long walk back to the Airbnb to digest. This was the perfect way to end our Sicily trip.

Day 8

We had a very early rise to take the first bus out of Taormina and back to the airport. The walk in the morning was so peaceful as the town was still fast asleep.

And with that, our time in Taormina and the east coast of Sicily came to an end. We were so impressed and I know we only scratched the surface of what the east coast of Sicily has to offer. Taormina was a wonderful base for exploring this area and would definitely recommend it if you are creating your Sicily itinerary. Even though Taormina is certainly a tourist destination, we really enjoyed our time here and loved our summer vacation in Sicily.

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

The Perfect One Week Itinerary for Sicily – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

My complete packing list for Sicily – here!

See all blog posts for Sicily – here!