A day trip can never do a city justice, let alone a visit to a city, a mountain and stops on the way, plus some five hours’ driving time. But my recent day trip to Sicily gave me a delectable first taste of the country, enough to want to visit again and savour it in more time.

Having never experienced the day trip before, I must admit I was somewhat wary of catching a ferry at an unsocial hour in the morning and being bundled onto a coach with many people to be driven around a country I didn’t know.

Perhaps it was the excitement of seeing a new place, intensified by the copious amounts of sugar I consumed, as well as having woken up so early, but I eagerly seized napping opportunities during the coach rides, which made me find the trip refreshing and fun.

Once the catamaran docked into Pozz-allo, we hopped into a (thankfully air-conditioned) coach that drove us to our first stop at Taormina.

Midway through our ride – and nap number one – our guide drew our attention to the southern town of Ispica.

This is a beautiful, Baroque town, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1693, that boasts some 10km of scenic coastline with sandy beaches.

Picturesque Taormina with its grandiose Greek theatre was my favourite part of the trip. I have decided to forget the overpriced, bad coffee I had in the town centre.

Much like Mdina, Taormina was once protected by a circuit of walls that ran all the way from the north side that looked towards Messina and continued northeast, ending on the west side facing Catania.

You can still see some of the remains of these walls in areas such as the centre of town where the castle-like clock tower stands.

A colourful local shop in Taormina.A colourful local shop in Taormina.

Taormina, which is also known as the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, is very pretty just to look at. Think of quaint balconies decor-ated with flowerpots, medieval architecture and winding cobbled roads that are home to some lovely pottery and ceramics, antiques, jewelry, art and sweet shops: more of which later.

With only a limited time to explore, I chose to dedicate the major part of my time to wandering around the ancient Greek theatre.

Built from brick (meaning that it prob-ably dates from Roman times, albeit being built in Greek style), this is the second largest theatre in Sicily, the largest being in Syracuse.

This ancient structure is special because while only traces remain of most such theatres, this one still has many parts still preserved in their entirety.

Although most of the original seats are no longer there, the whole cavea (that is, the seating sections of the theatre) is preserved, as are the proscenium (arch) with the back wall of the skene (the background building to which the platform stage was connected) and its appendages, making the ruins beautifully picturesque.

It was wonderful to discover the remains of a small temple at the side and an arcade that once led to the theatre on top of the auditorium.

The beauty of this theatre is intensified by the gorgeous Naxos Gardens that lie behind it, serving as a stunning natural backdrop that peeks dramatically through openings in the skene.

Craters on Mount Etna.Craters on Mount Etna.

You can also climb to the top and enjoy panoramic views of the theatre, as well as of Mount Etna on a clear day.

As we drove up the steep, winding road to Mount Etna, I was glad I had not opted to use my small car, which would surely have suffered

Before starting the next leg of our journey to the aforementioned volcano, we managed to grab some mouth-watering Sicilian sweets.

Indeed my mouth still waters as I remember the many varieties of almond pastries that were so succulent they were almost creamy, as well as their pistachio equivalent.

Along our way we also bought a most divine bottle of pistachio liquor that tasted as if the nut had been blended with the creamy, Irish whisky tipple Baileys.

On the slopes of Etna we again fell for more pistachio delicacies like honey and pesto. These had been for sale on lower ground, of course, but evidently gripped by tourist fever I felt the need to purchase goods as a memento of having been so high.

As we drove up the steep, winding road, I was glad I had not opted to use my small car, which would surely have suffered as it ascended.

Being driven also meant we could appreciate sights such as the number of buildings that miraculously survived the aggressive eruptions.

Walking around on a live volcano was remarkable enough, although I would have been even more impressed had the weather been less hazy, as we would have been able to enjoy the views from the cable car. As it was, our considerate guide advised us not to make the journey because we would not see much.

But on this short trip, a quick stroll on top of the volcano and a random outburst of an accordion/dance/song number by a group of Sicilians in a nearby bar left me satisfied before the long journey home.

I can’t wait to be back!

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