| A few days in lovely Taormina
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Mount Etna was one of the magnificent views from our hotel balcony |

,,, at sunset |
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Hotel Villa Diodoro |

A Sicilian lizard |

Most visitors start at this square ... |

... a detail along the main road |

Ancient Byzantine tombs on way to bus station |

A walk up this street led to the town center and our favorite
restaurant,
La Grotta Azzurra |
| Little corners of the Giardino
Pubblico in Taormina ... |

These fanciful buildings are more for decoration than practicality and
were called "follies" |
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The woman who endowed the gardens, Florence Trevelyan, settled in
Taormina in 1899 after being "invited" to leave England following a
romantic liaison with the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VII.
(Click for a close-up) |
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Not every spot in the garden r honors nature.
(Click to see
close-up) |
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| An afternoon up the mountain in
Castelmola ... |

The winding road there |
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We soon found out what had drawn a crowd of touring teens to make a
giggling peek at the decor of Bar Turrisi,
left, where we stopped for a pizza. It is the only place we've been with
X-rated
menus and
place
mats.
For the whole story, check out
Bar Turrisi's web site. |

The small city plaza |

Some side streets |
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View of a monastery on another mount |
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As the afternoon grew, so did the clouds |
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