Greek Amphitheater (Teatro Greco), Taormina, Sicily

Advantages: An incredible country
Disadvantages: Sicilian drivers!

...in Europe has made for a colourful past, with a stream of conquering nations, each of which have left a little of their identity on the island. Greeks, Romans, Spanish, Arabs - and many others have fought over and occupied the island over the years. When Sicily was eventually unified with Italy, it wasn't exactly a cause for celebration for most Sicilians. In fact, to this day, there remains a distrust and suspicion of Italians - in particular Romans - and it seems that the feeling is mutual. When considering the history of Sicily, it is inevitable that the dreaded "M" word will crop up. And for many people, Sicily and "Mafia" will always be synonymous. But whilst the Mafia is undoubtedly part of the country's culture, it's certainly not an issue for travellers, and shouldn't put you off visiting this stunning country. *Main attractions... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: historicaly interesting, prety town, great views
Disadvantages: long train journet from Palermo

...Taormina is a very pretty town on the Eastern coast of Sicily. We took a very slow train journey from Palermo along the North coast, which took the best part of a day, having to change and wait in Messina. When you get to Taormina station you will find yourself at the bottom of the hill so you would need to hire a taxi or wait for a local bus to take you up to the town. The buses didn't seem too predictable but then we were arriving on a Sunday. All other information pointed to the weekday service being somewhat more reliable. However, when you get up into the town you will realise that the journey is well worth it. Taormina is a very pretty historic town. Visit the amphitheatre for fantastic views of Mount Etna. A walk up a steep path behind the town affords more spectacular vies of Etna and the coast The town can basically... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful places, tropical beaches sun in summer, snow in winter! Perfect!
Disadvantages: Not much to do in some places.

...that live in the dark! Scary! --- Enna - This is the only province without a coastline, but the scenery, especially in the spring is unsurpassed! Centuripe (Chen-too-REE-peh) is well worth a visit, its home to vast ruins dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman times, including castles and spas. There is a museum there also, although last I heard it wasn't free admission. A place worth going to is Sperlinga (spare-LIN-gah) which has an old Norman castle that offers tours, visit this website for more information: http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/en/sperlinga/turismo/turismo.html --- Messina - (meh-SEE-nah) This province is at the North East of Sicily, almost joined to Italy. If you were driving from Italy to Sicily you would inevitably pass here. One place that is a must is the amphitheatre of Taormina (Tah... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful