This post is the continuation of a series documenting our travels to the eastern part of the beautiful Italian island of Sicily in the European Spring of 2025. We had spent an amazing three nights in the resort town of Taormina where we had seen all the sights ( Teatro Antico & Isola Bella, an eventful morning in Taormina – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 3 ), hiked in the hills above when the town got crowded in the day ( The Saracen Castle, Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca & Castelmola – Hikes in Taormina, Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 4 ) and most of all we had enjoyed walking around the beautiful old town of Taormina early in the morning when everything was quiet and the town beautifully lit up ( Taormina at Dawn – Serene & Beautiful – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 2 ).
We ended our last evening in Taormina by having a light dinner at what had become our favourite place to enjoy a hot dinner with minimum fuss -Rosticceria Da Cristina. We got the usual Spinach Arancini for the better half while I tried out their special stuffed Sicilian Pizza with ham. I also had a pint of Sicilian beer to wash it all down. Even though Da Cristina was just off the Duomo square it was always peaceful in the evening and made for a perfect dinner spot in crowded Taormina – good hot food and decent prices and no crowds.
Enjoying our last dinner at the Rosticceria Da Cristina in Taormina
We then walked back to the B&B Evelyne for our last nights stay there. It had been an excellent choice for a stay in Taormina. Right in the middle of Old town but still away from the crowds of the main drag. The excellent breakfast and the warmth and hospitality of the owner was an added welcome bonus.
The narrow lanes of Taormina
Corso Umberto stays crowded till late in the night
The lane of our B &B peaceful at the same time
In the lobby of the B & B Evelyne in Taormina
The next day we were supposed to leave for the Island neighbourhood of Ortigia in the city Siracusa after breakfast but I couldn’t resist getting up before sunrise while letting the better half sleep and take one more walk around Taormina. I have already described these places in my previous posts so I will just post the photos here. It was so peaceful walking on those beautiful streets all lit up with only the town sanitation workers for company ( Each greeted with a wide smile and a “Buon Giorno!).
Piazza IX Aprile from behind the statue of Oscar Wilde
Lights twinkle along the coastline with Mt Etna always looming in the background
The sheer cliffs along which the town of Taormina is located
The narrowest of the narrow streets in Taormina – Vicolo Stretto
Porta di Mezzo all lit up before dawn
The beautiful colours of dawn as the sun rises over Taormina
Streets go vertically up from Piazza IX Aprile with the Saracen Castle high above
Piazza Duomo at dawn with only friendly sanitation workers for company
The San Domenico Palace luxury hotel at dawn
The beautifully coloured sky made me recompose and take more photos
Palazzo dei Duchi di Santo Stefano
Porta Catania the end of my usual morning walk around Taormina
Sitting at our favourite spot on Piazza IX Aprile watching the sky change colour
Church of St Catherine of Alexandria
Palazzo Corvaja at the Porta Messina end of town
The small Church of St Dominic in Taormina
Back at B & B Evelyne after my last morning walk around Taormina
I reached the B & B after ambling around the Old town for a good hour and a half to find the better half ready to go for breakfast. So I packed away the camera gear, got our luggage ready to check out and then went to the terrace to enjoy the last of our delicious breakfasts at the B & B Evelyne.
Enjoying our last breakfast at the B & B Evelyne in Taormina
After breakfast we went back to our room and sat in the balcony for some time before the better half suggested one more walk to sit on our spot at Piazza IX Aprile. We still had time before our scheduled bus down to the train station so I readily agreed.
In the balcony of our room at the B & B Evelyne
We then checked out of our room and kept our luggage in the lobby and informed our host that we would be back to collect it in some time. We then walked to Piazza IX Aprile and sat on the same stone bench we had frequented in our 3 days in Taormina and just enjoyed the view for some time.
One last selfie with Mt Etna at Taormina
At our regular bench at Piazza IX Aprile one last time
The Amerigo Vespucci – a training vessel of the Italian navy on display in Taormina that morning
At the old Roman walls or Naumachie in Taormina
Soon our time at Taormina was at an end so we reluctantly got off our bench and said goodbye to the volcano and headed back to our B & B to pick up our luggage. Our host was there to say “arrividerci!” to us and we headed out of Porta Messina with our luggage to the bus terminal. We took the bus to the Taormina Giardini train station for Taormina down at the coast, from where we had booked train tickets to Siracusa.
Walking to the bus terminal at Taormina with our luggage
The beautiful waiting room and lobby at the Taormina Giardini train station
The Taormina Giardini station had painted mosaics on the ceilings and chandeliers
The better half with the entirety of our luggage in the waiting room at Taormina Giardini Station
The train station turned out to be a pleasant surprise with decorated lobby , comfortable and beautifully done waiting room with painted ceilings. Out of habit we had reached the train station well before time so a good waiting room was a great place to rest our legs before we crossed over to the platform on the other side of the tracks before our train arrived.
The underpass leading to the platform on the other side of the tracks
From here I got the opportunity to take photos of the old fashioned navy ship – the Amerigo Vespucci that we had seen from above in Taormina. So I took out my 300mm and took a few photos of the ship to pass time as we waited for our train.
The Amerigo Vespucci naval ship from the train station in Taormina
While researching the trip I had been very apprehensive about the public transport in Sicily. With each passing day that apprehensiveness reduced as everything seemed to be running as expected. Don’t expect the precision and punctuality of the Swiss, but public transport did the job as expected! Our train trip to Siracusa was uneventful and we reached Siracusa Centrale railway station on time!
On the train from Taormina to Siracusa
At Siracusa Centrale we had a decision to make on how to reach our B & B in the island neighbourhood of Ortigia about 1.5- 2 km away. The weather was decent, the walk was a flat one and our luggage wasn’t excessive so we decided to walk to our B &B aided by the offline maps I had downloaded prior to our trip. I had chosen the island of Ortigia for our 3 nights in Siracusa because it was the ancient birthplace of the now bustling city of Siracusa. It was an island that was almost abandoned a few decades ago but tourism has brought about a positive change here and it’s now the place to stay in Siracusa.
We reached our B &B Aretusa Vacanze in a small lane near the Arethusa fountain on the island of Ortigia. Our room was ready so we quickly kept our luggage and hurried to have lunch before the restaurants closed down as it was already well past the Sicilian lunch time. Restaurants in Sicily (most of them ) close down from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm or so, so we had no time to lose.
We went to a restaurant called Oz Ortigia right down the lane from our B & B and sat down and had the first of our tasty meals in Ortigia. The better half had a plate of Pasta Ala Norma while I had a Swordfish steak with baked potatoes. I also had a great locally brewed beer which the waiter recommended.
Enjoying our late lunch at the Oz Ortigia
With that great meal in our tummy we took a small walk around to get a lay of the land and then went back to our room to have an late afternoon siesta – when in Sicily do as the Sicilians would!
The clear waters around the island of Ortigia
At the waterfront near the Arethusa fountain
We woke up refreshed and decided the best way to spend our first evening in Ortigia was to just go and stand by the sea on the walkway the goes around the island. The sky had beautiful colours that evening and made for extremely pretty photos. Even though it had been warm in the afternoon the breeze made the evenings cool and we were glad we had worn our light jackets for our evening walk.
The cool sea breeze, clear waters all around and the beautiful historic buildings made every evening in Ortigia ones to remember. Plus there was not even a fraction of the crowds that we had encountered in Taormina – a perfect place for us all in all!
Beautiful skies and the Golden light of dusk makes Ortigia look even prettier
Enjoying the view from our spot along the walkway at the southern tip of Ortigia
Clear waters , pretty skies and historic building along the waterfront in Ortigia
No need to roam around when you get a beautiful view
After we had our fill of the sea breeze for that evening we walked towards the Piazza Duomo the main square of Ortigia. We expected it to be crowded at that time of the day but were pleasantly surprised to see a manageable number of people enjoying the huge and monument filled square.
The narrow lanes of Ortigia are not spotless but they ooze charm
The huge Piazza Duomo in Ortigia
We walked around the square but I didn’t take any more photos then as I knew that that the lights would come on in some time as the sun set and would make the place even more photogenic. As we had eaten a late lunch we decided to go to a local fried fish shop called “Sicily Fish and Chips” which served Fried Calamari which I wanted to eat and also had a fried Mix Veggies and chips platter for the better half. It also had seats and tables on the street where we waited as our food was freshly fried. The Calamari was excellent and the better half enjoyed her fried Veggies too which was great, we would be back for more before our time in Ortigia was done.
At the Sicily Fish and Chips shop enjoying our fried dinner !
Enjoying the calamari that I had been wanting to eat since we reached Sicily
My fried Calamari and the better half’s fried veggie platter
We enjoyed our dinner at leisure as the empty tables around us soon filled up with others enjoying their fresh fried fish. By the time we finished dinner it was getting dark and the lights on the Piazza Duomo would be on. So we walked there and as expected the lights made it even better. I made a mental note to myself to be here before sunrise at least once to get photos of this majestic square without any people around.
The Duomo di Siracusa all lit up
The beautiful facade of the Duomo di Siracusa
The Church of St Lucia at the other end of the square
We saw a conveniently located Gelato shop and bought a cone of Gelato each to cap off a great day spent in two of the prettiest cities in Sicily. I bought a lemon flavoured gelato to try something new while the better half went with her tried and tested Hazelnut gelato. We have found it impossible to find a bad Gelato in Italy till now and this one didn’t spoil that record too!
Enjoying a gelato at the Duomo Square in Ortigia
We enjoyed our Gelato while sitting on the steps of the Duomo watching the locals and tourists enjoy the beautiful public space. These pretty squares are what keep bringing me back to Europe year after year.
Enjoying our Gelato on the steps of the Duomo di Siracusa
We had started the day at a pretty square in Taormina and ended it on an equally pretty one in Ortigia. Ortigia was living up to the low key beauty reputation that I had read about and I was sure I was going to enjoy my morning walks here in the days to come.
We had a visit to the famous Neapolis Archaeological Park in the mainland planned the next day which held some of the best Greek and Roman ruins in Sicily. But that is topic for another post some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Ciao!
yogictravel 
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