After disembarking from the ferry in Messina, we fought the traffic for a while (it could have been and was usually a lot thicker than we encountered on this occasion, according to Domenico, our guide) before heading out along a section of autostrada along the north coast. We then cut inland over the mountains and enjoyed a marvellous stretch of road with both tight twisties and some nice sweepers, accompanied all the time by splendid views over the countryside.
We stopped to have a look at a part of the gorge of Alcantara where a river has cut its way through beds of lava flows. Domenico said this was just a 100 steps down from the road - it was 250. Going down was not too bad, coming back up was a different story as the temperature had risen to around 30 deg. and there was plenty of sun.
Our hotel was not in Taormina itself, but a few kilometres north and we spent a couple of nights there. My shots of Taormina at the end of the video include a couple I took last year when my wife Mary and I stayed in the town for a short holiday.
I am happy to say that the video below does reasonable justice to the route.
Great blog Chris! And great video too! Next time I will remember the gorge of Alcantara is more than 200 steps down from the road :)
ReplyDeleteBig hug, ciao!!!
Domenico
Thanks Domenico! The gorge was worth the climb though!
DeleteAnother great video Chris, you under rate yourself! Love the mist and clouds in the valleys in the middle third. I would have had to explore further up that lava gorge, even at the expense of getting wet feet.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul. Yes, I loved the mist although it gave me quite a surprise when we encountered it just round a corner, before which the sky had been perfectly clear.
DeleteThe water in that river was quite cold, I think a wetsuit might have been needed for serious exploration.