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Sicily2005-70 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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When we climbed the hill at 4pm in the afternoon, we where
really exhausted and thirsty, but thankfully there is this
spring water fountain which offers cold, fresh natural
water all year round.
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Sicily2005-71 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Up the hill there is the chapel dedicated to the Madonna
della roccia (that is the Madonna of rock). This chapel
is half built inside the rock, that is half was
a natural rock cave and the other half was built by man with stones to
form an enclosed chapel. This is a photo of the interior
of the chapel including the altar and the title statue.
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Sicily2005-72 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Close up of the statue of the Madonna della roccia.
Since today was the 14th of August, tomorrow is the
feast of this madonna and so she is decorated with flowers.
Here I
forgot some photographic equipment, that is a black
camera canon adapter connected with a BW circular polarizer
filter (MRC) and nikon UV filter. Madonna della rocca
please accept my prayers and let the one who found it
send it to me.
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Sicily2005-73 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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The Ancient Theater is not only a piece of the archaeological
patrimony in Taormina, but it is also a place of incomparable
panoramic beauty. The eye spaces from the bay of Naxos
to the Calabrian coasts, the Etna, Castelmola.
Is it Greek or Roman? Probably it was built by the Greeks
and restructured and widened in the Roman age. A proof
of that is given by the presence, under the scene, of
stone blocks, which were used by the Greeks.
The Romans built it during ten years. It is 50 meters
wide, 120 long and 20 meters high. For dimension it's
the second in Sicily, after the one in Syracuse. It
consists of three parts: the scene, the orchestra and
the cavea.
The ancient
Theater is one of the principal attractions in Taormina.
Perfectly fit and working, after having given hospitality
to the Donatello's David prize (one of the most important
Italian Cinema Festival), it is today center of Taormina
Art, international festival which goes on for the whole
summer period with theatrical and cinema reviews, ballet
and symphonic music shows.
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Sicily2005-74 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Stairs leading down the hill back to the centre of Taormina.
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Sicily2005-75 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Stairs leading down the hill back to the centre of Taormina. |
Sicily2005-76 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Once we arrived back to Taormina we took a refreshing drink
at this bar situated in one of the many twining, narrow
alleys in Taormina.
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Sicily2005-77 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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This archaeological place is called the Odeon. It was
built during the empire of Caesar August Octavian. It
was discovered by chance in June, 5th 1892. The Odeon
reproduces the bigger theater's architecture, but with
a different orientation: the Greek-Roman Theater looks
at south, while the small Odeon looks at north-east.
It is made with brick material.
It follows
the constructive scheme of all the Roman theaters and
it's divided in three parts: scene, orchestra and cavea.
The Odeon's scene is constituted by the stylobate (plinth)
and peristyle (colonnade) of a Greek temple (dedicated
to Aphrodite), which came out during the excavations.
Probably the little Odeon, built in the Polis's center,
was used to read for a part and play musical auditions
reserved to the magistrates, to the civic, military
and religious magnates with their families and also
to guests of respect.
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Sicily2005-78 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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Our tour in Taormina ended around 7pm and then we walked
all the way along the shore to reach Gardini Naxos so
as to eat and sleep (somewhere !?).
Along the
way there is this nice place called isola bella which
is a protected natural reserve, and so no people is
allowed to go after 8pm.
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Sicily2005-79 : 3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05) |
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The festive atmosphere at the street along LungoMare
at Gardini Naxos. It seems that all italians are on
holiday on the weekend around the 15th of August and
Gardini Naxos is a common site to spend the vacation
(called Fier-Agosto) with the Italians. The street,
pubs, restaurants and shores where full of people.
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