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PHOTO GALLERY:
Taormina, Naxos & Catania (Sicily)
13-15 Aug, 2005


Page Description

This photogallery consists of many photos This photogallery consists of many photos from a short holiday in Taormina, Gardini Naxos and Catania in the beautiful island of Sicily, south of Italy. The holiday took place between 13th and 15th August as my first birthday present to my fresh wife. In these towns we visited we have seen dream beaches (especially Isola Bella), delicious food, panoramic views from the high mountains, and few of the many historical places.

Taormina is a small town located on a mountain, while Gardini Naxos is a long road (about 5km) just beside the sea coast, which is lined with many hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, gelaterie, pubs. Catania is more or less more building blocks, but it has a very large and noisy market, a beautiful garden (Bellini Garden), and many catholic churches and historical sites. Crazy traffic too! Taormina is definitely a beautiful city with many views and sites, while Gardini naxos offers incredible beaches, especially near Isola Bella and Mazzaro.


Visitor hits from 17-Aug-05:   


Picture Index

Pics 01-10
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Pics 11-20
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Pics 21-30
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Pics 31-40
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Pics 41-50
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Pics 51-60
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Pics 61-70
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Pics 71-80
Displayed

Pics 81-90
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Pics 91-100
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Photos

Sicily2005-70 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)
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.

Sicily2005-71 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.

 



Sicily2005-72 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.


Sicily2005-73 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.

 


Sicily2005-74 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)
Stairs leading down the hill back to the centre of Taormina.

Sicily2005-75 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)
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)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)
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.

Sicily2005-77 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.


Sicily2005-78 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.

 


Sicily2005-79 :
3 day Summer holiday in Catania, Taormina and Gardini Naxos in Sicily, Italy(Aug/05)
 Sicily2005  - Click on image to view a larger photo. (about 300kb)

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.






Picture Index

Pics 01-10
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Pics 11-20
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Pics 21-30
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Pics 31-40
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Pics 41-50
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Pics 51-60
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Pics 61-70
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Pics 71-80
Displayed

Pics 81-90
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Pics 91-100
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All photos are copyright of the author (Stephen Mifsud) and written permission is required before any form of publication, either on the internet or printed