On the 6th we took a private car from Siracusa to Taormina with a stop over in Catarina to see the WWII museum.  We didn’t really give the museum it’s due.  There are 4 major sections to see after viewing a film that describes the beginning of WWII and sets the stage for the Allied invasion of Sicily – causing much destruction and death to Italians but pushing the Germans out to the mainland.

It was interesting to see/hear it all from the Italian perspective.  Since their government had voluntarily aligned with the Germans there were no home battles until the Allies arrived.  An interesting bit of information was that the Allies worked with the mafia to establish ties with Italians opposed to fascism and used them to sabotage local sites and make it easier for the Allies to invade. The first floor was about the allied invasion progression – where there were German or Italian controlled areas, where the Americans landed, and where the British landed. A 3D model of the island showed the movement of troops and the locations of battles.

Next was a floor of uniforms and equipment for all the forces: Italian, German, American and British. There were illustrations of the uniforms of officers and enlisted, summer and winter, dress and combat.  Going by this it would appear that every solder had multiple uniforms.  The displays were very comprehensive.  The next section was about key figures and the negotiations.  Photos, films, wax figures.  All the players.  And, then there were detail illustrations of specific troop movements – an illustrated map for every American and British division.  And, statistics on military, civilian and Jewish deaths by country. It is quite a museum.  

Taormina::  Etna morning/evening, active/quiet, cloudy/clear.  Although Taormina  is a lovely mountain village with views of the sea one is always checking for the perfect view of Mount Etna.  It is lovely under almost all conditions.  A magical vision.   We arrived in Taormina early enough to have several hours to walk around before dinner. The shops tell the story.  Designer shops AKA St Tropez mixed with ceramics and perfume stores.  Want a Rolex?  It’s there.  Want a ceramic lemon juicer? You can get it without having to walk more than 10 feet.  From about 10 to 5 the streets are full of day trippers from cruises or nearby towns.  But, starting about 6 the crowds die down.

On day 2 we did the Rick Steves walk which led us to spots we probably would not have seen on our own. Old palaces, remainders of old city walls, architectural details and the symbolism, The walk ended near the Greek/Roman theatre which is remarkable for it’s location on a cliff face. Our last day we took a bus to a town even higher in the hills which afforded a look down on Taormina.

Room 162 was very small but the little terrace was private. Here is a panorama of the view from our balcony.