Bella Italia! Our holiday.

View from the balcony - The Ariston, Taormina, Sicily

Day one - We arrive at our beautiful hotel unpack and I'm already in love, beautiful blue skies meet the turquoise sea and being high up above the picture perfect medieval town means the views are something you could only dream of.
After sorting out a little we head into town. Drunk on the view we stop at a restarant and I eat my first Italian lunch! Fat balls of mozzarella, sweet tomatoes and basil, bread, olives and an ice cold flute of preseco. Walking back through the town the photo opportunities are blowing my mind and I'm conscious if I stop at every beautiful doorway we will won't make it back to our hotel til it's dark!

Me & my massive glam sun googles! Lunch on the first day.

YUM

Pretty pretty Streets

We spend a couple of hours snoozing in the softer afternoon sun by our pool of flowers and palms.

Dinner is at the Alforno where Jon has eaten before 6 years earlier. I can feel preseco is going to feature heavily this holiday! Pizza and swordfish in Sicily, I feel very lucky. My bell'uomo is not feeling well so we walk home through the busy streets to our hotel. If I had one wish it would be to make him better.

I loved this sea urchin print...

In the square in the evening bustling with people!

Me posing!

Day two - Starts early with the bells from the monastery in front of our hotel bring rung at 7am. We don't stir for long and the next thing I know it's 10.30. A fragile Jon and I go down for breakfast. If I wanted I could have tuna, cheese, olives or a full 'Italian' cooked breakfast but I opt for muesli, chewy bread with nutella and fresh fruit.

The Monastery outside our hotel

Today to let Jon rest we find a spot by our pool and anchor for the day. I'm reading 'The Waterproof Bible' and Jon is reading Keith Richards 'Life'. The day passes punctuated with snoozing, reading and bouts in the jacuzzi. I almost forgot one of the most important parts of the day - lunch! Marinated anchovies with scilian lemon juice and chilli served with crusty bread and a sprite whilst being circled by strange long faced cats, to which I take no umbrage in the slightest. Writing this it's 4.30 and we're nearly ready to retire to get ready for dinner tonight.

We went to Grand Duco for a pizza with a view and delicious melon sorbet. Then a meander back to the hotel as Jon is still in need of recoperation. Poor egg.

One of the many beautiful churchs

Day three- An unsettled night with Jon sleeping very little so I'm sat on the balcony letting him catch up. It's 9am, it's about 30 degrees and it's beautiful. To feel the sun on your skin in the morning feels like pure warm energy penetrating my bones. So I think I'll sit here for an hour and read before some breakfast. Jon is still sleeping so I snuck out for some breakfast of muesli and watermelon. At the age of 28 I have just realised deliciousness of watermelon... and also quite concernly, the pleasure of donuts just in time for my metabolism to start to slow down - fantastic.
 

Anyway it looks like a beautiful day so perhaps if Jon is feeling well enough we will venture to the beach and then it is Figaro tonight!

Jon did feel better so we went to Isola Bella beach. Mario the waiter at the beach club and Lori - the beach clown, recognised Jon from his visit before and as being family of 'Mr John!' so we got looked after. We shared a late lunch at the Mendolia beach club about 4 o clock of swordfish involtini and seafood linguine - delicious! The afternoon sun was weaker and perfect for sleeping off the pasta. Cable car back up to our hotel about 6.30 so we could leisurely get ready for Figaro.

Isola Bella Beach

The Isola Bella (The Beautiful Island)

The cable cars!

 Jon was feeling much more chipper so we went for a glass of rosé and a gin and tonic - spanish measures. The Villa Communale is the public gardens where the performance took place and even though we couldn't understand a word we really enjoyed it! It such a lovely setting it was hard not to. After we wandered into town and shared a pizza then went to a bar for a Margarita then at 1am we went ready for bed.

Fancy straw!

A massive rose!

Figaro - sorry not the best pic!

Day four - This morning the patient is ok not back to full health but eager to seize the day. It was cloudy and didn't look very promising so we thought we would spend the day exploring the town but as soon as we were got to The Villa Communale - to take it in in the sunlight, the sun came out hotter than ever. So as there was a cruise ship in we thought we could leave the Greek theatre until tomorrow and now we are at the Mendolia beach. Jon is snokelling around the Isola Bella while I'm dribbling at the delicious aroma coming from the beach club bar- I hope he comes back soon. Mmmmmm Pasta Norma on my sister in law's insistence and calamari and chips for Jon!

Pasta Norma!

Drifting in and out of sleep in the afternoon sun - my favourite time of the day when the light is soft but its still wonderfully warm time for a foot massage on the beach. I feel very spoilt indeed. Life is sweet. And Jon said he feels the best he has all holiday, which is great news!

Jon in the sea!

Dinner that eve was at Grand Duca in the restaurant this time not the pizzeria after finding Artica di Cappinicini, the restaurant Lou had suggested was closed. We had a gorgeous sauvignon blanc, melon and Parma ham for me, shrimp cocktail for Jon then carbonara and pasta with anchovies, fennel, raisins and pine nuts for me whilst overlooking the bay and a beautiful big sail ship lit up like a Christmas tree. Profiteroles to share for pud and then a mooch back to The Ariston through the pretty streets.

Day five - Up early today to see the Greek theatre before the crowds arrive. Mind blowing history, stunning views with Etna in the background. We were feeling very smug when we left as the cruise ship hoards were just coming in. Today we thought we would try a different beach, just at the bottom of the cable car we caught the bus to Inpanema Beach Club. Smaller stones than on Isola Bella and lots of space. After a time at small boat pulled up to the beach offering trips around Isola Bella and the caves - something Jon has really wanted to do since we've been here. It was lovely just us on the boat with an older couple who took photos of us while we swam off the boat. After about an hour and a shot of Masala brandy, he took us back to shore. We ate lunch in the little beach bar, antipasti of olives, salami, brusetta, peppernata, aubergine, and bread, an omelette for Jon washed down with a jug of local vino blanca- bellisima. The beach bar is what I envisage mine to be like if I had one. Simple good food, wooden decor with shells and pretty painted stones and a dog that looked like a teddy bear. What more could you want!

Too beautiful not to include - I want one! perhaps a little ostentatious for the flat...

Jon jumping off the boat for a dip

The beach bar dog/teddy!

 Then it was back to the sun lounger to finish my book! Which by the way I wouldn’t recommend. We decided to do some shopping before dinner so we showered and dressed and left the hotel about 7.30 to buy presents and browse the Italian fashion! Everything is Autumn/Winter season which feels so wrong when it's 37 degrees in the day and 29 in the evening! Artico di cappinicini was fully booked so ended up in the closest restaurant to it as our bellies were growling. We ate outside in a courtyard, lasagne, prawn cocktail, seabass for Jon and gnocchi with pistachio pesto for me with a lovely Italian Pinot grigio. I love eating outside. I would eat breakfast outside everyday if the weather were more agreeable in London.

After dinner we went to get gelato! I berated Jon for his choice of pistachio and coconut but it was actually very nice. Strawberry and vanilla for me! Classically delicious!

A wedding! The Kiss!

Gelato!

In the Morgana bar I ticked another one off my list - a Negroni. It reminded me of pacha we sat in a small outdoor terrace with fake hibiscus flowers and white furniture. It was fun, the people watching was the best part. The gorgeous Italian girls, couples, a hen party a smartly dresses man with his beagle... After the very stiff negroni and margaritas for Jon it was time to retire. However when we came to leave they gave us a glass of champagne so not wanting to be rude we stayed a little longer to drink them! We decided it was because we were 'connected' to mr John! But it was most probably due to the huge bill we ran up!

G&T and a Negroni with a Diet Coke chaser!

 Day six- The morning after my Negroni I had a breakfast of croissants and bacon and egg and we headed off to Ipanema Beach Club again for a busy day of lounging around snokelling and eating great food!

The morning we spent dozing, the heat was incredible today so I made camp under the umbrella whilst Jon drank up the sun. Lunch at the hippy beach restaurant. I meant to take a photo but the food smelt so good I dove straight in and completely forgot. We shared the best seafood risotto I have ever eaten and calamari. A rest after lunch and then a small snorkel around the bay. I enjoyed it and saw pretty like shoals of fish but I left Jon to it and returned to read. I finished my book yesterday with mixed feelings, it was too fictiony for me, I didn't take anything from it, it was just a story but my new book - The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew quick, I'm really enjoying and speeding through. Also I learnt today never ever ever pick up a pickly pear. It really hurts.

The best risotto ever

I hate you prickly pear

Back at base we decide to treat ourselves to dinner at Villa Carlotta. You take the lift up to a lovely roof terrace with a great view of Etna, unfortunately it lacked a bit of atmosphere as there was only us, four kiwis and another couple in for dinner. Also we got the impression the waitress was also the chef but it was nice. We had Sicilian antipasti to start with what I think are balls of risotto coated in breadcrumbs and fried, some delicious mild cheese, salami and ricotta stuffed pepper. Then veal in breadcrumbs with roast potatos. For Jon, Parma ham and melon then meatballs cooked in lemon leaves.

We decided to walk through town and go for granita at Bam Bar that has the reputation for the best granita in town. Lemon and peach & raspberry later I decided to tick another one off my list an espresso! It was really good. Then we ambled about town soaked in the atmosphere, heaving with people every night with all nationalities in love with Taormina. There was a concert going on at the Greek theatre and we could hear the cheering across the bay.

Lemon Granita

 Day Seven- Last day today. All of a sudden it feels like it has passed on the blink of a eye and I could happily stay a few more days. Breakfast of the usual croissants and apricot jam. Then to the Mendolia Beach Club. We made it there for 11am and settled in. Lori gives us loungers by the water. I finished my book and Jon was reading desperately to finish his. We ate at the beach club Pasta Norma and Pizza with the first and probably last beer of the holiday and it went down very well indeed.

We went snorkelling off the jetty where the kids were feeding the fish bread and then time for a snooze. It's 5.30 and it's the time of day went the light is magical, photographs just don't capture it as much as I try!

Our final dinner was lovely. Artico di cappicini in a small unassuming courtyard we drank Sicilian presecco and talked about the beautiful week we had and our refreshed attitude to life back home. Holidays are so essential even just a week can reset your brain and make you realise why you flog your guts out all year. We ate seafood carpaccio and prawn cocktail. I didn't think it would be but the raw octopus was my favourite. Then beef for Jon and spaghetti carbonara for me. A little walk to buy some marzipan fruits and we were done! And so was our money! So back to our hotel for our final sleep.

 

The end of a fantastic holiday.