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Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Wednesday, 11 April. After a nice breakfast in the hotel, we left Agrigento at 8:30 and drove ease along the southern coast. It was cool and windy; the sky was overcast and dark. We stopped briefly at Torre di Gaffa one of the beaches where the U.S. Seventh Army under General Patton landed in July 1943 in World War II, the first Allied invasion of any Axis homeland. We stopped again in Gela, the center of the Allied landing area. From there we turned inland, reaching Piazza Armerina about 10:45. There was a nice view of the cathedral and the fortress (Spinelli Castle) as we passed through the city center.
Our primary destination, though, was the Villa del Casale and its 46 rooms (12,500 sq. ft.) of fantastic mosaic floors. Other than that it is Roman, the origins of the Villa are uncertain. From its elegance, some claim that it has some connection to an Emperor, but there's no evidence to support that. It was built in the 4th century A.D. and later destroyed and buried by an earthquake. Although evidence of its existence was found as early as 1820, it was not until 1954 that the true nature and size of the villa was discovered. Elevated walkways have been built through the villa to guide visitors through it and protect the mosaics, and clear plastic roofs protect the interior from the elements while still letting natural light through. Some complain that these features detract from the setting, but it's certainly easy to understand their necessity. The mosaics were almost unbelievable. We had never seen ancient floor mosaics in such excellent condition. That, together with their variety, quality, and sheer quantity, were overpowering. We doubt we will ever be impressed by any other mosaic floor again. Darrell's digital camera allowed him to take excellent photographs, too.
At 1:00 we had lunch at the restaurant on the site. By 2:15 we were back on the bus just as a heavy rain started. Driving north, we picked up the autostrada and headed east to Catania. Jane was getting off the bus at a rest stop there when she fell backward from the steps of the bus. She probably was more embarrassed than hurt, but still was very sore for the next few days. As we headed north along the coast of the Ionian Sea, we were close to mount Etna but could only see part of it through the clouds around it. About 4:30 we came to the site of Naxos, the first Greek settlement on Sicily (735 B.C.), now merged into the beachfront town of Giardini di Naxos. Taormina sits on the mountainside above Naxos. The small village of Castelmola is perched above Taormina. Taormina was founded in 395 B.C. by Greeks from Naxos.
The drive up the mountainside in our large touring bus was an adventure in itself, with one hairpin turn after the other. Even so, our bus could not go all the way up to Taormina. We had to stop at a large lot where we transferred to shuttle vans to go the rest of the way. We finally got to the Excelsior Palace Hotel at 5:15. The hotel is perched on the side of the mountain with spectacular views of Mount Etna and the seacoast. It is also very conveniently located right off Corso Umberto, the main pedestrian street through the old town.
Our room had a lovely view of the sea, as well as across the old town to the Greek theater. Our luggage was soon delivered and we unpacked for our six-day stay. Darrell took a short walk to explore the hotel and its surroundings. Then we had an excellent dinner in the hotel dining room. Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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