Messina, Sicily

11/08/2012 (Thursday) -- Messina, Sicily

Our last day on the MSC Splendida. It was exciting sailing into port because we have heard so much about Sicily. We did not have anything planned and hoping that we can hire a taxi to go to Taormina at the port. If not, we would just walk around town and enjoy a relaxing day. As we walked out the terminal we met a gentleman who asked if we wanted to hire a taxi. For 180 euro we could have a taxi to Taormina with two hours there. The drive is about an hour so it would be a four-hour excursion for the five of us. He then got us a taxi from those waiting around the port. As we were on our way, the driver asked if we wanted to go to Savoca, Godfather country, for 10 euro extra pp. That was an offer we couldn't resist. So off we went to Savoca. I have read about the Godfather Tour but didn't think we could do it because of the limited time that we had. It was a really nice surprise visit. We stayed there for about an hour before moving on to Taormina. Savoca should be a must-stop for visiting Sicily.

about to dock in Messina

the coastline of Sicily

tour buses waiting at the port

driving uphill to beautiful Savoca

arriving Savoca, a very serene place

we were told that there are no restaurants in this little village, only a bar 

it was early in the morning and we were the only tourists there at that hour

the bar that was in the movie "Godfather"

it's absolutely beautiful

kept walking uphill

the town is still sleeping

very quiet

so beautiful!

 

church at the top of the hill

this church also appeared in the movie

a smaller church on the way

must be nice living here

We purchased some sesame cookies and drinks at the bar and used the restroom there. Many items relating to the movie were on display like a mini museum.

many photographs

including a couple of rifles (?) on the table right in the middle of the room

Taormina

Taormina is a popular tourist attraction up on a hill. There are limited parkings so the taxi driver dropped us off and scheduled to pick us up in two hours. We then walked through the entrance towards the Greek Theater. The entrance fee for the Greek Theater is 8 euro and no senior or student discounts for US citizens. One must-try item here is the connoli (sp) the best ever!

entrance to Taormina

souvenir stores on our way to the Greek Theater

entrance to the Greek Theater, ticket booth on the left

beautiful shoreline

Mt. Etna in the background, still spitting out smoke

"mobile market"

pistachio cannoli, yummy! 2,3 euro each, regular cream 2 euro

the bakery where we got our cannoli

after Taormina we came back to Messina with the sight of mainland across the strait 

We came up here to have a panoramic view of the city and port as promised but the driver was really in a hurry by now.

He kept telling us that there is nothing up in this building, he was in a hurry to get back and didn't want us to spend time there. I have to believe that he planned on keeping the extra money taking us to Savoca and not turning them in to his boss. By now, he kept telling us how bad and mean his boss is. If anyone is going to do what we did make sure you agreed on the time of the whole trip before you even start.

We also hit bad traffic coming back to the port so the taxi driver dropped us off at the Cathedral and to walked a couple of blocks back to the port on our own. Unfortunately we were not able to go inside the Cathedral because it was time to close.

The port was really close by and it was a nice walk. Splendida can be spotted between the buildings.

There is an ice cream shop on the right and a cafe on the left. Trying to get wi-fi again.

The ship is right across the street.

Port Entrance

Stromboli

After coming back from Taormina we had a late lunch at the buffet and it was the most crowded place on the cruise I have ever experienced. The whole buffet area was packed because everybody came back at the same time. Fortunately we found a table right outside near the pool and had a good lunch.

This evening we passed by the island of Stromboli, the active volcanic island. It was amazing to see it in action, with smoke and flame.  People still live around the bottom of the mountain on the island.

Our last dinner on Splendida.

duck

I usually don't like baked Alaska, but this was GOOD!

another plate of dessert to share

one last look of the restaurant as we leave