Today we took a full-day trip from our hotel near Taormina to the cities of Catania & Siracusa, south of us on Sicily's east coast. Our local guide Chiara met us at our hotel & we were in her capable hands for the day.
Our first stop was Catania where we took a short walking tour through the city center, seeing a Baroque mansion & the Cathedral square on our way to the city's renowned fish market - an assault on the senses in every way with colorful stalls piled high with all manner of exotic fish & other produce, sellers calling out to shoppers, & crowds winding through the different market streets.
From Catania we moved on to Siracusa, after which Siracuse in New York was named. We made a quick stop at a modern church to see its impressive architecture, then moved on to the Neapolis archaeological area to see the Roman ampitheatre, the Greek theatre, & the former limestone quarries.
Our final stop was Siracusa's island area of Ortygia, the site of the city's first settlement. Here the streets combine Roman & Greek ruins, Baroque palaces & churches, & modern buildings, all assembled around a spectacular & beautifully restored square.
We arrived back in the hotel in time to freshen/clean up for dinner tonight, with everybody heading to Taormina for the evening.
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