TAORMINA WITH ALEX NEVILLE

NAME: Alexandra Neville & Joshua Warren

WHAT DO YOU DO: Publicist & Project Manager

SOCIALS: @alexandraneville & @j_waz

STAR SIGN: Aquarius & Capricorn

LIVING: Sydney, Australia

SLEEP

We stayed in an Airbnb 15 minutes out of the main town of Taormina in a small province called Letojanni.

Letojanni is away from the hustle and bustle of uptown Taormina and felt like a small traditional town with local fishmongers, butchers, bakeries and traditional restaurants and is right on the coast. Getting to and from Taormina was super easy with buses every hour costing only 3 Euro return.

The Timeo – In Taormina, a luxury hotel if you have some dough to spend and want to feel like royalty.

EAT

2 Euro Campari Soda’s with a take-away Arancini, either at the beach or overlooking the incredible coast in the Public Gardens.

Bam Bar – Granita con Brioche to die for. Peach w/ cream was a favourite or lemon for something a little lighter. Brioche is a MUST. This is also breakfast btw, but we would drop by a few times a day….bellissima!

Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto for all of your traditional Sicilian treats.

Gola, Letojanni – A family restaurant with Fresh seafood linguine to die for. Right on the beach, you can feel the freshness!

Punto Pizza, Letojanni for homemade pizza straight from the woodfire oven. Take it away and eat on the beach as you watch the sorbet sky fade into the sea.

La Buca- This is more of an avoid than a “do” – Our first meal in Taormina, I was starving and overwhelmed with options so we ended up at probably the most touristy trap place on the main strip.

We just wanted something easy, but it ended up with an angry waiter walking out and our light, expensive meal being mediocre and just odd – anyway, just be aware, I’d avoid.

Seafood pasta, Cannoli, Granita, Gelato on brioche (Sicily’s ice cream sandwich)

DO

Hire a scooter. We did this toward the end of our stay and I wish we did it earlier. We explored towns we never would have seen. Skrrt upto Forza d’Agro – It’s a steep windy road, it’s whirlwind ride worth it for the Spritz at Antipasto at the top. (They also filmed the Godfather here for any Hollywood nerds)

Public Gardens have a sweeping view of the coast and a filled with history and beautiful plants.

Explore the many beaches in the region. Letojanni is a long stretch of coast so perfect if you want some space. Although I do recommend hiring a daybed and umbrella at a Lido (Ciao Ciao or Gola), cheap, comfortable and they bring you snacks and spritz!

Isola Bella – A beach day here is a must, again beach clubs for comfort and spritz. Get one of the many tour boats and explore the blue Grottos. The water is insane, the deepest, clearest blue I have ever seen.

Mazzaro – Small pocket beach, you can get tours to the grotto’s from here too. There is also a Cable car from Mazzaro to Taormina. We would spend the morning in town wandering around before catching the cable car down for an afternoon by seaside.