A Tale of Teatro Antico di Taormina and Sicilian Pizza
Today was a great day! Amazing views, good food and exercise, and great company!
Our first stop of the day was to Taormina's main attraction, Teatro Antico, a remarkably well-preserved Greco-Roman amphitheater that is still in use today. The view is incredible; we spent a while just sitting in the "cavea" (seating area) taking it all in.
"Doesn't a smoking volcano mean it's about to erupt?" teases the tourist next to me. Taormina is actually a safe place to watch an eruption of Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano.
Activity at the volcano's summit continues today with ejections of lava bombs and small ash puffs. Although this activity is coming from the center crater, the stratovolcano can erupt from anywhere along the mountain's slopes, throwing out rock with such force that they can easily reach as far as the sea.
Across Sicily, you'll find "Head of Moor" planters on balconies and doorsteps (and in souvenir shops) shaped like the heads of a woman and man. I'm not sure I could pull off the decoration back home, but here they add to the ambiance and character. Seeing the duo, you'd never guess their fascinating folk tales of a love story that ends with a gruesome and violent twist - chopping off the lover's head!
After reviving our depleting calorie levels with some arancini and good ol' Italian beer, we went back to the hotel the hard way via the steep staircase to the Chiesa Madonna della Rocca. We discovered it has the best views of all Taormina! We could see the Greek Theater, the checker-board Piazza Aprile, a panoramic of the beautiful coast, Mount Etna, and Castelmola above us. And to think we weren't going to do that walk!
Our evening activity was a last minute change to the itinerary. A week ago, Greg casually mentioned wanting to do a pizza-making class. We don't take a lot of cooking classes when we travel - but Greg has a tradition of making pizza. Actually it is more that Chris has a tradition of making pizza, and Greg is his side-kick. With Chris away at school, Greg has stepped in to weekly make the pizza. He could learn some Sicilian tips! I happened to find a class in Taormina (our only availability) with great reviews, so I guess it was meant to be. You take the class at Ristorante Porte Messina. Their website says 10:30am daily but they graciously were able to accommodate a later time for us. Smart move - the morning class had 30 people and our class had TWO. That's right - we had a completely private cooking session! The class includes an apron, all you can drink wine (an important ingredient), delicious appetizers, making macaroni pasta too - and of course eating all the spoils - plus some extras like cannoli and limoncello.
During our appetizer "break", Greg states "I'm going to have a little more" - and proceeds to nonchalantly completely fill his glass with wine. Literally the definition of "little" is the no thank you portion he had poured me, so I burst out laughing. "Well these are little glasses," he said, defending himself. Then added, "I don't recall saying little." He said it.
Not that I want to be the designated pizza chef in our home, but I had to make sure Greg heard Maurizio. "Did you hear him say when he took mine 'this is good dough?'" Greg has to knead his more. Even better was Maurizio's next comment: She won.
But rolling out the dough, I messed mine up. (I think you need big hands.) In the blink of an eye, Maurizio swapped mine with his. Now mine is perfect.
Maurizio knows Greg's secret. Setting down more wine he says, "Half liter of wine you know 9 languages." (Greg can speak any language when he drinks.)
Take-aways ... Our learnings for making a good Sicilian pizza:
Use beer yeast mixed with water first then after a couple minutes, add salt mixed with water. For a crispy crust make sure you use olive oil (not sunflower oil). Let the dough set in fridge 24 hours and then at room temp 1 hr. Never touch the crust with your fingers. The big difference in their sauce? A little Parmesan.
On our way back, I discovered that Taormina is the best in the rain. Where the heck did all the people go? It was only 9:30pm and Piazza Aprile was deserted. Corso Umberto was barren.
Our first stop of the day was to Taormina's main attraction, Teatro Antico, a remarkably well-preserved Greco-Roman amphitheater that is still in use today. The view is incredible; we spent a while just sitting in the "cavea" (seating area) taking it all in.
With a spectacular view as a backdrop, the Greek Theater and stage pillars perfectly frame Mount Etna and the blue waters of the Ionian
"Doesn't a smoking volcano mean it's about to erupt?" teases the tourist next to me. Taormina is actually a safe place to watch an eruption of Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano.
Appreciating that Mount Etna was visible and not clouded over, we could see the smoke coming out
Activity at the volcano's summit continues today with ejections of lava bombs and small ash puffs. Although this activity is coming from the center crater, the stratovolcano can erupt from anywhere along the mountain's slopes, throwing out rock with such force that they can easily reach as far as the sea.
Across Sicily, you'll find "Head of Moor" planters on balconies and doorsteps (and in souvenir shops) shaped like the heads of a woman and man. I'm not sure I could pull off the decoration back home, but here they add to the ambiance and character. Seeing the duo, you'd never guess their fascinating folk tales of a love story that ends with a gruesome and violent twist - chopping off the lover's head!
These whimsical Moorish heads are hanging on Via Giardinazzo right around the corner from Bam Bar
After reviving our depleting calorie levels with some arancini and good ol' Italian beer, we went back to the hotel the hard way via the steep staircase to the Chiesa Madonna della Rocca. We discovered it has the best views of all Taormina! We could see the Greek Theater, the checker-board Piazza Aprile, a panoramic of the beautiful coast, Mount Etna, and Castelmola above us. And to think we weren't going to do that walk!
View from walkway to Chiesa Madonna della Rocca
Our evening activity was a last minute change to the itinerary. A week ago, Greg casually mentioned wanting to do a pizza-making class. We don't take a lot of cooking classes when we travel - but Greg has a tradition of making pizza. Actually it is more that Chris has a tradition of making pizza, and Greg is his side-kick. With Chris away at school, Greg has stepped in to weekly make the pizza. He could learn some Sicilian tips! I happened to find a class in Taormina (our only availability) with great reviews, so I guess it was meant to be. You take the class at Ristorante Porte Messina. Their website says 10:30am daily but they graciously were able to accommodate a later time for us. Smart move - the morning class had 30 people and our class had TWO. That's right - we had a completely private cooking session! The class includes an apron, all you can drink wine (an important ingredient), delicious appetizers, making macaroni pasta too - and of course eating all the spoils - plus some extras like cannoli and limoncello.
Pizza cooking class at Ristorante Porte Messina in Taormina
During our appetizer "break", Greg states "I'm going to have a little more" - and proceeds to nonchalantly completely fill his glass with wine. Literally the definition of "little" is the no thank you portion he had poured me, so I burst out laughing. "Well these are little glasses," he said, defending himself. Then added, "I don't recall saying little." He said it.
Not that I want to be the designated pizza chef in our home, but I had to make sure Greg heard Maurizio. "Did you hear him say when he took mine 'this is good dough?'" Greg has to knead his more. Even better was Maurizio's next comment: She won.
But rolling out the dough, I messed mine up. (I think you need big hands.) In the blink of an eye, Maurizio swapped mine with his. Now mine is perfect.
Maurizio knows Greg's secret. Setting down more wine he says, "Half liter of wine you know 9 languages." (Greg can speak any language when he drinks.)
Our pizza masterpieces
Our macaroni
Take-aways ... Our learnings for making a good Sicilian pizza:
Use beer yeast mixed with water first then after a couple minutes, add salt mixed with water. For a crispy crust make sure you use olive oil (not sunflower oil). Let the dough set in fridge 24 hours and then at room temp 1 hr. Never touch the crust with your fingers. The big difference in their sauce? A little Parmesan.
On our way back, I discovered that Taormina is the best in the rain. Where the heck did all the people go? It was only 9:30pm and Piazza Aprile was deserted. Corso Umberto was barren.
What happens when you finish the "little" wine ... you go singing in the rain in Piazza Aprile
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