Page 284 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

In a little courtyard, through a hacked-out archway immediately inside the Porta

Messina, this has two doubles and two singles, sharing two bathrooms. There’s also a
kitchen, a terrace and laundry facilities for guests. It’s pretty flexible, since families or
groups can rent all or part of the building. Breakfast is taken at a nearby bar. No credit

cards. €70
Taormina’s Odyssey Via Paternò di Biscari 13 0942 24 533 or 349 810 7733,
taorminaodyssey.com. Near Porta Catania, this homely and comfortable place is more

of a B&B than a hostel, with four double rooms (some with bunk-beds) and two
dorms. All rooms have a/c and TV, and there’s a kitchen and even a terrace. It is
understandably popular, so book well ahead. Dorms €20; bunk-bed doubles €48;
doubles €60

Villa Floresta Via Damiano Rosso 1 0942 620 184 or 331 708 0115,
villafloresta.it. Pleasant, family-run B&B in a nineteenth-century palazzo, tucked into

a courtyard with a crumbling fifteenth-century staircase behind Piazza del Duomo.
Most rooms have balconies, with a choice between a view of the sea or the Duomo.
€90

Villa Greta Via Leonardo da Vinci 41 0942 28 286, villagreta.it. A 15min walk
out of town on the road up to Castelmola, this family-run place has superb balcony
views, as well as a dining room with good home cooking. In winter, there’s tea with
complimentary home-made cakes and biscuits. €108

Villa Sara Via Leonardo da Vinci 55 0942 28 138, villasara.net. This
exceptional B&B is a 15min walk (or a brief bus ride) up the road to Castelmola. It

doesn’t look much from the outside, but behind the bare walls is a gracious two-storey
apartment where a friendly family rent out three spacious rooms, each with its own
bathroom and large terrace commanding great views over Taormina, Etna and the sea.
€90

EATING AND DRINKING

Eating out in Taormina can be very expensive, though there are plenty of places
offering competitively priced set menus. While there are lots of restaurants, menus

are pretty standard across the board, although a few at the top end stand out as pretty
special. Because of the demand, pizzas are widely available here at lunchtime too
(unlike most other places in Sicily), usually costing €8–10. Taormina’s cafés and bars
are particularly pricey, though. Barring a few chic retreats, Taormina’s drinking scene

isn’t especially exclusive, with people milling around the streets all night in summer,
hopping from bar to bar until the small hours. There’s also a fairly discreet gay scene,
mostly centred on the style bars around Piazza Paladini. At least the buzzing evening
passeggiata along the Corso is free.