Sicily: The silver thread

To continue the Sicily trip,

we headed to the northeastern part of the island over land until we hit the coast road at Giarre, as I recall. We could see Mt. Etna from quite a distance. It just kept getting more and more prominent and took over the landscape as we approached Taormina. We were circling around it from south to east. Its massive white snow-covered presence glistened silver in the bright light of the noon-day sun. Taormina is the most popular resort. It has beautiful subtropical vegetation and is built on a very high bluff over-looking the Ionian sea. Every hotel and restaurant seemed to be closed for renovation, so we sought out accommodations about 15 Km. away: a bed and breakfast, and found a great family restaurant on sea-level with the “catch of the day”.

In Taormina, the tourist season starts at Easter and goes thru October. The town has had its Greek and Roman periods but its medieval character is what gives it its ambience today. The “Greek Theater” built in the 3rd century B.C. was rebuilt by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D. and is in great condition. The view of Etna and the sea from the top rows of seating is incredible. From the Taormina area, we drove the coast road. Mainland Italy, Calabria, was so close to us across the Strait of Messina, we could hardly believe that was what we were seeing. Next and last stop was Cefalu with its magnificent La Rocca crowned by a 12th century castle and a Temple to Diana, goddess of the hunt mid-way up. The huge Norman cathedral at its base is for me the 8th wonder of the world.

Now, have I lost my silver thread linking all this up with the last leg of our trip back to Palermo and the ferry to Naples? Hot lava and the heat that forges metal taken into account, and the fact that Sicily has so much Greek influence brings me to say a word about our Kalos line of jewelry on JoCoCo. This is an exquisitely fashioned collection of jewelry, hand-crafted by an island artist (Sardinian and not Sicilian) is the most pure sterling silver. It is unique with all the ancient influences of history and mythology. It is well-made, good, handsome, beautiful, bears the test over time and is a lasting treasure. All these ideas are contained in that Greek word: KALOS. I really hope to return to Sicily — the southern part, Siracusa and Ragusa and the Aeolian Islands (which must be pure gold!). Sicilian Solace in the middle of winter has been a silver treasure for me and I just wanted to share that experience with all of you.

Ciao! Sally Fougerousse