C is for Catania

Sicily: Saturday, March 12

My emotions were a whirling dervish as I prepared to leave the Portoghesi, especially when I signed for the bill, but also because a lot of memories had surfaced during the three days of my blissful re-entry into Italy. In the past decade, a number of major times were had at this particular hotel, including several spritely parties, an affair, an impromptu performance art event, and so on.
But now it was time to go to Taormina, by way of Catania. Cheryl and I found each other at the Catania airport without incident and quickly wound up gazing thoughtfully at our rental car, a small Citroen. I planned to drive since she had just arrived from California and looked a little spacy. Only thing. I couldn’t figure out the three pedals on the floor---what was that middle one again? It’s been several years since I drove a stick. Suddenly Cheryl was alert. She decided to drive us to Taormina, and, I’ll testify here and now, she did a great job.
Colleen and Shannon were on the roadside, waving us into our parking area above the sea. Our rental home, directly on the busy road, looked a little rough-hewn, constructed out of the ubiquitous cinder-block that seems to be the signature material of modern Sicily. Up the stairs and inside, we found ourselves in a generously-roomy two story dwelling with five bedrooms, four baths, various sitting areas, a big kitchen and a glorious upper terrace overlooking the Ionian Sea and Isola Bella. Shall I say we were pleased?
Our goal was to keep Cheryl up until at least nine-thirty; to that purpose we headed up to Taormina town on the "Eggs On A String," a four-car cable system that zips straight up the mountain to a spot near the Messina gate. We had a satisfying dinner at Bella Blue, a combo ristorante, bar, disco and all-round meet-up spot. A complimentary round of mandorle (almond wine) served over ice chips was a refreshing finale.
We slept well.