The Ides I'd Rather Have

Taormina and the Gorge: Tuesday, March 15

Today I recovered my stick-shift skills by driving from our haven on the sea inland to the Gola della’Alcantara, a gorge slicing through mountains west of Taormina. Milky blue water far below rushed through a rocky pass covered with green and wildflowers. And the ride over wasn’t too shabby either, winding through valleys dusted with yellow, pink and orange blossoms, plus citrus hanging heavy on thousands of trees.
Later, we met for lunch at a recommended trattoria in Taormina---again, another triumph of local, inexpensive cuisine. While the others stayed to wander the Teatro Greco, I returned to our villa and, blaziated, doing I now know not what. Had a lapse in Paradise, the Gods forgive me.