Day 27

Buongiorno,

Taormina is a very old town about an hours drive North of Catania. The main attraction is an old Greek/Roman theatre (the Teatro Antico).

This is a theatre, not a colosseum. They can look similar, but were quite different. A colosseum was round or oval shaped, and was used for gladiatorial games, much like a rugby stadium is used for sporting events. A theatre was a semi circle and used for plays, music and other civilized entertainments.

The town of Taormina was built on the top of a very high cliff. The views from the old theatre are spectacular. It was a shame it was such a cloudy day, as Mount Etna was completely hidden by cloud. If it was a fine day the view of the sea, the sky and the mountain would have been even more spectacular.

The theatre is in remarkable condition given its age. It was first built in the 3rd century BC by the Greeks, which makes it about 2,300 years old.

The Romans then came along and reconstructed it, so what we see today is mostly the Roman reconstruction.

The neat thing about this theatre is, as well as being an

archaeological site, the theatre has been tastefully modernised. There is a wooden stage, and stage lighting arranged on carefully built scaffolding. Most of the seating is the original stone seating. Where this is missing, new steel framed and timber seating has been installed.

The theatre is still used for performances today. Which is cool, it is not just something to look at, you can come and see a show or a performance here. How proud would the people who built the theatre be, the architects, engineers, craftsmen and slaves, if they could see their creation still in use two thousand years later?

We wandered around the old town a bit, walking from one of the town gates to the other. The Main Street was very narrow and packed with tourists. But the views from the piazzas over the Mediterranean Sea were worth it.

All three of us have noticed a significant change in tourist behaviour since the last time we were in Europe. Two years ago, Selfies were all the rage, and everywhere we went we saw young ladies carrying their smart phones on a Selfie Stick, taking pictures of themselves.

On this trip we have seen far fewer selfie sticks. They seem to have been replaced by Long Suffering Boyfriends, who are tasked with taking glamour shots for Instagram.

These Instagram couples are easy to spot. You notice the lady first. She’ll be beautifully dressed, flawless makeup, long lovely hair, and a look on her face like she’s just walked three kilometers over narrow cobbled streets and up hundreds of steps in ridiculous high heels. Which is exactly what she will have done to reach the perfect photo location.

Stern commands are issued to the boyfriend, who has to take glamorous photos with the mobile phone (why do they not use a proper camera?).

Then the posing begins, and for the first time we actually see the young lady smile. One knee is bent just so, toes are pointed, hair is tossed, a carefree smile, a happy gaze towards the view (never at the camera).

Photos done, the smile very quickly disappears, the pictures are reviewed, the photographer’s work is critiqued, and suggestions for improvements made. This is usually a very one sided conversation involving a lot of gesticulating. Then more shots are taken, before moving on to the next glamorous location - a different fountain, a different cathedral, a different backdrop.

Needless to say, Buzzy Bee is not impressed. Buzzy Bee has been doing social media modeling for some time now, and he says, “just take the picture and get on with it”.

Back to the car, back to our hotel in Catania, back to the crazy traffic and the dirty streets, dinner at our favourite restaurant and bed.

Love to you all from Grandma and Koro and Buzzy Bee.