Hello From Sicily - Goodbye Taormina - Hello Milazzo!

My last day in Taormina had started: I woke upschool called Laboratorio Linguistico, based in
at daybreak to pack my suitcase since laterMilazzo.
today I would be relocating from Taormina to theAfter a 10 minute bus ride, I arrived at the
city of Milazzo. I enjoyed my final breakfast onTaormina - Giardini Naxos train station and had to
the gorgeous terrace of Hotel Villa Nettuno, thewait for about 45 minutes before my train
place that had been my home for the last sevenshowed up. The commuter train that arrived was
nights. Pictures of yesterday's hike up Mount Etnaa beautiful sleek and modern train and I grabbed a
flashed to my mind. The view over the Ionianseat in the corner. A few rambunctious teenagers
Sea continued to fascinate me and I hope thatwere playing loud music, singing and ribbing each
one day I will make it back to beautiful Taormina.other. Obviously teenagers will be teenagers, no
My last day of classes had started and our strictmatter where you go...
yet witty language teacher Carlo continued toA local gentleman sat down across from me and
teach us the intricacies of Italian pronouns andintroduced himself: Giorgio works as a security
adverbial phrases of time and place. His colleagueguard at Taormina's Greek Theatre and enjoys
Simona took over at 11:40 for ourhis job. He told me about his family: his wife stays
communications exercise and we started to listenat home with their three children while he is the
to a recording of a real-life Italian call-in showsole income earner. His job gives him sufficient
where a person called into a radio station to talkincome to look after his family and he said he
to two psychiatrists to discuss fears and phobias.keeps his expenses low. The family only has one
Each equipped with headsets, we listened to thecar and he still drives around all year on his 30
recording twice and recounted what we hadyear old Vespa. Giorgio also commented that a
understood. Then we embarked on an unscriptedfew years ago Trenitalia, the Italian
discussion of our own fears and phobias. Ingovernment-owned railway system, invested in
addition, Simona had prepared cardboard cardsnew commuter trains. Giorgio smiled when he said
with questions. Each one of us got to pick fromthat the remainder of the rolling stock is pretty
the stack of cards and we got to choose whomuch "museum quality".
we were going to ask the question we hadHe also mentioned that the strange spring
picked. This provided another great opportunity toweather that we had been having (a fair amount
talk and apply our Italian language skills. Anof rain, fog, overcast skies), is rather unusual.
animated philosophical discussion ensued andNormally at this time of year the weather is clear
everyone had a chance to express their thoughtsand sunny. He summed up his feelings by saying
and feelings.that for the last three years or so the climate
After taking pictures with my class mates andhas been strange. A side effect of global warming
our teachers, I dropped by the office to saymaybe?
goodbye to Alessandro and his team. The entireAfter Giorgio left about a half hour into the train
crew at the Babilonia Language School had beenride I had a chance to reflect on the 8 days that
extremely helpful over the past week of myI had already passed in Italy, and the new
stay, I had indeed picked up my Italian skills (andadventures that were still to come. I was starting
was officially at Intermediate level now), and I hadto feel a bit apprehensive about the sailing trip
thoroughly enjoyed all our various excursions:that was supposed to start tomorrow. I was
from our hike to Castelmola Friday a week ago,wondering about sea-sickness, the small confined
to our archeological and cultural excursion tospace on a sailboat and I was praying to God that
Siracusa, to our walking tour of Taormina, myI was going to have good shipmates. On a small
glimpses at Babilonia's cooking and potterysailboat even one really strange character can
decorating classes, our hiking excursion to Mountmake the trip unpleasant for the rest of the
Etna and various dinners and social events, thegroup.
last seven days had been packed full of excitingAnother part of me was really looking forward to
activities and opportunities for learning and forgingthe experience, and my anticipation was growing.
new friendships.After changing trains in Messina I arrived just
I sincerely thanked Alessandro and his team andshortly after 9 pm at my destination for today:
hoped to come back some time in the future.Milazzo, headquarters of the Laboratorio Linguistico
Together with two of my new-found friends, JillLanguage School, and the embarkation point for
from the UK, and Connie from Switzerland wemy sailing trip tomorrow.
went for a little walk and decided to have lunch atFrancesca, the wife of the school's co-owner,
a local restaurant called Panoramic Bella Blu whichgraciously came by to pick me up from the train
is located on Via Pirandello right next to the cablestation and took me to my home for the night: a
car station that connects hill-top Taormina withfully equipped 5-bedroom apartment right above
beach-front Mazzaro. We enjoyed a nice late lunchthe school's offices. Francesca took me into my
with a stunning view over the Mediterranean, androom which I was going to share for one night
about an hour later I had to say goodbye. I hadwith my new travel partner: Claudia, a Lufthansa
double-checked at the bus station when my busflight attendant from Germany, was also going to
would come to take me to the railway station atgo on the sailing trip with me tomorrow.
Taormina - Giardini Naxos so I would be able toWhile Claudia was sleeping I headed out for a
make the trek to my next destination: Milazzo.very late dinner. It was already about 10:30 pm
Before departing I went back to Hotel Villabefore I found a local restaurant two streets
Nettuno to quickly download my photos and takeover. I had a delicious Insalata Cappriciosa and at
a few more shots of the beautiful garden that isa price of 3 Euros the salad was less than half the
part of the Sciglio family's estate. At the top ofgoing rate of the restaurants in Taormina which
the garden is the so-called "Tempietto" ("littlehad charged about 7 or 8 Euros for a salad. I
temple"), a temple-shaped lookout point withrealized very quickly that tourists in Taormina are
benches and a sweeping view over the Ionianpaying a premium rate for everything and that
Sea and part of Taormina. I took a few quickMilazzo was definitely more affordable terrain.
photos with Vincenzo Sciglio, the patriarch of theBack at the apartment I downloaded my photos
family, and two of my German Babiloniaand briefly met two of the other teachers at
co-students and at 5:30 pm I sadly said goodbye.Laboratorio Linguistico: Jean-Claude from Ireland,
Vincenzo promised that when I come here nextwho teaches English at the school, and Francesco
time he will take me to the family's country(Franco) Pozza, an Italian teacher and co-owner
retreat where they make home-made wine. Heof the school. I found out that we would be
said he produces the grape juice for the wine bygathering outside the school tomorrow morning at
stomping on the grapes with his bare feet. Well,9:30 am to meet Francesco Di Santi, the other
next time I come to Taormina I definitely wantco-owner of Laboratorio Linguistico, and our
to see that.skipper for the week.
Although my departure was a little sad, my nextI felt into bed exhausted, wondering what the
adventure was already waiting: tomorrow I wouldnext week was going to hold. I was excited -
embark on a one-week sailing trip around thelooking forward to my first sailing trip.
gorgeous Eolian Islands with a different language