European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Visitors to Taormina s Piazza of St Agostino enjoy a sunny Day. From the opposite Side of the Plaza one can look Down on the Mediterranean sea meeting the Rocky shores of Sicily. A a taste of. Stunning Taormina Sicily a Hilltop Haven by Jim derhe1m staff photographer like so Many tourist Moccas in Europe Taormina Sicily has an Oft quoted legend attached to it. A a a a a a. A it seems a greek named Eteocle was the first recorded person to fall in love with a. Rocky outcropping when. He clambered up. The Steep Cliffs that would later hold the City. Of Taormina. A. / a. The Story goes that  tossed. Overboard by the god Neptune when Lac a mythical master of the sea was upset Over a. Piece of undercooked liver meant As an. Offering. Huge Waves rolled Over the boat picking up the hero of the Story and dumping him with a crash on the shores that Many centuries later hordes of Sun \. Worshipping britons sicilians germans americans and others would gladly visit. Taormina is a City of dizzying vistas. Kaleidoscopic gardens and mouthwatering a seafood. A. Take your Lime in Taormina. This town is definitely not in a hurry. A a a give  hour or two or the whole Day to wander the ruins of the greek theater where the echoes of Pas performances can still be heard. Built in the third Century . By the greeks and later remodeler by the romans the theater is pretty much intact and plays Are presented there during the summer. A / a As you sit on hand Cut Stone bleachers that once held More than 5,000 others at a. Time you can gaze through a breach in the theater s front stage Walls towards the. Towering Cone of mount Etna. Some Days a White plume of  seen trailing a a off towards the azure sea. Enjoy a Passig Gate or slow walk Down the main Street of the City the Corso a a a. Umberto. The Lively Street is lined with its shops offering Ceramic plates painted in. Vivid colors that Mirror the gardens that Are the Symbol of Taormina. It is a Iso packed. With restaurants and clubs that come alive at night  its  a architecture and moorish Manors from the. 15lh and 16th centuries. At about the Halfway Point of the Corso is the Largo 9 Aprile a Square where you can sit and daydream in a Selling that my guide pm i is Quot the most Beautiful View in the  on the left is the 15lh-Century Church. Sunt Agostino now a Library to the right approached by a flight of Steps is another Church san Giuseppe looking South is a ,. Superb View of the sea. A a a a. Join in a sicilian tradition a the Reposo or Quot Long  highly recommended fonts. Menu As Well As the View Oil its open Terrace. Is the restaurant Bella Blu on the main Road that rings the old City. Try the smoke swordfish lightly. Marinated m a butter and Lemon sauce with. A slice of Kiwi. The Spaghetti with Clam sauce is a delightful second course it you like. Prying the tasteful flesh from its partially. Opened Shell. Follow that with the mixed Grill seafood plate and Wash it Down  wine or Beer. Do it the native Way stretch your legs out under the table and linger Over a delicious dessert called Tiramisu which literally Means Quot pick me  the mouthwatering mocha desert will have you wanting seconds but contain your appetite a Tiramisu has enough., caffeine a it to keep Ole or. Sandman away for a Long while. The Price fora meal like this for two would put about a $75 Dent in your pocket but it s Worth it. Taormina s mild climate and Sun filled Days attracted conquerors years before it started luring tourists. Its history dates to about t00 . Once. Known As the capital of byzantine Sicily the architecture inside the walled City has been. Influenced by the romans greeks and the moslem who occupied the City around the. Nth Century until they were thrown out by count Ruggero d Altavilla a sicilian in 1078 v4 air a 2,000-year old greek Heater is a relic of Taormina s past. Mount Etna looks like a Cloud in the distance. During a three month siege. The Story goes that the moslem Only gave up the fight after they ran out of food water. And hashish. After they moslem were Defeated count Ruggero did his own dirty work on the town destroying most of the ancient buildings the theater Baths Walls and cathedrals., in the following centuries Wiser rulers restored much of the City a glory and proclaimed  be a tourism Center beginning around the 13th Century a. Visitors have Long been impressed by the City and its setting. Among them was the prussian Painter Otto Geleng who travelled the area extensively 200 years ago and captured the seascapes and gently sloping a hillsides in such stunning paintings that a viewers at his pans shows often disputed that Taormina actually exists. Geleng challenged non believers to go see for themselves even of Fenny to pay Tor their trips. A a a. Ahil Only the Taormina tourist Bureau would make the same Otler. A 12 stripes Magazine june 13, 1991