Last week of November 2022, Taormina, Sicily. I realized that I am not only off the beaten track but also out of the season. And while I was benefiting a lot from the first one, being out of the season comes with plenty of limitations. Prior to my Sicily trip, I firmly believed this Italian island was a Mediterranean paradise (like Cyprus for instance) with all-year-round mild weather and a great deal of sunshine. Could not be more wrong. In November, Sicily is quite unpredictable and managed to soak me to my bones. First stop with no car on my first time Sicily trip:
Taormina
This picturesque city on the Northeastern shore of Sicily is truly bewitching. As you can already expect, Taormina welcomed me with rain showers that lowered my eagerness for sunny days’ mood. I noticed I am out of the season upon my arrival yet – the public transport’s reduced schedules forced me to wait for about two hours to get a ride to my hotel. Not willing to spend those two hours in the rain, I looked around for a taxi and got the second hint I am out of the season. After a short negotiation, the taxi driver agreed to charge me half the usual rate (the Middle East bargaining experience came in quite handy).
Arriving at the hotel, I’ve been upgraded to a better room (thanks to out-of-the-season impact). And then at the reception, I got a proper explanation of what the “out of the season” phenomenon means in Sicily. The tourist season lasts from mid of April to the end of October. This is the period with the best weather and the highest number of tourists in Sicily. Respectively all facilities are open and work properly.
At the end of November, I faced lots of restaurants, hotels, and attractions already closed, timetables reduced, or scheduled maintenance in progress. But it also comes with some bonuses – lower prices, no crowd, personalized service, cleaner and spacious. Becoming an out-of-the-season expert, I am willing to share the following recommendations for staying in Taormina.
Two full days are enough to see and visit everything meaningful in Taormina. If you are fond of the vibrant nightlife, stay in the old town, where most of the sightseeing is within walking distance. The hotels are a bit pricier, but whatever you need will be nearby. The opposite – if you are looking for peaceful surroundings and endless sea views, then your choice should be Mazzaro. It’s my bias, with its fantastic scenic-built viewpoints, secluded pebble beaches, and lush gardens. Except for the quiet nights, Mazzaro offers within walking distance (about 200 meters) of the popular
Isola Bella
This small rocky island has been turned into a nature reserve known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea. What is truly fascinating about the island – during the low tide, the rock is easily reachable on foot. The island is split by the mainland with a tiny sandy underwater bridge that is passable, and the sea water level is usually below the knees. In the same area is the
Cable Car
station, which links Mazzaro with the downtown of Taormina. It’s a must-do experience. The ride lasts about 2 minutes only but provides outstanding views of the hilly suburbs of Taormina and Taormina Bay. It’s a modern and safe facility, and undoubtedly, the best way to move in between these two parts of the city. Out of the season, you always have a cabin at your disposal only and no force to share it with strangers.
A single-ride ticket costs 3 euros only. A day card is 10 euros and provides you with unlimited day rides. The tickets could be easily withdrawn at the self-service machines at the Cable Car stations and paid for by a credit card, on an English language menu that guides each step.
The cabins move in groups of 4 together and the average time of waiting for a group of cabins to arrive at the station during the out of the season is 10 minutes. The Mazzaro station provides large parking. Also, the public transport stop is around the corner. Hopping on the Cable Car at Mazzaro and 2 minutes later you are hopping off at Taormina’s downtown.
Taormina Sightseeing
The entire Taormina Old Town is sightseeing with its stone gates, fairytale castles, fortress and towers, ancient walls, narrow steep streets, ancient Greek amphitheater, and incredible gardens. While wandering the site, everyone realizes it’s an architectural gem, a cultural blend of different epochs and styles, totally mesmerizing.
I spent a quite long time at the Greek amphitheater, not only because it’s huge and well-preserved, but also because of its strategic location in downtown with an incredible view of the Calabrian coast, the Ionian Sea, and Mount Etna. Built around 3rd B.C., the theater was meant to host musical and dramatic plays but has been later adapted by the Romans into a scene of gladiator battles. Out of the season (my case), it’s open from 9 am till 4 pm, with a single ticket cost of 10 Euro.
Along with the impressive construction, the ancient theater offers a few tremendous viewpoints to seat back, relax and enjoy the coastal scenery. The most popular one Belvedere is linked to a café, where I was lucky to observe one of the most spectacular rainbows ever.
The viewpoints are established on opposite angles of the theater, so the entire shore is visible from the site at 180 degrees.
Villa Comunale
Known also as The Public Gardens of Taormina, it’s a paradise piece of land, perched on the top of a hill with a splendid view of the bay. Villa Comunale is more of an English-style garden. There is a spicy scandalous story about how the Gardens have been designed and planted.
I read somewhere, the story claims they have been created by a Scottish woman who lived in Taormina in the late 1800s. Lady Florence Trevelyan was asked to leave England in the 1880s after having a fairly public affair with the future King Edward VII. She eventually married a rich man in Taormina and began work on her gardens. The rest is history.
The Gardens are open to the public from 9 am to 7 pm. Amazing magnolias, hibiscus, and bougainvillea could be spotted in the gardens, along with fountains and architectural ornaments from the Victorian era. As well as the walking alleys strategically follow the sea viewpoints so that an outstanding perspective of the island scenery is granted.
Mount Etna
Taormina, along with the neighboring city of Catania, is the nearest kickoff for visiting the iconic active volcano of Etna. I was planning to climb it and, in my opinion, arrived well equipped, after reading a number of articles and lists of advice. Till I got to the point in person. Again, out of the season, November is not considered a proper month for trekking the volcano slopes. First of all, there are a few offers left for completing the Mount Etna tour, so reasonably it’s more expensive. Bear in mind it’s strongly prohibited to do it yourself and a professional tour guide is a must.
Then (I didn’t consider at all), at this time of the year Etna is already covered by snow, so my trekking shoes didn’t work out at all for the season. On top of it, out of the season, most desired tours are on fixed days, for example, Monday and Saturday. If you happened to be unavailable on those particular days, the chance to tour Mount Etna freezes below zero.
Another disadvantage – I was the only interested one from our bunch of friends in joining the Mount Etna tour. Try to join Viator or TripAdvisor-offered group tours as a single person in November, especially on Saturdays. The system automatically rejects you. So here, I unexpectedly bumped into another out-of-the-season drawback that didn’t let me hike the volcano.
Otherwise, the prices per person for joining a hiking Mount Etna tour vary from 50 to 90 Euro depending on the starting point (Catania is closer), the duration (usually about 6 to 10 hours), the provided extras (some of the tours offer light lunch included) and the way of transpiration to the starting climbing point (jeep, bus or train “Circumetnea Railway”). Well…I am just moving it to the bucket list for the next visit!
Savoca
Staying in Taormina, you should plan a half-day tour heading to Savoca. But not out of the season because the organized tours are already over. Savoca got its fame with the release of the cult movie The Godfather, starring Al Pacino, and Marlon Brando as leads of the mafia family.
This hilltop medieval village is perched on a hill overlooking the Ionian coast in Sicily and in 1972 turned into a filming location for several scenes of the Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece. Bar Vitelli and the church of San Nicolò are the most famous ones.
It’s just 40 minute drive from Taormina and if you rent a car out of the season curse is no longer an issue. Without a rent-a-car, though, and relying on public transportation, out of the season Savoca is a mirage. There are options to get a bus from Taormina to St. Teresa station, and then a taxi to Savoca (about 20 euros) or to wait for another bus, but with the unclear schedule of the buses, it’s a mission impossible and eats a whole day.
I got advised, the movie-related venues and attractions could be seen for an hour max, so wasting an entire day in Savoca is not worth it. What I managed to visit related to The Godfather trilogy in Taormina, was its Railway Station. I have already posted on Instagram about how impressed I got by that Railway station (see below).
Obviously, I should come back to Taormina, to catch up with the activities I missed during this out-of-the-season trip. The next time, I plan to visit it in late September / early October. The locals advised it’s the best time of the year – no longer crowded, everything still works and is open, an optimal air temperature – of 26 to 30 degrees C, and 24 to 25 C seawater temperature. Sounds perfect to me. Sicily, wait for me, I am coming again to Taormina! But now moving to the next stop of my out-of-the-season travel – Syracuse (Siracusa).
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Thank you for all of the “November” revelations. We will be visiting Taormina & Ortigia during the first two weeks of November 2024. We like going places in he off season due to smaller crowds and we’ve found we can are always decent restaurants still open. We have always been lucky with weather in Italy, so far. Due to the cancelation by ITA Airways of our original flight, we will now have 3 extra days in Sicily (Oh, darn…) So, we will be able to relax a bit in Taormina and enjoy our beautiful rental apartment for 3 more days. Best to you, Barry & Debbie DeCarli
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Dear Barry@Debbie DeCarli, Thank you so much for letting me know my Sicily out-of-the-season blog was helpful! Wishing you really great weather and making fantastic memories in your November Sicily journey! 🙂 All the best, Tanya!