Taormina, Sicily is the port we'd most like to return to

Taormina Gate, Sicily

Taormina is perched on a hilltop looking down on the port and like many Italian towns it has a gate leading into the old town and the main pedestrian street, Corso Umberto.  It is charming with some very nice shopping and lots of restaurants.  We stopped for granita and did some hunting for olive oil but eventually it became crowded and hot amd we started looking for a place to cool off and have lunch.

David's nose for beer served us well yet again and we found Re di Bastoni or King of Clubs, a charming name for a lovely little pub serving up great food and drink. Check out the crazy room.

Re di Bastoni, Taormina

I started with a real deal Bellini made with fresh peach juice and prosecco.  So refreshing.

Fresh Peach Bellini

The bartender was passionate and informative about local food and drink. David tried the Ulysses Pale Lager from Sicily's own Birrificio dell'Etna and called it the perfect for the hot day. He also tried the Nazionale from Baladin, a brewery near Genoa.  It came highly recommended and was a good hoppy beer.

David happy at the Pub

We decided to stay for lunch and were surprised by farm fresh vegetables and fruity fresh olive oil.  Since I'd been on a quest for some sensational Sicilian olive oil I asked about the source.  Sadly only sold locally.  Everything on our plates was local.

Farm fresh food at Re di Bastoni

At the end of our cruise we decided that Sicily is the place we'd most like to go back to.