Castelmola, Sicily

Today we explored the village and fortress of Castelmola, just above Taormina. It's origins date back to pre-Hellenic period with some theorizing it was the the true acropolis of Taormina. It was called Mylai in the 8th century BC during the Iron age.

In 1078 Roger the Norman, who definitely sounds like a Monty Python character, recaptured the city and built a fortification there. These walls are still partially standing.

Barbara is standing under the castle gate with a stone inscription that reads "Castle faithful to His Majesty 1578", there is another stone inscription in a wall that reads "this castle was built under Constantine, patrician and strategist of Sicily" However historians agree this was put up over existing Roman fortifications. In other words, it's an old castle.

The top of the castle as it is today.

I don't see how this canon could have possibly reached ship's in the harbor. It's a long ways out although the ball will have significant hang time because it's a long way down too.

There was a nice breeze and shade just below the top.

View to the west

View to the south toward Mt. Etna

View to the north. All magnificent views. Hard to do them justice.

Not so long ago, this was the road and the gate to Castelmola. In 1954 they remodeled the town square and preserved this gate by moving it up some stairs and to the side.

It's a good thing. I don't think the tour busses would have made it through the old gate.

On the far side of town is The Church of San Giorgio. It has a square bell tower with a series of bells to provide a clarion. We heard a beautiful song played at noon.

Saint Barbara inside San Giorgio.

One thing we noticed right away as we stopped in various shops is they all had a large number of phallic symbols. In fact, symbols is hardly the right word, these were clearly penises.

The first shop where Barbara bought a fan, we thought the lady just liked them a lot.

Then we kept seeing them everywhere.

Interesting. Anyway I had read that the town was famous for its almond wine.

I'd also read that it was invented by Don Vincent Blandani, founder of the oldest bar in town, Taverna San Giorgio. We saw a bar that was started in 1919 and was right across the square fron the church San Giorgio, so we thought we found it and I think we did.

Now it gets weird. The whole restaurant, all four floors were filled with penises. There we a lot of wooden carvings. Barbara is modeling one of the largest of them below.

The menu was also provacatively shaped.

The buffalo caprese was devine and the almond wine very tasty. The almond wine was served in little penis shot glasses....

...which we got to keep as souvenirs.

We asked the waiter to explain, but he just said the founder liked the pagan fertility symbol and that it didn't reflect on the town.

I'm not so sure I buy that. Go back and look again at the statue of Saint Barbara. What is that she's holding in her left hand? My Barbara says it's a light house. Hmmm OK.

I'll leave it today with this historical map of the Messina region of Sicily that we have been exploring. It shows Castelmola where we spent today and Randazzo, where we were yesterday.

On our first trip together to Europe Barbara and I went to 19 cities in 21 days or something crazy like that. Now the pace is much slower. The days are full we just look at a lot more detail and enjoy ourselves a whole lot more. Older and wiser I guess.