Rainy Day in Taormina

I was so excited to visit Taormina. I heard it had some of the most beautiful views, it was a beach area and Etna was not too far. However, Taormina ended up being a rainy day for us. :/ I enjoyed my time there but I just need to go back again on a sunny day.  :)   

We were a little lost when we got off the train. The train station isn't in the center of the city like most train stations. 

This is the view outside the central train station. From here we decided to take a bus to the center. 

Taormina's main attraction is its Amphitheater. 

It usually has the best view but that day all we got was this. 

So I had fun finding places to take pictures at. 

The amphitheater itself is beautiful. 

The atmosphere was nice and there weren't too many people because of the rain. 

See, not too many people. Hehe. 

I love seeing cactus around Italy because it reminds me of my family. <3 

This was a cute little area but any time you see my on top of a rock it means I had to climb to get there. It was challenging. 

This one was a much easier. 

More nopales. :)

I will return one day Taormina. <3 I Love Sicily.
Mia♡ 

South Italy: Food

Here are pics of my meals during this trip. Everything I tried was delicious.  

Mia♡ 

5 Things I Love About Firenze

 1. MTV TRL Awards: MTV Italia still has TRL. Who would have thought? Anyway, the Award Ceremony was held in Firenze this year and it was a free event. I got to see some of my favorite Italian artists sing live at Piazzale Michelangelo like Club Dogo, Marracash, Dolcenera, Francesca, Arisa, Moda, Noemi and Young the Giant. And then there were people I heard for the first time like Two Fingerz and Entics. I was really impressed by them. :) It was an amazing show.  

2. San Lorenzo Market: All of your souvenirs come from this market! I live in the center of this market so all the vendors see me walk by everyday. This helps when I'm haggling cuz I get the best deal. People like seeing familiar faces. :)

3. Ristorante La Padellaccia: I went to this restaurant for my Christmas dinner and then a few more times after that. It's 2 minutes away from my apartment, it has quality food at decent prices and it's a homely environment.
                                  
4. Ryan Air: This is the airline that everyone uses to fly within Europe. It has insanely cheap flights (I got to fly to England and back for $50) and you can pretty much fly anywhere.

5. Gelato Festival: I LOVED this festival because it gave us an excuse to eat gelato Every. Single. Day! Even though I have a favorite gelato place in Florence, the best gelato I have ever had was from this festival. Man, I did not know that gelato got better!! Why can't we have Gelato Festivals back home?? :/

Mia♡ 

My Future Home ;)

Sicily: Catania 

After three days we had to say goodbye to Napoli! 

It was an overnight trip so this is how we slept. Luckily there weren't too many people.

Lucia!!

The architecture in Catania really impressed me.

There is no lack of statues, churches or water fountains in Italy.

The elephant is the official mascot of the town. There are elephants all over the city. This is because hundreds of years ago a skeleton of a elephant was found in Catania.

The building behind the elephant statue is City Hall. 

We took a mini train tour around the city. We ran into our Chinese friends we from Capri! :)

The Patron Saint is everywhere!

Bella

Statue of Vincenzo Bellini

Baroque Architecture  

Gorgeous park.

Through the whole tour Laura thought the old man in front was the mayor of Catania. She was so happy. Lucy  and I kept laughing so hard and I ended up breaking the bad news.

I am hoping that one day this will be my university. It's basically like the Letters and Science college in UC Davis. But of course, I would be studying Italian Literature!! <3

We went to City Hall and surprise, surprise, Laura got her own personal tour guide.

A celebration for the Patron Saint

This carriage is older than my grandma's grandma!

This painting caught my eye. This is St. Agatha, the patron saint of Catania.

Italian Pride. La tricolore.

 Inside City Hall

 Mini Lion

Yet another beautiful church. They are just as beautiful on the inside if not more beautiful. :)

 Me and my partner in crime. 

 The Underground Roman Amphitheater 

So happy. Can you blame me? 

After the tour we took some time to relax at the park and tried some of the famous Granita from the South.

 The weather was not perfect but the atmosphere sure was. Of course me and Lucy were observing the men from Catania :)

We ended up buying some personalized bracelets made on the spot. I know it's not a clear picture but mine says, Maria <3 Elena, in different colors. 

We only had one day in Catania but it was very memorable. We saw the city, made some friends, did some shopping, and ate cheap but delicious food. :) I will definitely be back to Catania. Best believe!