Subject: Re: Sicily travel
Bob:

We stayed at the hotel Villa Belvedere in Taormina.

Because the hotel was overbooked when we arrived, we were put in a dark room in the rear of the hotel with no view. After the weekend when guests started leaving, we spent the last night on an upper floor overlooking the sea with a breathtaking view. I definitely would make sure you got the view room for the whole stay. http://www.villabelvedere.it/

When you look at the web page, you can see the pool below the hotel and it was very enjoyable. We would take lunch everyday by the pool and the food was wonderful. The breakfast room is above the pool and the view is spectacular. The fish is outstanding in all the village restaurants and definitely try the local white wines.

We rented our car in Taormina and made 2 day trips and then drove counter clockwise along the coastline staying at a few towns and then finally turning inland across the peninsula to Palermo where the traffic is typically Italian. I remember now that the reason we rented a larger car is the need for a trunk. The smaller hatch backs although easier to maneuver are easier to break in to. It was at the Villa Belvedere where the side of the car was damaged and they gave us insurance papers to make a claim but when we returned our auto to Avis, the guy at the return desk didn't even want to see the damage because of our extra coverage. He said in a typical Italian fashion that the car could have burned up and he wouldn't care.

Peter in the Bay Area