2015-07-02

【Aiden in English】

        Italy is a country of architectural feats and styles unique to this part of the world. And in Sicily or the center and the largest of the Mediterranean, the culture flourishes with every stop.

        Taormina is a perfect example of a typical Italian coastal resort, not just the cramped houses side by side but the fun atmosphere. This hilltop town is situated 213 meters/700 feet above sea level and offers superb views of the Naxos Bay of the Ionian Sea. Everything is so stylistic and colorful, with vendors and musicians trying to entertain the tourists. They are friendly, and even to up the fun, and provide lively Gelato wherever you go. 

        Gelato is a type of ice cream made of actually ingredients not flavored powder. Every shop in Taormina supplies a variety of tastes absolutely everywhere. And being a kid, it’s hard not to be … interesting. Sicily, like all the Mediterranean countries, is very hot in summer. Gelato is a perfect solution. It tastes so delicious that the local people eat cups of it for breakfast and is a brilliant excuse for ice cream, too! Some shops had over 20 flavors, completely blowing ice cream over. The creativity and mixture of the store decoration was similar to the different flavors of Gelato from medieval to modern as you name it.

        To add to its elegance, the ancient churches, medieval squares, narrow slate streets, and Byzantine palaces were built to express different cultures. After more than 2,000 years, the Teatro Greco or the Greek Theater was constructed at the far side of town still being used for the performance today. A crowd of tourists from the pell-mell directions are coming together to make a tidy little place unique and exciting. There is nowhere else like Taormina. 

        Taormina is deeply influenced by the Greek history. The town is becoming a melting pot of the Mediterranean cultures and everyone is keen on each other. You will never feel unwelcome here. If you aren’t persuaded, try some Gelato on your own. You sure will be then.

【紅霞譯文】

        在建築史上，意大利素以創意新穎風格獨特而聞名於世；盤踞在地中海心腹、面積排名第一的西西里島文化積澱濃厚，遍地綻放藝術奇葩。

        陶爾米納堪稱意大利典型的海濱渡假勝地，並非由於房子挨着房子密不可分，而是因為其氛圍鮮活有趣。這個坐落於海拔213米／700英尺之上的山頂小城將愛奧尼亞海納克索斯灣一覽無餘，商店貨鋪兜售的東西樣樣講究時尚，街頭藝人個個身懷絕技，主人公友善熱情，更有甚者，大街小巷到處充斥着人見人愛的意大利手工冰淇淋。

        意大利手工冰淇淋實際上是一種由新鮮食料手工配製而不是靠調味粉機器生產的冰淇淋，陶爾米納每家冰淇淋店都精心推出各式品種，身為適齡少兒，你很難對它無動於衷，何況西西里島像地中海其它沿海國家一樣夏天熱得要命，意大利手工冰淇淋絕對成為避暑的最佳選擇，滴滴香濃意猶未盡，難怪當地人理直氣壯地把它當成早餐來吃，英雄所見略同！有些商家巧奪天工，和盤托出廿多種，成心讓普通冰淇淋自慚形穢，更不要說店鋪裝潢，人們在挖空心思打造意大利手工冰淇淋的同時，把創造力及再現性發揮得淋漓盡致，從中世紀到現代化，不同時期不同格調應有盡有。

        陶爾米納優美之處還在於體現不同文化的古代教堂、中世紀廣場、石板羊腸小道、拜占庭宮殿，城南端業已超過兩千多年歷史的古希臘劇場至今仍在投入使用，世界各地的遊客蜂擁而至，使得眼前這個彈丸之地別具風情，舉世無雙。

        陶爾米納深受古希臘歷史影響，小城正變成一個地中海文化大熔爐，街坊鄰里親密友善，叫你從來沒有陌生的感覺。倘若不信，你不妨親自來嘗一下意大利手工冰激凌，到時肯定深有體會。