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.

【红霞译文】

        在建筑史上，意大利素以创意新颖风格独特而闻名于世；盘踞在地中海心腹、面积排名第一的西西里岛文化积淀浓厚，遍地绽放艺术奇葩。

        陶尔米纳堪称意大利典型的海滨渡假胜地，并非由于房子挨着房子密不可分，而是因为其氛围鲜活有趣。这个坐落于海拔213米／700英尺之上的山顶小城将爱奥尼亚海纳克索斯湾一览无余，商店货铺兜售的东西样样讲究时尚，街头艺人个个身怀绝技，主人公友善热情，更有甚者，大街小巷到处充斥着人见人爱的意大利手工冰淇淋。

        意大利手工冰淇淋实际上是一种由新鲜食料手工配制而不是靠调味粉机器生产的冰淇淋，陶尔米纳每家冰淇淋店都精心推出各式品种，身为适龄少儿，你很难对它无动于衷，何况西西里岛像地中海其它沿海国家一样夏天热得要命，意大利手工冰淇淋绝对成为避暑的最佳选择，滴滴香浓意犹未尽，难怪当地人理直气壮地把它当成早餐来吃，英雄所见略同！有些商家巧夺天工，和盘托出廿多种，成心让普通冰淇淋自惭形秽，更不要说店铺装潢，人们在挖空心思打造意大利手工冰淇淋的同时，把创造力及再现性发挥得淋漓尽致，从中世纪到现代化，不同时期不同格调应有尽有。

        陶尔米纳优美之处还在于体现不同文化的古代教堂、中世纪广场、石板羊肠小道、拜占庭宫殿，城南端业已超过两千多年历史的古希腊剧场至今仍在投入使用，世界各地的游客蜂拥而至，使得眼前这个弹丸之地别具风情，举世无双。

        陶尔米纳深受古希腊历史影响，小城正变成一个地中海文化大熔炉，街坊邻里亲密友善，叫你从来没有陌生的感觉。倘若不信，你不妨亲自来尝一下意大利手工冰激凌，到时肯定深有体会。