Today is our last day in Taormina and our Sicily tour. But before we leave Giusi arranged for us to participate in a cooking class where we would make, then eat, a pasta and a pizza.

We walked over to a local restaurant that also offers cooking classes in the morning before they open for lunch. We were issued aprons and then instructed by one of the staff how to start with flour and water and make the dough we would need for the pasta. Once the dough is made we were to wrap small pieces around a stick to create a pasta with a hole in it. It was not as easy as our teacher made it look! The resultant pasta were not uniform in size or diameter; it was not a proud moment for the students.

 

Next came the flour, water and yeast to make pizza dough. The resultant mounds of dough were not pretty but they would serve their purpose. Once the dough was stretched into the appropriate circle we were marched into the kitchen where we could add whatever condiments we wished to our creation! I was a traditionalist, selecting sausage and mushrooms. They restaurant uses a wood fired stove to bake the pizzas so they were done in the blink of an eye. And most importantly, they actually tasted quite good!  The pasta was served with a simple tomatoes sauce on it and I thought it was rather bland. And, of course, there was wine and cannoli to finish our luncheon.

We had the rest of the afternoon as free time and Yvonne and Sue decided to spend the time packing for our departure tomorrow.  Gerry and I decided to take the Rick Steve’s walking tour of Taormina, using his guide book to explain what we were seeing as we walked through the city. You do learn a lot about the area and its features by using such guides. We did quite a few “I didn’t know that” as we walked past areas we had walked past in previous days and not knowing what we were seeing. These walking tours add to the overall enjoyment of a city and culture. We did make a stop at a highly recommended coffee shop called the “Bam Bar” specifically to have one of their specialty granitas that contain two flavors AND whipped cream. We had to laugh when we tried to pick two random granita flavors the waiter said no-obviously he felt they would not complement each other. He then offered a second flavor to blend with our first choice. Boy, we’re we impressed with the result, especially with that addition of a marvelous whipped cream!  No wonder this place is always packed.

Tonight was our farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant and, of course, it was served outdoors. I do not know what they would do here if it ever rained as most dining is done outdoors. We ate, drank and laughed reflecting our 12 days with Giusi as our leader. There were then hugs and farewells as we all were headed our separate ways in the morning. I was impressed that Secret Italia (our tour company) had arranged for us all to travel separately to the Catania airport, leaving Taormina at times based on our flight departure times. It was a nice touch as more often tour companies will simply load everyone on a bus for a single departure and you might get stuck waiting hours at the airport for your flight.

Most people were healed home but some, like us, were moving on for more adventure. In our case we four were headed to Malta for a 5 day tour. The vacation continues……

Steps for the day: 6,592- almost the recommended amount now said should be the goal for those of us older folks!