Trattoria da Nino ~ Taormina's Best!

TRATTORIA DA NINO
WE'VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD!

Why eat anywhere else?

The food is to die for…

Just a couple of minutes walk off the famous shopping street, Corso Umberto in Taormina, Trattoria da Nino is waiting for you with open arms.

 Gianluca and Jacqueline

We have been living in Sicily for almost two years and one of the highlights of living here is the Sicilian cuisine. Rich dishes prepared lovingly in slow-food fashion. 

We’ve been all over this island and nothing compares to the exquisite food and camaraderie that you will find at Trattoria da Nino. The food is authentic, the patrons are locals and the atmosphere is fresh, modern and lively. It's so good, we're going there again tomorrow!

Mixed Seafood Pastas

The real gems are the people who own and run the restaurant: Nino, with his talent for speaking many foreign languages, always greets us with a warm hug. 

Gianluca, we now call our “brother from another mother”, is full of endless energy and charm. He never ceases to be sure that we are totally taken care of each and every time we visit. Gianluca has become a great friend indeed!

 

Nino and Gianluca

Sebastiano, Reese, Gianluca and Stephen

Sebastiano, who is very attentive to detail, sees that you always have the right glass and correct utensil for the occasion with a friendly smile. Thumbs up!

I can say, without a doubt, these folks are the most genuine people we have come across in ALL of our restaurant experiences…EVER! They have been gracious and generous beyond words!

~ 

NOW, FOR THE FOOD...

Trattoria da Nino offers the best of the best in seafood dishes that surpass any other seafood I've eaten while living in Sicily. One of my favorite starters is their "Sicilian Sushi". Red prawns from Mazara del Vallo and fresh sashimi marinated in Sicilian orange juice. They are sweet, delicate and melt in your mouth! 

 

Other favorites include top quality tuna, which they serve carpaccio style (See first food photo), and their grilled fish dishes that are cooked to perfection!

Grilled Sea Bass 

 

Their Spaghetti con Vongole and Calamari and Shrimp Fritti and are some of the most delicious I've found on the island.

Spaghetti con Vongole

Calamari and Shrimp Fritti

I think I have eaten the Spaghetti con Vongole at least half of my visits there! 

Jacqueline with the best Spaghetti con Vongole

  

However, there is one particular chicken dish that is out of this world…

the Pollo al Diavolo ("The Devil's Chicken"). 

Mouth-watering, tender and with just enough spice...

Fact: my stomach just growled like I was smuggling a lion just thinking about it!

~

OTHER SPECIALTIES...

Homemade Cassata Cake 

with a CD of Mario Biondi that Gianluca gave us for Christmas!

Peach liquor and Limoncello

Grappa for the brave, and biscotti to top it off...heaven!

~

If you ever find yourself in Taormina, please be sure to venture off the Corso and make your way over to Trattoria da Nino. You are sure to find the best Sicilian cuisine served by warm and wonderful people in this most authentic trattoria.

And...they are a fur-friendly environment! What’s not to love!

Hercules, the sweetest King Charles Spaniel

Trattoria da Nino

Via Luigi Pirandello, 37
98039 Taormina Messina, Italy
0942 21265

 

Catania's Famous Fish Market

"La Pescheria"
 

 


Catania's renowned fish market is a sight to be seen when traveling in Sicily.

As a matter of fact, it's a MUST SEE!

Surrounded by Baroque style architecture, this historical gem is located in the heart of Catania; just a stone's throw away from the city's Cathedral, along the Ionian Sea.

The Fontana dell'Amenano stands off in a corner of Catania’s Piazza del Duomo. You'll find the Fish Market almost hidden just behind the fountain. The center figure seems to be standing guard to the action in the arena of fish mongers down below. The fountain, sculpted by Tito Angelini in 1867, gets it's water and owes it's name to the river that runs underneath the city.

A fish monger displays his catch of the day,
along with a head of a fish, placed there as "proof" that this is,
indeed, a "Pesce Spada" (Swordfish).

The Sicilian men are intense and very serious about their fish.

 

Some of the fish look as if to say,
"You don't really want me. Take the squishy guy over there!"

~


This particular fish monger caught my eye.
I stood there, jaw dropped open, mesmerized for what seems like forever...staring at...

...his cigarette.

This man with his cleaver was a real pro.
A confident master at the art of cutting up fish while smoking.

Until it dropped.

The ash took a swan dive onto the fish below!

At the end of the day it is as if this activity, with it's intense smells, colors
and personalities, vanished into thin air. Like it just packed up and drove off as would a traveling magician in a roadside wagon. 

Milan's Galleria ~ Inter Milan Wins Series A Title Over Siena

A beautiful day outside Milan's stunning Galleria, May 2010.

This is just before the Inter Milan Soccer Team won the Series A Title over Siena.

This is what it looked like just a few hours later... 

 

The view looking down from Milan's Duomo. Surprisingly, there was no one on the rooftop of The Duomo! It was a great escape from the crowds and a great view of the sea of Inter Milan fans below.