The self-denial once practiced by the Monks is thrown out the window at the San Domenico come morning time! Breakfast is served in a massive dining room with tables at the end (for use if the weather isn’t good) and you eat out on a gorgeous Italianate terrace in a similar ecclesiastical style to the rest of the hotel.

This was an amazing way to start the day; it’s just perfect. The sumptuous buffet has everything on it; the selection is very generous. A lot of Europeans only have a slice of bread or croissant but here there were different types of hams and prosciutto, all kinds of cheeses - goat’s, brie, cottage and low fat. There was an organic section with rice cakes; fresh juices and you could order extra egg dishes. After asking for a long flat white coffee and a double espresso, by the second day I did not have to re-order, it just arrived !

Out on this long terrace with faultless blue sky you are living the life of an Italian count. There’s quite a lot of greenery on the balustrade so you don’t really see the sea when you’re sitting down - with a view like that, they should open it up a bit. However this is still one of our top breakfast experiences any where around the world; it really gets you out of bed with a smile.

There is a lounge / bar area in the hotel, the ORATORIO DEI FRATI, where you can eat in the courtyard. Normally we don’t restrict ourselves to hotel meals at all but Sheira needed a top up one morning. She was a little shocked at the very unholy price of 12 Euros for a cup of tea - which is essentially boiling water! There is so much to love about this wonderful hotel but I would recommend having your tea or coffee out on a square in the town.

Taormina is full of restaurants: humble, family run restaurants and pizzeria’s with paper tablecloths; outdoor dining in the squares or terraces overlooking the ocean. You can try traditional Sicilian specialties, seafood, fine dining or street pizza and enjoy it all, due to the freshest ingredients, and loving pride, that the Italians put into their food. Sheira will bite into a bursting, deep red market tomato off the vine and say, “So that’s what they are supposed to taste like.”

This beach club restaurant is all about eating fresh seafood. There is little to no English spoken here, so a lot of hand sign language is required! The owner saw us looking through the menu trying to decide what to order, so came up to us and suggested we leave the ordering to him. No sooner had he left, than beautiful tasty Mediterranean salads began to arrive.

We explained to him about Sheira’s dietary requirements, and he even boiled rice for us which was not on the menu. He gave the rice a slight Sicilian twist, by mixing through a light tomato broth. It really tasted great. Nothing like a risotto, much lighter.

The seafood was fresh fish, prawns and scampi. We could see them grill the food with lemon, a little garlic and ground pepper. It is such a tasty healthy way to eat, especially in the day when ones appetite may be down a little from the heat.

There were the most beautiful tarts and cakes they insisted we try “on the house”- at no cost. How do you say No to such fine hospitality? You cant, and so lunch rolled on into the late afternoon.

When we were able to make our exit, we went to lie on our beach chairs till early evening, and the Beach Club arranged for a taxi to pick us up and take us back up the hill to Taormina town. (You must get the restaurant to book a cab, as there are none unless you pre-book).

When you end up in a town with so much choice right out on the streets and tucked away in hidden corners you sometimes don’t know where to start. One night Katrina was on duty again and suggested this small, slightly out of the way restaurant for dinner.

We took a stroll through the old town arches to get there. It’s a pretty, intimate spot, with candlelight, a garden, only 15 tables and local patrons (always a good sign). They seemed flustered that we were ½ hour early – we soon discovered that they were on a strictly Latin sense of time. The service was definitely on slow motion. It took them a long time to get our menus, take our drink orders and even discuss the food. We got the feeling that there was one overworked chef with a backlog who was just going to get to you in Italian railway time.

By 10.30 pm you get to a point where you are so hungry you want to say, “basta” and head to the quickest fast food joint for French fries. Kids don’t really do patience well. And it was way beyond the normal wait, especially for entrees. When the food came however, it was so good that it immediately washed away the memories of annoyance.

We ordered very fresh scampi and fish carpaccio sprinkled with lemon and olive oil, prosciutto meloni and steaks. Each ingredient was absolutely delicious and beautifully prepared: you could slice the steaks with a spoon! Other specialties on the menu are swordfish with fennel and a sopressa of mullet. This is really good food and a nice local secret, but if you come alone, I’d bring a book - and you better make it War and Peace!

Walking along Taormina’s main street, the Corso Umberto, there are so many little shops and cafes to catch your eye. One day at 5 pm in the afternoon we saw the most beautiful pastry shop, just past the barber. We stopped for coffee and refreshments and went straight to heaven! The lovely, English speaking lady who served us was proud of Etna’s mini masterpieces and happy to help Sheira, who was carrying her trusty card in Italian that explains her dietary limitations: no wheat, no dairy. Amazingly, the store had a few cakes and pastries made with almond meal so finally Sheira could join the Italian food party!

We sat at the ceramic café tables, covered in a summery lemon pattern, and enjoyed afternoon tea with gelatos and little cakes. Some have jammy centres, others have a pistachio or almond flavour; there are delicate little fruits made from marzipan, candied oranges and canneloni. All the nibbles are so delicious that we wanted to go back everyday and fill the big, takeaway cardboard boxes with goodies!

Noah looked at me in amazement, because at home I exercise; a discipline that would even impress the old monks at the San Domenico! I can see him thinking, ‘has Dad lost it?’ as I dive in and try the local food, including ice cream, pastries, pizza and wine. But most people in Italy would sit down three times a day to enjoy pizza and gelato - guilt free. My travel indulgences are rare enough to balance out with my health regime in Sydney, and I burn it off by running every morning. So yes, when in Italian food nirvana, I will have those pastries - and I recommend that you commit the same sins when visiting Taormina as well!