'Weite' #FotoVorschlag

Blick vom Antiken Theater in Taormina auf Giardini-Naxos und die Küste

#foto #photo #photography #mywork #Taormina #Sicilia #italia #sea

Adnkronos - ultimoratop: Maltempo in Calabria, frane e strade allagate. Nel Vibonese crolla atrio in una scuola

(Adnkronos) - Crolla palazzina disabitata a Taormina, evacuazioni nel territorio di Crosia

Bad weather in Calabria, landslides and flooded roads. In Vibo Adige, the atrium of a school collapses.

(Adnkronos) - Abandoned building collapses in Taormina, evacuations in the Crosia area.

#Calabria #ViboAdige #Taormina #Crosia

https://www.adnkronos.com/cronaca/maltempo-in-calabria-frane-e-strade-allagate-nel-vibonese-crolla-atrio-in-una-scuola_33KeYPZNBW2zWR8dAnltxF

Coming to you from somewhere high above the Atlantic Ocean on the way home, here’s a summary post of my trip to the south of France, along with a few words about my time in Taormina, Sicily, Italy: https://journeys.klebanoff.com/2026/02/south-of-france/

#Travel #Taormina #Sicily #Italy #France #SouthOfFrance #Marseille #Arles #Nice

If you visit Taormina, you will never forget it.

#taormina #sicily #italytravel #ioniansea #travel

Primo lessons in city planning from Roma, etc.

Listed below are city planning lessons learned from our recent trip to beautiful Roma, Italia and three cities on the island of Sicily (busy Catania, splendidly stunning Siracusa, and jaw-droppingly gorgeous Taormina). Peace!

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• Piazzas (plazas) for the people! Provide public spaces without cars to gather, walk, rest, or shop.

• Fontane (fountains) for the people! These are terrific third places to gather or provide a wonderful respite from the hectic city where one can relax or just people watch.

• Archeologico e storico (archaeological and historical preservation) allow us to learn from the past and share that knowledge with future generations. Remove a city’s history and it ceases to have meaning.

• Cultura, cultura, cultura! (culture, culture culture) A city is a dead zone without culture to enliven it.

• An orizzonte (skyline) does not have to be tall to impress. Roma, Edinburgh, Santa Fe, Madison, and other low-rise cities around the globe all prove this.

• Uso misto (mixed uses) are paramount for urban vibrancy. Throughout the heart of cities in Italy you see commercial and office uses on the lowers floors with residential above.

• Somehow, chaotic traffico stradale (street traffic) works in Italy. I don’t know how, but the crazy quilt of cars, trucks, seated scooters, standing scooters, motorcycles, and e-bikes tends to flow continuously despite a lot of close calls and near misses. Perhaps, lower speed limits, smaller vehicles, hefty traffic fines, and congestion may be reasons for lower fatality rates: .0005 in Italy vs. .0012 the USA (per geminigoogle.ai).

• Vita di strada attiva (active street life) continues well into night – something American cities should be very envious of since it is so rare here.  This was observed in all of Italian cities we visited.

• Vicoli, salite di scale e altri passaggi pedonali (alleys, stair climbs, and other pedestrian passageways) are often beautifully and uniquely adorned by locals. Colorful string lights, umbrellas, flowers, and ceramic vases, were all observed.

• Parcheggio (parking) is helter-sketlter in Roma and many other Italian cities. Despite vehicles being parked in all sorts of places and manner, I’m not sure I ever saw a parking ticket…maybe they arrive in the mail?

• Pedoni (pedestrians) are clearly given the right-of-way by drivers when using crosswalks in Italian cities, whether there is signal or not. Oh, if it were only that way in the USA! p.s. While the vast majority  of Italian drivers will cede the right-of-way to pedestrians in a crosswalk, never assume all of them will.

• Turismo di massa (mass tourism) is a problem in a number places in Roma and across Italy. The Trevi Fontana (fountain) was the most noticeable and troubling. The experience was definitely lessened by the swarms of people. It was also clearly evident at the Vatican, the Colosseum, and the Forum. If these sights were this packed and busy in January (when we toured them), it is hard to imagine the crush of people during the peak seasons.