Taormina’s Greek Theatre

I was prepared to write a long, rambling post about this theatre that was built by the Greeks and subsequently re-designed by the Romans. But sometimes, less is more.

Sometimes, pictures speak louder than a thousand words. How I felt as I sat in the tribunes of this ancient building is hard to describe. Feelings of awe, of reverence almost … but at best, my words would be  mediocre; at worst, superfluous.

Yes, in places like this, less is definitely more. Because here, the stones themselves would have tales to tell and I am positive that their stories would be so much more interesting than mine; their memories spanning thousands of years.

So I will take a back seat and hope that, like me, you will lose yourselves in the magnificence of the architecture, the precise lines of the tribunes, the simplicity of the design …

But all of these, majestic and magnificent in their own right, cannot compare to the backdrop that was not created by mere mortal hands. In the hazy sunshine of a late spring afternoon, Etna placidly surveyed the surrounding island, haloed by a plume of smoke, as it has done for thousands of years, albeit not always as serenely.

The mountain’s beauty is strangely mesmerizing, it’s power savage. I could have sat there and stared at it till the sun went down and rose again in the glory of a new dawn.

Less is more … the pulse of life is definitely strong in this land; older than time itself – it is the primeval pulse of creation.

Teatro Greco

Via Teatro Greco 40

Taormina

Photographed May 2012