We spent yesterday at the beach overlooking beautiful Isola Bella (which means Beautiful Island).  More on that in the next post – it used to be someone’s villa, and we got to visit it!

Toarmina is up on a hillside, so it is a steep climb down to the beach. Fortunately, they have a cable car that whips you right down.  How cool is that?!

There are a few public beaches, but most of the beach is taken up by private beach clubs – we LOVE this.

We spent the day at the Mendolia Beach Club.  For 5 Euro each, you get a deck chair and umbrella, plus access to the ristorante, bar, and (most importantly) restrooms – all right there.  Money well spent.

We read, relaxed, and had a wonderful seafood lunch steps away from our beach chairs.

And A Massage . . .

At all of the beaches here, a group of Asian ladies wander around and try to talk you into a massage – 10 Euro for legs or back. We kept saying, “No Grazie” (no thank you) as one after the other approached us.  Finally, “Linda” – who says she was born in China but has lived in Sicily for 30 years and speaks excellent Italian and a little English – wore us down.  She offered “good deal” (35 Euro) if both of us had our legs AND backs massaged.

Frank went first – he almost fell asleep he was so relaxed. Then it was my turn.  Linda started with my feet – it felt heavenly.  Then on to my back.

The water was a little chilly still so I only had a beach dress on – not my swimsuit – and assumed Linda would just give me a back massage through my dress.  But this little Chinese lady completely disrobed me from the waist up in one swift stroke.   First she whipped my dress down around my waist, and as I protested, “I don’t have a swimsuit on!” –  she said, “That’s ok!” – and deftly unhooked my bra.  I was so shocked I couldn’t do anything but lie there.  Then she kept pressing into my shoulder blades saying “Male” (bad – I think meaning a bad knot).  No wonder my shoulders were tense – I was half-naked on the beach!  Eventually, she won out and I just let go and enjoyed.  And she re-dressed me in the end. (I have no pictures for obvious reasons.)

I definitely needed a glass of wine when I got home – but I have to say that I was very relaxed (although my shoulder blades were sore the next day).  You just never know what will happen next in Sicily!