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Image zoom Credit: Nina Ruggiero
Lido la Caravella, a beach in Taormina, on Sicily's northeastern coast, is my happy place. It's a little bit of a walk from the funicular that takes you from the heart of the clifftop town down to the stunning Ionian Sea, so it's more of a local spot than a tourist destination. (Though some hotels, like my favorite in town, Villa Carlotta, do offer shuttle service to La Caravella if you know to ask for it.) Beyond the quintessential Italian coastal colors that serve up a true feast for the eyes — blue sea, white sand, yellow umbrellas — and the calm, pristine water, which you can enjoy leisurely on one of the floats provided for visitors, I love this beach for the restaurant and service. You can easily stay all day, starting with a bottle of prosecco, delivered straight to your beach chair on ice, and moving on to a sit-down lunch of fried seafood and fresh salads or pasta at a table with a view. The staff will make you feel like family, so much so that when the sun starts to set, you definitely won't be ready to leave.