There are many things I love about traveling; beautiful destinations, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, unique hotels, innovative dining opportunities… but most importantly making memories. We kept our babymoon very chilled with little planned in the way of activities but one thing that I was very keen to do was a maternity photo shoot so that I’d have beautiful pictures of Mr S and I with bump at this beautiful location forever!
The concierge at Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo organised the shoot for us and our photographer arrived waiting for us at the hotel at about 4pm and we decided to take a few photos around the hotel and in the town of Taormina. As we’d decided to keep other activities to a minimum, we hadn’t planned any historical tours as we usually do, so the local knowledge of the photographer was a great way to see hidden spots around town.
The hotel’s pink walls and the beautiful flower gardens surrounding the grounds made the perfect backdrop to our first pictures! We were a little awkward at first but soon started to get the feel of it more!
Outside the front of the hotel is really beautiful too so we wanted to make sure that we got shots here. I was a little worried seeing so many shadows at the time but I actually love the shadow play in the finished photos.
As I mentioned the town of Taormina is just steps away from the hotel so we ventured out into town to capture some shots – known to be one of Sicily’s most beautiful areas.
Taormina is such a charming town, with gorgeous buildings along the main street, Corso Umberto I, crumbling brick, cobbled streets and tumbling vines add to that gorgeous picturesque feeling. The shops themselves are a good mix of high end designer and local artisans, you could easily spend a whole day here shopping and get lost down the cute side streets.
And it’s not hard to find a pretty side street to explore. Some like this are lined with paintings, other contain hidden gems of bar, restaurant or ceramic shops.
Piazza IX Aprile is the main square of the city and is fringed by bustling restaurants and street artists. 
On one side of the square is the Church of St Joseph, next to the clock tower. The facade is in a stunning baroque style with a double staircase and a balustrade made of Syracuse stone and dates back to 1600.
On the other side of the piazza is a magnificent panoramic view from which you can see Mount Etna, the Bay of Giardini Naxos and the ruins of Taormina’s ancient theatre
If you head through the arch you’ll reach Piazza Duomo, the location of the Duomo or Cathedral of Taormina also know as Duomo di San Nicola which dates back to the 13th century. Just outside the cathedral is a baroque fountain topped by a centaur.
One of my favourite shots of the day was taken standing on the fountain. The photographer suggested that we headed The Public Garden of Taormina which actually very close to our hotel so a good way to round off the shoot. Once belonging to the English noblewoman, Lady Florence Trevelyan, the gardens are a serene spot where lady Florence used to go and paint or entertain guests.
The garden also has the most gorgeous view!
These stairs were perfect for getting some shots with bump and these are some of my favourites!
Despite Mr S’s hesitance and our initial awkwardness, we were so glad that did we did the photoshoot and have these special memories to look back on. I’m also really excited to get some of these framed for the nursery!
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