La Giara

Glossy, airy, and reminiscent of Rome during the heyday of Gina Lollobrigida, La Giara evokes a warmed-over la dolce vita. The restaurant is almost excessively formal, and it has remained predictably stable since its founding in 1953. Views sweep from the veranda's outdoor tables over the bay of Taormina. The Art Deco ambience is also inviting, with marble floors and columns shaped from stone quarried in the fields outside Syracuse. The pastas are meals in themselves; we're especially fond of the ricotta-stuffed cannelloni and the ravioli stuffed with pesto-flavored eggplant (aubergine). The fresh fish of the day is grilled to perfection, and meats are cooked equally well. Other enticing menu items include filet of pork cooked with dried fruit and dressed with Marsala, or rolled sea bass stuffed with aromatic bread crumbs with cherry tomatoes and capers.

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