The Public Beach on the Ionian Sea in Giardini-Naxos, March 2005

Giardini Naxos, 50 kilometres from Messina, is the most ancient of Sicilian Greek colonies. Founded by Chalcidians in 734 BC, who successively expanded into other areas of Sicily, today it is a renowned tourism resort.

This photo was taken during the off-season, but in the summer, the water is a vibrant blue and the beach is crowded with tourists from France, Germany, and other European countries. You can see some of the volcanic rocks (since Giardini-Naxos is located fairly close to Mt. Etna), and the water slide, in the distance.