Lights Of Taormina

This Tracker track reflects Mark Knopfler's knack for writing on the road and turning his experiences there into music. "Over the years I've learned to write on the go," he told Billboard magazine. Knopfler added that he started writing this song, "where I was actually sitting on this beautiful terrace, looking down at Taormina."

The popular tourist destination of Taormina is a small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Knopfler played at Taormina's ancient Greek theater on July 16, 2013.

Our guess is that Knopfler was looking down on Taormina from Hotel Villa Angela, which is owned by Jim Kerr, the lead singer of Simple Minds. Kerr fell in love with the island of Sicily when he visited on tour, and later set up the hotel, which is set on a hillside above Taormina.