TAORMINA

(276 km away) Refugees from nearby Naxos, in 358 BC. they founded Tauromenion;

during the Roman domination, Taormina was enriched with many buildings,

in fact there is a restructuring of the Theater,

the building of an Odeon,

of a thermal establishment, of the Naumachie, of new residential residences and the reconstruction,

downstream, of the consular road Valeria.

With the Byzantines, Taormina returns to its former glory as it takes over from Syracuse as the capital of eastern Sicily, with the Arabs the water canalization works are started,

with the aim of reclaiming the land and improving the spread of housing within the territory.

The Normans carried out the main building works in the city center which still remain as evidence of the past.

During the Spanish domination, Taormina went through a dark period of taxes, poverty and looting.

Only in 1800, discovering a new vocation, the tourist one,

the city rises to a new life that still distinguishes it today.

The visit of Taormina

It begins by crossing Porta Messina. From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II a road branches off that leads to the Greek Theater, the most famous monument in Taormina for its unmistakable charm and for the beautiful view of the scene with Etna in the background.

Going along Corso Umberto I you notice the magnificent views offered by the medieval streets and meet in order the Belvedere, the small Church of S. Agostino, the Church of S. Giuseppe,

the Clock Tower, the Porta di Mezzo and the Piazza del Duomo with the Cathedral Basilica of S. Nicolò from the XIII century.

The Palazzo dei Duchi di S. Stefano is located below and concludes the itinerary with the Porta Catania.

The city

Due to its beautiful location, the city is the main tourist center of the island,

frequented since the mid-1800s by the aristocracy from all over Europe,

boasts excellent accommodation facilities and activities related to tourism.

The embroideries, the wrought iron and carved wood works and the antiques are valuable.

One of the most important events that takes place in Taormina every summer is the Taormina Arte review,

a film, theater and ballet festival which brings together the major international exponents of these arts in the magnificent context of the Greek Theater.