Taormina
It is one of the most famous tourist resorts of the island thanks to its enchanting position on the sea, the scenic beauty, the vast historical, cultural and archaeological heritage of which it is rich.
Charm and Beauty
A place of great charm and beauty , the splendid Sicilian town has attracted famous travelers and welcomed celebrities of international fame.
Visitors who come from all over the world, to see its Greco-Roman theater, to stroll along its medieval streets, to admire its breathtaking views, to taste its excellent gastronomy , to relax in the sun of its marvelous beaches, remain bewitched.
A grandiose testimony of Ancient Sicily, the Greek Theater is the most famous monument in Taormina , and the second largest theater on the island (after that of Syracuse ). Built by the Greeks (3rd century BC) who chose the spectacular promontory as a spectacular setting for their dramatic and musical performances , the Theater in the 2nd century AD. C was modified and enlarged by the Romans who transformed the scene and the orchestra into an arena where the fights between gladiators and hunting shows (venationes) took place.
From the top of the large cavea, the stairway carved into the rock which, following the natural concavity of the hill, starts from the bottom and rises to the top, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Calabrian coast and the Sicilian Ionian coast with Mount Etna in the background.
The most important is the Taormina Arte, the international arts festival , known and appreciated for its rich calendar of musical, theatrical, dance and cinema events.
Rich in floral and tree beauties, the Municipal Villa is a pleasant oasis of tranquility in the city center .
The beautiful public gardens named after the Duke of Cesaró were originally a private park created by the will of Lady Florence Trevelyan Cacciola , the Scottish noblewoman who lived in Taormina since 1884 and married its then mayor. Made as a typical English garden, the park was filled with a great variety of flowers and plants from all over the world but also with singular buildings with an exotic taste used by Lady Florence, a passionate ornithologist, to observe birds, the gardens of the Municipal Villa offer also an wonderful view of Etna and the coast.
The city Cathedral dedicated to San Nicola , with its austere stone facade, the crenellation crowning and the massive bell tower that make it look like a fortress, stands in the suggestive Piazza del Duomo .
Built around 1400 on the remains of a thirteenth-century church, the Cathedral has undergone several renovations, as evidenced by the main portal of 1636 and the two side portals dating back to the fifteenth century (the one on the left side) and the sixteenth century (the one on the right side).
The interior is a Latin cross with three naves and three apses. Six monolithic columns (three on each side) in pink marble surmounted by decorated capitals support the central nave with a wooden ceiling. The sixteenth-century polyptych by Antonello de Saliba is valuable . The external façade is simple, decorated with a small Renaissance-inspired rose window and two single-lancet windows.
