Taormina – The Most Spectacular City in Sicily

Are you planning your next trip to Sicily? So, don’t miss out to visit beautiful Taormina. Where Sicily is most beautiful. Undisputedly the pearl of Sicily, the beauty of the town, as well as its location, virtually a balcony over the sea, are spectacular. Of course, this also attracts countless tourists, who turn the small town centre into a permanent circus full of souvenirs and typical tourist traps. Pamper yourself in a sumptuous villa with private pool in sunny Taormina, Sicily and you will not regret this!

 

Visit the Big Greek Theater

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful place where, besides the beautiful city centre, there is also something to see, such as the big Greek theatre, Castelmola above Taormina or just take the cable car down to the beach or to Isola Bella. After more than two millennia, in Taormina you can even hear – and see – the architectural masterpieces that the Romans were capable of: the theatre is 120 metres long and 20 metres high; the semi-circular tiers for the audience have a radius of 147 metres at their highest point.

On the former stage there are still a few columns with elaborately decorated capitals, each column alone as high as a house, behind which is a decaying wall of red bricks. The ancient theatre is the greatest cultural treasure in Taormina and one of the most important in Sicily. Many tourists love visiting this city and choose it as the main location of their holiday stay.

 

Taormina is also a Stage for Important International Events

In 2017 Taormina became famous again after the politicians and the government of the G7 countries gathered in Taormina and positioned themselves for the obligatory group photo in the Amphi Theatre. Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi chose Taormina instead of Florence as the venue to give more visibility and turnover to the gastronomy in Sicily. Today, thanks to the G7, the city of 10 000 inhabitants has two heliports and two thirds of its streets are freshly paved. This new appearance makes Taormina more attractive and interesting.

But even without freshly paved roads, Taormina has been a magnet for travellers for centuries. The combination of silence and expressiveness is just right. On the horizon, Etna whispers, wide and furrowed, often covered with a blanket of snow, making winters mild and summers warm. Even Goethe, who fell so under Taormina’s charm that he dedicated several pages to it in his “Italian Journey”, begun in 1786, was impressed by the volcano and the city. Emperor Wilhelm II liked to spend the winter here, as a rest from the strains of government. After the nobility followed the artists. Wilhelm von Gloeden photographed scandalous pictures of naked boys here at the beginning of the 20th century, which were mostly destroyed as pornography under Mussolini, but attracted other artists. Oscar Wilde was here, as were Thomas Mann and Richard Strauss.

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