Taormina

Taormina is one of the most popular italian seaside resort. It is located in the Northeast of Sicily, on the ionic coast, not far from Messina, in a favourable position from where you can enjoy a unique panorama.

Climate

Spring is the best time to come and it arrives early : the almonds blossom in February and the area around Taormina is famous for the exuberance of its spring flowers. Temperatures stay comfortable into May and June. Taormina is renowed for its sunshine, so it's suggested take light clothing from July to September.

August is the hottest month and coincides to the main italian holidays. September cools down again making it ideal for a visit.

Temperatures rarely fall to 22°C until end of October. On the coast, sicilian winters are short ad mild making Taormina a popular off-season haunt. However, evenings from November to March can be cool. Swimming is possible from May into November.

History

In the year 403 B.C. Dionysius, tyrant of Siracusa and of the whole of Sicily, conquered Taormina after two attempts. After Dionysius died, Taormina had a period of great splendour.

The Siracusa rule was followed by a period of Roman dominion. Romans had a special regard for the city granting it more privileges than the other Sicilian colonies. And as the years went by Taormina became more and more famous. During the Middle Ages Taormina had the same fate as the rest of Byzantine Sicily in trying to withstand one Moslem attack after the other. At the end of the 9th century it was looked upon as the capital of Byzantine Sicily.

In the year 969 Taormina suffered its third and most terribie invasion by the Saracens. Al-Moezz, the Saracen Califf, ordered the destruction of the city, including its monuments, as a punishment for the people of Taormina who had resisted them for five years.

In February 1078 Count Ruggero led all his troups to the ramparts of Taormina. Ruggero had restored peace all over Sicily by driving out the Moslems. Only Taormina remained. After conquering Taormina, Ruggero d'Altavilla started behaving like many other invaders and became notorious for causing destruction, plunder and massacres.

Taormina also took part in the rebellion of the Sicilian Vespers and protected the Aragonese. In 1410 the city became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. Taormina remained loyal to the Spaniards even though these sold the city more than once.

It was under French occupation in 1675 before being occupied once again by Spain under Phillip V. It was the Bourbons' turn in 1734 although their dominion only lasted until 1861 when Italy was united.

Taormina was born touristic because many years before the Normans, the Siculi had chosen it as their home city. And after them the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Saracens, in other words all its conquerors, inhabited Taormina for long periods and not only because of political vicissitudes.

Taormina's first important tourist was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who dedicated exalting es to the city in his book entitled 'Journey to Italy'. Taormina is famous as an international tourist centre thanks to Otto Geleng, a young Prussian painter. He arrived in Sicily at the age of 20 in search for new subjects for his paintings and, on his way through Taormina, was fascinated so much that he stopped there. Geleng began to paint everything that Taormina offered. When his paintings were later exhibited in Paris, none of the critics nor the visitors could believe that the young Prussian had only copied from the places and not imagined them. At that, Geleng challenged them all to go to Taormina with him, promising that he wouid pay everyone's expenses if he was not telling the truth.

When he went back to Taormina, he created the first hotel out of a noble mansion, now called the Timeo Hotel.

Sightseeing

The Odeon: it was built during the empire of Caesar August Octavian and it reproduces the bigger theater's architecture. It is made with brick material.

It follows the constructive scheme of all the Roman theaters and it's divided in three parts: scene, orchestra and cavea.

The Odeon was used to read for a part and play musical auditions reserved to the magistrates, to the civic, military and religious magnates with their families and also to guests of respect.

The naumachies' ruins consist of a big and strong wall, which, with the Theater, is the most ancient greek ruin in Taormina.

The Ancient Theater: it was built by the Greeks and restructured and widened in the Roman age.

For dimension it's the second in Sicily, after the one in Syracuse. It consists of three parts: the scene, the orchestra and the cavea.

The most important part is the scene, that partially preserves the original form. The theater was decorated with columns of white marble and grey granite. Unfortunately, almost all the columns were lost.

The Castle: it is situated on the top of Mount Tauro. Here there was the ancient greek acropolis. It is called Saracen Castle too, because it was rebuilt in the thirteenth century by the arabs. It has a trapezoidal form and is endowed with a tower, which was a control tower.

The Cathedral: the fortitude Cathedral, as it was defined, was built around 1400 onto the ruins of a little medieval church dedicated to St. Nicola from Bari.

Corvaja Palace: it takes the name from the Corvaja family, one of the most ancient and noble families of Taormina, which possessed it from 1538 to 1945. It rises in Abbey square and is the most important medieval palace of which the town boasts. It has an Arabic style and at the same time Gothic and Norman, turned out from transformations brought by various dominations.

Events

The most famous festival that is held in Taormina is the International Festival of the cinema in Taormina and Messina, that celebrates its 50th edition this year. The festival was founded in Messina in 1955 and few years later was moved in Taormina. However, everyone who has the opportunity to visit Taormina, shouldn't miss the spectacular concerts that are held in summer in the Greek-Roman Theatre.

Shopping

Along the famous car free main walking street 'Corso Umberto' , visitors can enjoy the best Italian shopping stores at reasonable prices ,certainly better than those in major Italian cities . Moreover the town offers a wide choice of selected unusual charming shops to purchase typical sicilian products such as the renowned hand made ceramics or the elegant antiquities shops ,the delicatessen stores with plenty of local wines and other gourmet items or those selling fine leather , wrought iron and wooden products so known world-wide .

Cuisine

Sicilian cuisine is deeply cosmopolitan, drawing from the culinary culture of all its invaders. The Arabs introduced aubergines and rice as well as a sweet and spicy cuisine. The French and Spanish refined the raw ingredients and the end result is a sumptuous Mediterranean stew in which pasta, tomatoes, vegetables, sea food, lemons extra virgin olive oil and various herbs predominate.

Sicilian food mixes Italian staples - pasta, tomato souce and fresh vegetables - with local specialities and products of the traditional island industries : red chillies, tuna, swordfish and sardines, olives, pine nuts and capers all ure heavily.

The mild winter climate and long summer mean that fruit and vegetables are less seasonal here than in northern Europe and are also much bigger and more impressive.

In Sicily you may discover the true "cucina povera', the pillar of the famous mediterranean diet : pasta (fresh and died) dressed with pure, extra virgin olive oil and fresh vegetables, lightly grilled fish, lamb or goat seasoned with herbs. A healthy, peasant food, unspoilt by cloying sauces : you will discover how well and how healthfully you can eat without heavy sauces and fats.

Sport

the sweet climate allows to practice any kind of sport . By every beach even during winter time one can enjoy water sports such as wind-surfing ,sailing , fishing , scuba-diving , canoeing ,snorkeling or just jogging . In some beautiful nearby hilly villages there are international parafly clubs where one can also take lessons by professional teachers .

Golfers have a great time at the 'Picciolo Golf club' , a renowned fantastic 18 holes green fee in the typical village of Castiglione di Sicilia , situated at about half an hour of pleasant drive from Taormina In the magnificent public gardens setting , anyone can play tennis all surrounded by exotic palm trees and colorful flowers and bougainvilleas until 11 p.m.

Accommodation

Accommodations in Taormina range from small family run guest houses to traditional, romantic B. & B. Hotels, from Vacation Rentals to large modern expensive Hotels and Condominiums.

In town you also have a broad selection of excellent restaurants and cosy trattorias where you will have the opportunity to experience the genuine, true flavours of the authentic sicilian cuisine.

Transport

E : Catania Fontanarossa International is the nearest and most convenient airport at some km. 55 from Taormina . It features several flights from the major Italian cities such as Milan Malpensa , Rome , Naples , Venice. From Catania airport you can reach Taormina in one hour drive by very convenient direct motorway A 18 (direction Messina , exit TAORMINA ). Direct bus to Taormina centre are also available.

CAR: Taormina can be reached by car from every main italian cities . From Northern Italy , one can drive along the motorway A1 through Naples and Salerno ; then drive along the panoramic free of charge motorway A3 direction Reggio Calabria . Take exit 'Villa S.Giovanni - Sicilia ' , get to the harbour where very frequent ferries connect the mainland to Sicily 24 hours a day. Once in Messina , take motorway A18 direction Catania and then take exit 'Taormina'.

TRAIN: Taormina 's railway station is considered one of Italy 's most beautiful for its elegant charming Sicilian Liberty style decor ; every train arriving from Northern Italy to Sicily stops here.

SHIP: from Northern Europe & Italy , it is possible to take a confortable fast ship from Genoa harbour and reach Palermo in about 17/18 hours . From Palermo , Taormina is at about 2 hours drive by highway A19. Frequent ferries from Naples to Milazzo (one hour drive to Taormina) and one daily from Ravenna.

BUS: Taormina has its own modern bus terminal right in the town centre . Frequent buses run from Palermo , Catania  and Messina. Moreover there are easy connections from Rome and Amalfi, Bari, Brindisi and Taranto.

Excursions

GIARDINI NAXOS: Situated below Taormina, with his lovely bay, a splendid sea, in a flat coastal position.

Naxos was the first Greek colony in Sicily, founded in 735 B.C. To commemorate the event, a monument in bronze was erected at the very tip of Naxos - Capo Schisó: the NIKE.

Naxos is archeologically one of the very few remaining chances to study the most ancient aspects of Greek urbanistics.

The fertile sunny position, convenient for boats, must have been the reason for the choice made by the colonizers.

From the 18th C. onwards the village of citrus farmers and fishermen lived simply in this 'village of gardens', that's where the name Giardini (Gardens) comes from. A visitor to Giardini will also recall that Garibaldi left from the port of Giardini to land in Calabria. A monument commemorates the event.