Taormina Travel Guide

From the ancient theatre to the main street, a holiday at Taormina is a trip through the splendour of Magna Grecia to the height of the 19th century, an era when German poet Goethe described the beauty of this corner of Sicily as the Pearl of the Ionian.

Taormina's evocative landscape has bewitched many artists of international fame, enticing them to return to Sicily over and over again. At Taormina travellers can discover a piece of Sicily's more unusual side, making a trip to this part of the island even more intriguing.

Ten things to see and do
Greek amphitheatre
Piazza Cattedrale
The Town Council, Villa Comunale
The ancient gates of Porta Messina
Palazzo Corvaja
Isola Bella, the beautiful Island
The Roman Naumachie monuments
The Odeon Theatre
The Castelmola Castle
The Church of San Pancrazio

Events
End of Summer
Each year, the cultural institution Taormina Art organises a series of music, dance and theatre performances of great appeal to tourists. And with the spectacular natural stage Taormina's location offers, the Film Fest is another event not to miss.
Ever since the 70s this festival has drawn some of Italy's most important cinematographers and hosts some of the world's biggest stars to award its Nastro d'Argento, Silver Ribbon prize.

Taormina's typical food
Granita and stocco alla messinese
As much as Taormina is a tourist haunt, it is full of bars and restaurants that offer typical Sicilian food, especially the famous ricotta cannoli and tempting gelatos for dessert or snack. For breakfast, a good dollop of granite al limone, lemon ice, with a pastry fresh from the oven is the best way to start the day, while for lunch or dinner a seafood dish is a must. The stocco alla messinese, for instance, uses cod fish cooked with a local mix of condiments.
Almond wine
A little above Taormina the small village of Castelmola is known for its exclusive production of vino alle mandorle, almond wine, created by the Turrisi family. This Sicilian elixir is a sweet dessert wine flavoured with herbs, almonds and citrus. It is usually served ice-cold with a slice of citrus peel to exalt its taste.

Spotlight on Taormina's natural attractions
Right in front of Taormina a thin strip of land joins the Isola Bella, beautiful island, with the mainland. Reachable on foot, the Isola Bella is a protected natural reserve inhabited by marine birds, especially the Royal Seagull and Grey Heron. Leaving the coast a little behind, in the area of Giardini Naxos the Alcantara Valley has a tremendous natural canyon of volcanic origin where the ice cold mountain water flows down to the sea.

How to arrive
Set in the hills and facing the bay of Giardini Naxos, Taormina is one of Sicily's key tourist destinations.
By Plane: The closest airport is at Catania, Catania-Fontanarossa International Airport, about an hour's drive from Taormina.
By Car: Take the state road, Strada Statale number 114 or the A18 freeway between Messina-Catania.
Other: The train station of Taormina-Giardini is on the main rail line between Messina-Siracusa. The express trains from Rome and Naples arrive here as well as regional trains. From the station it's a 10 minute taxi ride to Taormina or local busses depart regularly. From the area of Mazzarò beach there is a cable-car up to the town.