 Introduction
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Arrival Plane:
The International Airport of Catania is 50 km from Taormina. The airport offers connections with all the major Italian and European cities, including all the capitals. From the airport the Alibus shuttle service goes to Catania station every 20 minutes. There is a direct bus available from Etna Trasporti linking the Airport with Taormina.
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Train:
Taormina is on the Messina - Catania line with direct and very frequent trains going both ways. If you are coming from Palermo or from other cities in Sicily, you will have to change trains. From Rome there are some direct trains for Taormina (via Naples), the trip lasts 9-10 hours. For times please consult the Trenitalia site.
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Car:
From Palermo take highway A19 Palermo-Catania and continue on A18 until destination. From Siracusa take the state highway 114 to Catania and then take highway A18 until the exit at Taormina. From Agrigento take state highway 640 for Caltanisetta, continue then on highway A19 to Catania and then get on the A18 until destination. From Trapani take A29 towards Palermo, continue on A19 Palermo-Catania and then take A18 up to destination. Those coming from Continental Italy must continue on highway A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and exit on Villa San Giovanni to board the ferries that go to Messina. From Messina, highway A18 will get you in no time to Taormina.
History and Culture
From the sixth century onwards the town, in common with the whole of eastern Sicily, formed part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the ninth century it held out for a long time against the Saracens; after Syracuse had been taken by them in 878 Taormina took over its function as capital and did not fall into Saracen hands until 962. It gained greatly in importance after the Normans had driven the Saracens out in 1079. In 1410 the Sicilian Parliament met here to elect a successor to the late King Martin of Aragon. In the following centuries Taormina served as a base in the battle against pirates.
In the 19th century a new aspect came to the fore - the town gained favor as a health and winter resort for the upper classes and intellectuals of central Europe. The flair and spirit it displayed then and before the First World War in particular lasted through the Second World War too, when - as the site of German commando positions - it suffered intense Allied attacks, and this natural flair can still to some degree be seen today.
Churches and Museums
The fortress cathedral, which is what Taormina's main cathedral is considered, was built around the year 1400 on the ruins of a small mediaeval church. The cathedral has a Latin-cross plan with three aisles; there are six minor altars in the two side aisles. The very interesting main portal was rebuilt in 1636 and has a large Renaissance-inspired rosette sculpted on it.
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Chiesa di San Pancrazio (Church of San Pancrazio)
Church of San Pancrazio Outside Porta Messina, stands the Chiesa di San Pancrazio (church of St Pancras), on the site of the Temple of Jupiter Sarapis. The piazza behind Porta Messina was the location of the ancient agora (forum). This church stands on the ruins of a Greek temple. was built around the middle of the sixteenth century. The interior is filled with multi-colored marble and Taormina stone, and contains a fantastic fresco depicting the martyrdom of San Pancrazio.
Chiesa di Santa Caterina (Saint Catherine's Church)
The exact construction date of this church, consecrated to St.Catherine of Alexandria in Egypt and located in the centre of the city opposite Palazzo Corvaja, is not known. It is thought to date back to 1663, the year engraved on the tablet of the ossuary found outside the church and now located in the wall beside the staircase which leads to the crypt. As it was built on the ruins of the Odeon, the remains of which can be seen behind the church, part of the orchestra and scene were destroyed. The scene of the Odeon is believed to have been created using the colonnade of a pre-existent Greek temple dedicated to Aphrodite.
Museo Archeologico (Archaeological Museum)
The Museo Archeologico is located in the fourteenth-century Badia Vecchia tower, up on Via Circonvallazione. Exhibits include a rather exciting sword, probably dating to the Byzantine era, which was found in the sea near Isola Bella. Also on show are several fragmentary statues, a carved child's sarcophagus, and attractive Roman vases.
Antiquarium
This is a small exhibition area kept in the house of the ancient theater’s custodian. There are not many archaeological findings kept in the Antiquarium as most of the objects found during the digs were transferred to museums in Naples, Syracuse and Messina. Some of the most notable objects are some marble statue bases with ancient inscriptions, carved pillars and a marble sarcophagus.
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Museo Siciliano di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari(Sicilian Museum of Art and Folk Traditions)
Chiesa di San Giuseppe (Church of San Giuseppe)
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Chiesa di Sant'Agostino (Saint Augustine's Church)
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Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria (Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria)
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Convento di Domenico (Ancient Monastery of San Domenico)
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Historical Buildings and Monuments
Known as the Greek Theatre, Taormina's historic theatre owes much of its present appearance to the Romans, the Greeks' successors in Sicily. Designed with wonderful view of all the beautiful places surrounding Taormina: Etna, the Bay of Naxos, the crystal clear sea and Castelmola. The theatre was begun by the Greeks in the third century BC. In the first century AD, when Taormina was a significant Roman town, the Romans adapted the theatre to suit their more barbaric spectacles, stripping out seating to make more room for gladiatorial shows. Today it is one of the largest theaters in Sicily, second only to the one in Syracuse. This wonderful monument is now the seat of, the International Film, Theater and Dance Festival.
Related Articles: Greek Amphitheatre(Teatro Greco) Guide
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Palazzo Corvaja (Corvaja Palace)
The first part of this wonderful medieval palace was built by the Arabs during their period of rule. It was a cube-shaped tower that was used for defending the town. Later, Palazzo Crovaja, the seat of the Sicilian Parliament was added to the tower, that was extended over the years and after a period in which it was abandoned after the Second World War, the building was renovated and recovered, maintaining the characteristic mix of styles: Arabic (the tower), Norman (the fifteenth-century hall where the Parliamentary meeting were held), and Gothic (the shape of the façade windows).
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Badia Vecchia (Old Abbey)
An antique abbey, Badia Vecchia is a building that was built in the fourteenth century in Gothic style and which was recently recovered by the Taormina municipal council. Like Palazzo del Duca di Santo Stefano, the Badia looks like a fortress, an aspect that is even more accentuated by the battlements built on top of the building.
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Villa Comunale (Municipal Gardens)
Below the former Dominican monastery in Taormina, Via Roma runs east to the municipal gardens (Villa Comunale), in a commanding situation, from which Via Bagnoli Croce continues to the Belvedere. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, this was the private garden of the English aristocrat Florence Trevelyan, a woman who was a botany and ornithology lover. The property was donated to the Taormina Municipal Council in the nineteen twenties. From here we can return on Via Luigi Pirandello, passing below the Greek Theater, to the Porta Messina.
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Palazzo del Duca Santo Stefano (Duke of St. Stephen's Palace)
A fourteenth century building in Gothic-Sicilian style with Arabic-Norman influences. The building, which looks much like a fortress, has three floors that are all decorated with splendid mullioned windows with two lights: the ground floor that is reached through an archway, the first floor, with its system of drawbridges and the second floor. It is now the headquarters of the Fondazione Mazzullo and has many Sicilian works of art housed inside it.
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Castello Saraceno (Saracen Castle)
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Palazzo Ciampoli (Ciampoli Palace)
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Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower)
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Places of Interests
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Municipio (City Hall)
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Piazza IX Aprile (9th of April Square)
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Porta Catania (Catania Gate)
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Porta Messina (Messina Gate)
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Events
It is one of the most famous events in Sicily. A Festival dedicated to music, from symphonies to rock, dance and theater during which famous artists from all over the world come to perform in the wonderful, beautiful setting of the Ancient Theater. One section of the Festival over the years has become so popular that it has become an event in itself: the Taormina Film Festival.
Taormina Film Festival - June
After the International Film Festival in Venice, this is the oldest film festival in Italy. World-famous guests, film directors, script-writers, composers from Hollywood and independent ones too all come to the festival, whether they are busy or not. The setting is the amazing Ancient Theater of Taormina. At the end of the Festival, that usually lasts a week, there is the awards ceremony, during which the Nastri d’Argento for Italian cinema are handed out, a prestigious award that is much sought after by our national artists. In addition to the competitions, there are also retrospective sessions and side-sections with a specific theme.
Madonna della Rocca - September
The statue of the Madonna della Rocca is housed in a sanctuary between Taormina and Castelmola. In the second weekend of September, a religious procession carries the statue from the sanctuary to the town where a large banquet is organized, to eat “carne infornata”: lamb cooked with spices and herbs in a wood-fire oven.
Other festivals and fairs that are regular events in Taormina are the Sagra del Costume e del Carretto Siciliani – The Traditional Costume and Sicilian Cart Fair (May), the Festa Patronale di San Pancrazio – the San Pancrazio Patron Saint Festival -(every four years in July) and Carnival (February).
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