Named after the Duke Colonna of Cesarò, the public gardens stretch along a panoramic terrace and are intersected by numerous pathways lined with thick evergreen hedges atop gracious brick balusters. These paths divide the gardens into countless patches of flowers that bloom under the shade of the many different types of trees. Among the luxuriant cactuses and eye-catching palms you can see the ornate, imaginative architectural structure of the Victorian Follies, commissioned towards the end of nineteenth century by Florence Trevelyan to fulfill her passion for all things romantic and picturesque: mighty arches and shady niches built from stones and bricks, closed-off areas and perforated balusters, sunny balconies and battlement towers, where the uniform color of warm rose alternates charmingly with graceful ornamental motifs that delight the eye by cleverly making the most of the contrasting shades of lava and limestone, black and white respectively.
Duchi S. Stefano Palace
Immersed in the greenery of a floral garden and preceded by a spacious courtyard, the palazzo dei Duchi di Santo Stefano is considered the best preserved Norman edifice in Taormina. Dating back to the thirteenth century, it actually incorporates Arab structures and milieus, and has recently been restored to its historic splendour so that the influence of the different cultures and fashions can be noted in its stylistic features. The square bulk of the palace seems more like a tower than a palace due to the exclusive use of light-colored building materials and the residue of a Ghibelline battlement, but manages to recuperate the function and the appearance of a civilian residence thanks to the elegant mullioned windows on the first floor and the even more graceful ones higher up, not to mention the bicromatic decorations of the gothic doorway and the coronation band preserved in its original colours and inlaid with white stone and dark lava. The noble residence of Biagio (Blaise) de Spucches and Lanza of Briga, who fitted it out with a curious assortment of plaques and old junk in the seventeen hundreds, seems to have fatally preserved his vocation as a museum collector over the centuries, seeing as it has now become home to the G. Massullo Foundation, which plays host to numerous graphic and sculptural works by illustrous artists.
S. Pancrazio Church
According to legend, St. Pancreas, one of St.Peter's disciples, was the first bishop of the city of Taormina. The temple consecrated in his name, it's present shape dating back to the seventeenth century, was earlier constructed on top of the ruins of a pagan structure raised in honour of Jupiter Serapis. It's baroque doorway is adorned by two statues of sainted bishops, each of which stands inserted between two columns.
S. Giuseppe Church
The seventeenth century St. Joseph's physically dominates the panoramic Piazza IX Aprile from above it's twin entry staircases adorned with gracious balustrades, a piazza that seems like an airy balcony, that projects onto broad views inundated with light. A baroque bell-tower with a rounded cusp stands beside the church forming the shape of a latin cross, and holds eight 1660 paintings depicting episodes from Our Lady's life, which are exhibited on the walls of the nave.
St. Nicholas Cathedral
The Cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas and dates back to the thirteenth century, although it has been altered in the intervening period, particularly in the seventeen hundreds. The internal space is divided into three basilican-style aisles by six columns, apparently 'recycled' from the Greek theatre. Passing along the walls, you find six precious altars, three on each side. They're subjects include an illustration of The Visitation by Antonio Giuffrè, a fifteenth century Messinian painter who was a follower of Antonello of Messina; a polyptych of Our Lady with St. Jerome and St. Sebastian, The devotion between St.Agatha, St.Lucy, Jesus and the Apostles, painted in 1504 by Antonello of Saliba, another follower of Antonello of Messina, who was in fact his uncle; a statue of Madonna with Child in the 'Gaginesca' style ; a sixteenth century statue of St. Agatha by the Florentine mannerist Martino Montanini; a sixteenth centuty illustration by the Messinian Alfonso Franco depicting Madonna on throne with baby Gesus and two saints.
IX Aprile Square
Perched on a precipice dotted with Mediterranean scrub, almost projecting out over the sea that stretches before it and facing the majestic Mt.Etna, which casts its shadow over the villages, gardens and woods scattered across its slopes, the Piazza IX Aprile, as well as affording vast and enchanting panoramic views, is evocatively atmospheric in itself. Brightened by leafy oleander bushes, the wide space provides not only the delight of enjoying scenery of incomparable beauty, but also the pleasure of admiring architectural structures rich in art and history. In fact, the piazza provides the perfect backdrop for the old clock tower with its middle door that opens onto the medieval quarter full of picturesque nooks and crannies, flowering terraces and historic buildings; for the baroque St.Joseph's with its lively front staircase; and for the austere St.Augustus', with its pretty rose window, Gothic doorway and bell closure crowned by Ghibelline merlons.
Isola Bella (Beautiful Island)
Isola Bella (Sicilian: Ìsula Bedda) is a small island near Taormina, Sicily, southern Italy. Also known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it is located within a small bay on the Ionian Sea; it was a private property until 1990, when it was bought by the Region of Sicily, being turned into a nature reserve, administrated by the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. There is a narrow path that often connects the island to the mainland beach. The island has a small and rather rocky beach which is a popular destination for sunbathers.
King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies gifted the island to the nearby town of Taormina in 1806. The island was then bought from the town by a Ms. Trevelyan, who built a small house facing the sea and imported exotic plants, which thrived in the Mediterranean climate. Subsequent owners kept up the island, until the owner went bankrupt, and auctioned the island in 1990. The island had been noted by conservationists as early as 1983, and it was quickly obtained by the Region and designated as a protected natural site. The island is home to several species of birds, and a few types of lizards.
As the Arab Edrisi noted with amazement in the thirteenth century, "What's more, there's a theatre built by those ancient Romans (in Taormina), and it's testament to a great civilization and great power." The same amazement overcomes visitors even today, as they admire the imposing remains, partially reconstructed in the 1800's, that stand out in an imcomparably beautiful natural setting: the sea fading into the distance and snow-capped Mt.Etna keeping watch, often adding dazzling streaks of red to the view.
"I went immediately to the theatre. I found all the wonderful observations made by Mr. De Non to be absolutely true and there's no better way to describe the wonder of your eyes or the ecstasy of your mind as you wander among those majestic ruins [...]. There was a wide look-out area for viewing the stage in its three usual configurations. They consisted of three large arches, or doorways, each serving for a particular type of performance [...]. And where better to perform Euripides' "The Cyclop"? Mt.Etna looms in the pale blue distance, spewing forth thick clouds of smoke. And you can see it through one of the arches. So, you want to stage "Iphigenia in Aulide"? Here's a huge sea with room for several ships, just beyond the principal door. In Aristophanes' "Clouds", the floating sails in the sky could have given life to the Periactan Mobiles, and the nearby Nasso and Tauromenio itself, with its jagged cliffs, offered the spectacle of a city, a mountain and a fortress getting ready to be admired behind yet another door."
(Carlo Castone della Torre di Rezzonico, 'A Sicilian Journey', in Opere, Como 1815) "Taciturn Theatre, [...]of Taormina honour / your majestic walls show / how much every other theatre is your second / that from abundance beauty cannot be measured." ( from lyrics by Louis I, King of Bavaria (1786-1868))
Named after the Duke Colonna of Cesarò, the public gardens stretch along a panoramic terrace and are intersected by numerous pathways lined with thick evergreen hedges atop gracious brick balusters. These paths divide the gardens into countless patches of flowers that bloom under the shade of the many different types of trees. Among the luxuriant cactuses and eye-catching palms you can see the ornate, imaginative architectural structure of the Victorian Follies, commissioned towards the end of nineteenth century by Florence Trevelyan to fulfill her passion for all things romantic and picturesque: mighty arches and shady niches built from stones and bricks, closed-off areas and perforated balusters, sunny balconies and battlement towers, where the uniform color of warm rose alternates charmingly with graceful ornamental motifs that delight the eye by cleverly making the most of the contrasting shades of lava and limestone, black and white respectively.
Immersed in the greenery of a floral garden and preceded by a spacious courtyard, the palazzo dei Duchi di Santo Stefano is considered the best preserved Norman edifice in Taormina. Dating back to the thirteenth century, it actually incorporates Arab structures and milieus, and has recently been restored to its historic splendour so that the influence of the different cultures and fashions can be noted in its stylistic features. The square bulk of the palace seems more like a tower than a palace due to the exclusive use of light-colored building materials and the residue of a Ghibelline battlement, but manages to recuperate the function and the appearance of a civilian residence thanks to the elegant mullioned windows on the first floor and the even more graceful ones higher up, not to mention the bicromatic decorations of the gothic doorway and the coronation band preserved in its original colours and inlaid with white stone and dark lava. The noble residence of Biagio (Blaise) de Spucches and Lanza of Briga, who fitted it out with a curious assortment of plaques and old junk in the seventeen hundreds, seems to have fatally preserved his vocation as a museum collector over the centuries, seeing as it has now become home to the G. Massullo Foundation, which plays host to numerous graphic and sculptural works by illustrous artists.
According to legend, St. Pancreas, one of St.Peter's disciples, was the first bishop of the city of Taormina. The temple consecrated in his name, it's present shape dating back to the seventeenth century, was earlier constructed on top of the ruins of a pagan structure raised in honour of Jupiter Serapis. It's baroque doorway is adorned by two statues of sainted bishops, each of which stands inserted between two columns.
The seventeenth century St. Joseph's physically dominates the panoramic Piazza IX Aprile from above it's twin entry staircases adorned with gracious balustrades, a piazza that seems like an airy balcony, that projects onto broad views inundated with light. A baroque bell-tower with a rounded cusp stands beside the church forming the shape of a latin cross, and holds eight 1660 paintings depicting episodes from Our Lady's life, which are exhibited on the walls of the nave.
The Cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas and dates back to the thirteenth century, although it has been altered in the intervening period, particularly in the seventeen hundreds. The internal space is divided into three basilican-style aisles by six columns, apparently 'recycled' from the Greek theatre. Passing along the walls, you find six precious altars, three on each side. They're subjects include an illustration of The Visitation by Antonio Giuffrè, a fifteenth century Messinian painter who was a follower of Antonello of Messina; a polyptych of Our Lady with St. Jerome and St. Sebastian, The devotion between St.Agatha, St.Lucy, Jesus and the Apostles, painted in 1504 by Antonello of Saliba, another follower of Antonello of Messina, who was in fact his uncle; a statue of Madonna with Child in the 'Gaginesca' style ; a sixteenth century statue of St. Agatha by the Florentine mannerist Martino Montanini; a sixteenth centuty illustration by the Messinian Alfonso Franco depicting Madonna on throne with baby Gesus and two saints. 
Perched on a precipice dotted with Mediterranean scrub, almost projecting out over the sea that stretches before it and facing the majestic Mt.Etna, which casts its shadow over the villages, gardens and woods scattered across its slopes, the Piazza IX Aprile, as well as affording vast and enchanting panoramic views, is evocatively atmospheric in itself. Brightened by leafy oleander bushes, the wide space provides not only the delight of enjoying scenery of incomparable beauty, but also the pleasure of admiring architectural structures rich in art and history. In fact, the piazza provides the perfect backdrop for the old clock tower with its middle door that opens onto the medieval quarter full of picturesque nooks and crannies, flowering terraces and historic buildings; for the baroque St.Joseph's with its lively front staircase; and for the austere St.Augustus', with its pretty rose window, Gothic doorway and bell closure crowned by Ghibelline merlons.
As the Arab Edrisi noted with amazement in the thirteenth century, "What's more, there's a theatre built by those ancient Romans (in Taormina), and it's testament to a great civilization and great power." The same amazement overcomes visitors even today, as they admire the imposing remains, partially reconstructed in the 1800's, that stand out in an imcomparably beautiful natural setting: the sea fading into the distance and snow-capped Mt.Etna keeping watch, often adding dazzling streaks of red to the view.