Taormina is the tourist destination par excellence in Sicily
Taormina was defined by Goethe “The greatest masterpiece of art and nature”. The historic French travel reporter Guy de Maupassant instead he defined it as a "painting in which we find everything that seems to exist on Earth to seduce eyes, spirit and imagination".
Taormina: a place that lives both in summer and in winter
Taormina perched on a flowery rocky spur, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, has been chosen as a holiday destination by bankers, industrialists, philosophers, crowned heads and photographers from all over Europe. Known personalities who have drawn inspiration from the unique panorama it offers. A place that does not live and should not be experienced only in summer.
Also this period, in particular on the occasion of the Carnival, is the right one to visit it without too much chaos and queues. Here you can fully enjoy the medieval atmosphere. Taormina it was also the capital of the whole of Sicily before being destroyed and rebuilt even more beautiful by the Arabs.
It is splendidly pervaded by the internationality of visitors who come from all over the world. Its artistic and historical wealth testifies, in fact, its past also as a capital.
The origins of the Taormina Carnival
The origins of the Taormina Carnival date back to 1600 when the brigand and seahorse they raged especially in the Catania area with those of dutturi, baruni and abbati.
In Taormina, once again this year, the allegorical floats meticulously made by local artisans will parade through the streets of the center on Sunday and Shrove Tuesday. A parade that is part of a busy schedule of events aimed at entertaining residents and tourists. Dancing parties, concerts in the square, singing competitions and traditional games such as the greasy tree. If you are in Taormina in this period, you cannot fail to taste the typical goodness: from the thin pastry chatter dusted with powdered sugar to the damselfish, from the zeppole stuffed with cream to the traditional pignoccata.
What are the places in Taormina not to be missed?
- I Public gardens of the beginning of the last century. Originally owned by a wealthy English woman passionate about ornithology, married to a Taormina professor. The Gardens still host wooden and brick constructions for the study and nesting of birds. This place is ideal for a relaxing break overlooking the sea, between ponds, bougainvillea and olive trees that bear the names of the fallen of the two wars.
- Il Greek Theatre which in summer offers a rich program of operas and concerts. The view from the higher gardens and from the garden behind them alone is worth the whole visit. Dug out of the rock, it has the shape of a shell facing the sea. Built in the third century BC by the tyrant Leo of Syracuse. Remodeled by the Romans five centuries later, it could hold up to four thousand spectators. Thanks to its 109 meters in diameter, it is second in size only to that of Syracuse and still retains perfect acoustics today.
- Corso Umberto: the beating heart of Taormina. Boutiques and ice cream parlors alternate with the sumptuous facades of noble residences, such as that of Covaja Palace, built by the Arabs in the 400th century. It belonged to the same family for XNUMX years. First seat of the Sicilian Parliament, now the Tourist Office. Palazzo Ciampoli, manor of the fifteenth century faithfully rebuilt after the bombings of 1943. The churches of Santa Caterina with a single nave and that of San Giuseppe with a large marble portal are delightfully baroque.
- Square IX April: the "living room" of Taormina from whose balcony you can enjoy a wonderful panorama. A scenario that embraces Etna, the bay of Naxos and the ancient theater. In this square there is the Duomo, a favorite place for famous people who visited the city in the past. It was built on the ruins of a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas. In the center of the square, the beautiful Baroque fountain, known as "Four fountains ", for the four columns at the corners of the central basin. Dominated by a female centaur holding a sphere and a scepter, symbols of power. The emblem of an elegant city like Taormina could only be of the fair sex.
