Best places to visit
Best places to visit - Militello in Val di Catania (Italy) Best places to visit - Slideshows from all over the world - City trips, nature pictures, etc.
Places to see in ( Sicily - Italy )
Places to see in ( Sicily - Italy )
Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the toe of Italy's boot. Its rich history is reflected in sites like the Valley of the Temples, the well-preserved ruins of 7 monumental, Doric-style Greek temples, and in the Byzantine mosaics at the Cappella Palatina, a former royal chapel in capital city Palermo. On Sicily’s eastern edge is Mount Etna, one of Europe’s highest active volcanoes. Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture. It is also home to important archaeological and ancient sites, such as the Necropolis of Pantalica, the Valley of the Temples, and Selinunte.
Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the toe of Italy's boot. Its rich history is reflected in sites like the Valley of the Temples, the well-preserved ruins of 7 monumental, Doric-style Greek temples, and in the Byzantine mosaics at the Cappella Palatina, a former royal chapel in capital city Palermo. On Sicily’s eastern edge is Mount Etna, one of Europe’s highest active volcanoes.
The medieval hill town of Taormina, famed for its chic Film Fest, is a popular base for touring Etna and the baroque city at its foot, Catania. Nearby Siracusa is known for Greek ruins and its historic island center, Ortigia. The southeastern coast has sandy beaches and calm waters, while Agrigento is home to the Valley of the Temples. The Aeolian Islands feature whitewashed villages and black-sand beaches. Sicily’s melting-pot cuisine includes specialties such as caponata, arancini and cannoli, and its wine-producing tradition dates to ancient times.
There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Sicily. By the order of inscription:
Valle dei Templi (1997) is one of the most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art and architecture, The site is located in Agrigento.
Villa Romana del Casale (1997) is a Roman villa built in the first quarter of the 4th century and located about 3 km (2 mi) outside the town of Piazza Armerina. It contains the richest, largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world.
Aeolian Islands (2000) are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus.
Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (2002) represent the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe. It includes several towns: Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli.
Necropolis of Pantalica (2005) is a large necropolis in Sicily with over 5,000 tombs dating from the 13th to the 7th centuries BC. Syracuse is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres and architecture. They are situated in south-eastern Sicily.
Mount Etna (2013) is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity and generated myths, legends and naturalistic observation from Greek, Celts and Roman classic and medieval times.
Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalù and Monreale; includes a series of nine civil and religious structures dating from the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130–1194)
Alot to see in ( Sicily - Italy ) such as :
Mount Etna
Valle dei Templi
Cappella Palatina
Villa Romana del Casale
Palazzo dei Normanni
Palermo Cathedral
Martorana
Cattedrale di Monreale
Alcantara
Isola Bella
Riserva naturale dello Zingaro
Church of the Gesù, Palermo
Ancient theatre of Taormina
Catacombe dei Cappuccini
Teatro Massimo, Palermo
Ear of Dionysius
Riserva naturale orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile
Cefalù Cathedral
Quattro Canti
San Cataldo, Palermo
Palazzo Chiaramonte
Kalsa
Mount Pellegrino
Catania Cathedral
Scala dei Turchi
Palazzo Corvaia
San Giuseppe dei Teatini
Museo archeologico regionale Paolo Orsi
Castello Ursino
Orto botanico di Palermo
Santa Maria dello Spasimo
Greek Theatre of Syracuse
Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento
San Benedetto, Catania
Teatro Massimo Bellini, Catania
Palazzo degli Elefanti
Basilica della Collegiata
San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Museo Mandralisca
Palazzo Abatellis
Zisa, Palermo
Etnaland
Donnafugata Castle
Tonnara di Scopello
Tempio di Segesta
Fontana Pretoria
Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas
Parc archéologique de Néapolis
Fontana dell'Elefante
Temple of Concordia, Agrigento
( Sicily - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Sicily . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Sicily - Italy
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Catania - Typical Sicily -15'
Typical Sicily è un progetto realizzato da UNPLI Sicilia per la promozione e la valorizzazione dei territori e della cultura siciliana.
[en] Le città barocche della Val di Noto di Palazzolo Acreide e Noto - Patrimoni del Sud - Unesconet
Monumentality, drama and sophistication with these adjectives is always defined by the Baroque. Among the highest expressions of European Baroque are the Late 8 the city of Val di Noto in Sicily. The city of Caltagirone, Catania, Militello Val di Catania, Modica, Known, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli were almost completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1963. The terrible geological phenomenon but did not discourage the community who rebuilt the city with architectural and artistic achievements of the highest level. Sumptuous and elegant palaces alternate with imposing churches with carved facades and precious interiors, the interwoven urban plots according to a unique style to leave space shades of colors that vary according to the city that we are going to endorse. The dark gray color of Catania is, indeed, very different from the luminous color of Noto Miele this because of the different materials used for the construction. The Val di Noto is historically one of the three areas in which it was administratively divided Sicily in Arab-Norman period, and it includes the territories of the provinces of Siracusa and Ragusa, and most of the provinces of Catania, Enna and Caltanissetta.
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Catania
The Sensational Sicily Series of Films presented by Alessandro Sorbello showcase one of the most beautiful regions on earth, rich in history, Sicily formed part of the cradle of civilization. This project is born from a collaboration between the Region of Sicily The Italian Chamber of Commerce, New Realm Media and Alessandro Sorbello Productions.
Profile of Catania (Greek: Κατάνη -- Katánē; Latin: Catana and Catina; Arabic: Balad-al-Fil or Medinat-al-Fil, Wadi Musa and Qataniyah) is the second-largest city of Sicily, southern Italy, and is the capital of the province which bears its name.
Towns and Villages in the Province of Catania - Aci Bonaccorsi | Aci Castello | Aci Catena | Aci Sant'Antonio | Acireale | Adrano | Belpasso | Biancavilla | Bronte | Calatabiano | Caltagirone | Camporotondo Etneo | Castel di Judica | Castiglione di Sicilia | Catania | Fiumefreddo di Sicilia | Giarre | Grammichele | Gravina di Catania | Licodia Eubea | Linguaglossa | Maletto | Maniace | Mascali | Mascalucia | Mazzarrone | Militello in Val di Catania | Milo | Mineo | Mirabella Imbaccari | Misterbianco | Motta Sant'Anastasia | Nicolosi | Palagonia | Paternò | Pedara | Piedimonte Etneo | Raddusa | Ragalna | Ramacca | Randazzo | Riposto | San Cono | San Giovanni la Punta | San Gregorio di Catania | San Michele di Ganzaria | San Pietro Clarenza | Sant'Agata li Battiati | Sant'Alfio | Santa Maria di Licodia | Santa Venerina | Scordia | Trecastagni | Tremestieri Etneo | Valverde | Viagrande | Vizzini | Zafferana Etnea
With some 306,000 inhabitants (750,000 in the metropolitan area) it has the second highest population density on the island. The city's patron saint is Saint Agatha. Catania is located on the east coast of the island, halfway between Messina and Siracusa and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna.
History and Foundation
All ancient authors agree in representing Catania as a Greek colony named Κατάνη
(Katánē—see also List of traditional Greek place names) of Chalcidic origin, but founded immediately from the neighboring city of Naxos, under the guidance of a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus). The exact date of its foundation is not recorded, but it appears from Thucydides to have followed shortly after that of Leontini (modern Lentini), which he places in the fifth year after Syracuse, or 730 BCE. (Thuc. vi. 3; Strabo vi. p. 268; Scymn. Ch. 286; Scyl. § 13; Steph. B. s. v.)
Greek Sicily
The only event of its early history which has been transmitted to us is the legislation of Charondas, and even of this the date is wholly uncertain.
But from the fact that his legislation was extended to the other Chalcidic cities, not only of Sicily, but of Magna Graecia also, as well as to his own country (Arist., Pol. ii. 9), it is evident that Catania
continued in intimate relations with these kindred cities. It seems to have retained
its independence till the time of Hieron of Syracuse, but that despot, in 476 BCE, expelled all the original inhabitants, whom he established at Leontini, while he repeopled the city with a new body of colonists, amounting, it is said, to not less than 10,000 in number, and consisting partly of Syracusans, partly of Peloponnesians.
He at the same time changed its name to Αἴτνη (Aítnē, Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby volcano), and caused himself to be proclaimed the Oekist or founder of the new city. As such he was celebrated by Pindar, and after his death obtained heroic honors from the citizens of his new colony. (Diod. xi. 49, in 66; Strab. l.c.; Pind. Pyth. i., and Schol. ad loc.)
But this state of things was of brief duration, and a few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion of Thrasybulus, the Syracusans combined with Ducetius, king of the Siculi, to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who were compelled to retire to the fortress of Inessa (to which they gave the name of Aetna), while the old Chalcidic citizens were reinstated in the possession of Catania
, 461 BCE. (Diod. xi. 76; Strab. l. c.)
The period which followed the settlement of affairs at this epoch appears to have been one of great prosperity for Catania, as well as for the Sicilian cities in general: but we have no details of its history till the great Athenian expedition to Sicily (part of the larger Peloponnesian War).
On that occasion the Catanaeans, notwithstanding their Chalcidic connections, at first refused to receive the Athenians into their city: but the latter having effected an entrance, they found themselves compelled to espouse the alliance of the invaders, and Catania became in consequence the headquarters of
the Athenian armament throughout the first year of the expedition, and the base of their subsequent operations against Syracuse. (Thuc. vi. 50-52, 63, 71, 89; Diod. xiii. 4, 6, 7; Plut. Nic. 15, 16.)
We have no information as to the fate of Catania after the close of this expedition:
it is next mentioned in 403 BCE, when it fell into the power of Dionysius I of Syracuse, who sold the inhabitants as slaves, and gave up the city to plunder; after which he established there a body of Campanian mercenaries. These, however, quitted it again in 396 BCE, and retired to Aetna, on the approach of the great Carthaginian armament under Himilco and Mago. The great sea-fight in which the latter defeated Leptines, the brother of Dionysius, was fought immediately off Catania, and the city apparently fell, in consequence, into the hands of the Carthaginians. (Diod. xiv. 15, 58, 60.)
But we have no account of its subsequent fortunes, nor does it appear who constituted its new population; it is only
certain that it continued to exist. Callippus, the assassin of Dion, when he was expelled from Syracuse, for a time held possession of Catania (Plut. Dion. 58); and when Timoleon landed in Sicily we find it subject to a despot named Mamercus, who at first joined the Corinthian leader but afterwards abandoned his alliance for that of the Carthaginians, and was in consequence attacked and expelled by Timoleon. (Diod. xvi. 69; Plut. Timol. 13, 30-34.) Catania was now restored to liberty, and appears to have continued to retain its independence; during the wars of Agathocles with the Carthaginians, it sided at one time with the former, at others with the latter; and when Pyrrhus landed in Sicily, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and received him with the greatest magnificence. (Diod. xix. 110, xxii. 8, Exc. Hoesch. p. 496.)
Roman rule
In the First Punic War, Catania was one of the first among the cities of Sicily,
which made their submission to the Romans, after the first successes of their arms in 263 BCE. (Eutrop. ii. 19.) The expression of Pliny (vii. 60) who represents it as having been taken by Valerius Messala, is certainly a mistake.
It appears to have continued afterwards steadily to maintain its friendly relations with Rome, and though it did not enjoy the advantages of a confederate city (foederata civitas), like its neighbors Tauromenium (modern Taormina and Messana (modern Messina), it rose to a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule. Cicero repeatedly mentions it as, in his time, a wealthy and flourishing city; it retained its ancient municipal institutions, its chief magistrate bearing the title of Proagorus; and appears to have been one of the principal ports of Sicily for the export of corn. (Cic. Verr. iii. 4. 3, 83, iv. 23, 45; Liv. xxvii. 8.)
It subsequently suffered severely from the ravages of Sextus Pompeius, and was in consequence one of the cities to which a colony was sent by Augustus; a measure that appears to have in a great degree restored its prosperity, so that in Strabo's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was in a flourishing condition (Strab. vi. pp. 268, 270, 272; Dion Cass. iv. 7.)
It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of the Roman Empire; so that in the fourth century Ausonius in his Ordo Nobilium Urbium, notices Catania and Syracuse
alone among the cities of Sicily. (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9; Itin. Ant. pp. 87,90, 93, 94).
After the fall of the Roman Empire
In 535, Catania was recovered by Belisarius from the Goths, and became again, under
the rule of the Byzantine Empire, one of the most important cities of the island. (Procop. B. G. i. 5.). It was extensively destroyed by earthquakes in 1169 and 1693 and by lava flows which ran over and around it into the sea.
The first Sicilian university was founded there in 1434.
Locational significance
The position of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna was the source, as Strabo remarks, both of benefits and evils to the city. For on the one hand, the violent outbursts of the volcano from time to time
desolated great parts of its territory; on the other, the volcanic ashes produced a soil of great fertility, adapted especially for the growth of vines. (Strab. vi. p. 269.)
One of the most serious calamities of the former class was the eruption of 121 BCE, when great part of its territory was overwhelmed by streams of lava, and the hot ashes fell in such quantities in the city itself, as to break in the roofs of the houses. Catania was in consequence exempted, for 10 years, from its usual contributions to the Roman state. (Oros. v. 13.)
The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catania (now called the Piano di Catania, a district of great fertility), appears to have belonged, in ancient times, to Leontini or Centuripa (modern Centuripe), but that portion of it between Catana itself and the mouth of the Symaethus, was annexed to the territory of the latter city, and must have furnished abundant supplies of corn.
The port of Catania also, which was in great part filled up by the eruption of 1669, appears to have been in ancient times much frequented, and was the chief place of export for the corn of the rich neighboring plains. The little river Amenanus, or Amenas, which flowed through the city, was a very small stream, and could never have been navigable.
Catania's renown in antiquity. Catania was the birth-place of the philosopher and legislator Charondas; it was also the place of residence of the poet Stesichorus, who died there, and was buried in a magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, which derived from thence the name of Porta Stesichoreia. (Suid. s. v. Στησίχορος.) Xenophanes, the philosopher of Elea, also spent the latter years of his life there (Diog. Laert. ix. 2. § 1), so that it was
evidently, at an early period, a place of cultivation and refinement.
The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute, was also ascribed to Andron, a citizen of Catania (Athen. i. p. 22, c.); and the first sundial that was set up in the Roman forum was carried thither by Valerius Messala from Catania, 263 BCE. (Varr. ap. Plin. vii. 60.)
But few associations connected with Catania were more celebrated in ancient times than the legend of the Pii Fratres, Amphinomus and Anapias, who, on occasion of a great eruption of Etna, abandoned all their property, and carried off their aged parents on their shoulders, the stream of lava itself was said to have parted, and flowed aside so as not to harm them. Statues were erected to their honor, and the place of their burial was known as the Campus Piorum; the Catanaeans even introduced the figures of the youths on their coins, and the legend became a favorite subject of allusion and declamation among the Latin poets, of whom the younger Lucilius and Claudian have dwelt upon it at considerable length.
The occurrence is referred by Hyginus to the first eruption of Etna that took place after the settlement of Catania (Strab. vi. p. 269; Paus. x. 28. § 4; Conon, Narr. 43; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. v. 17;Solin. 5. § 15; Hygin. 254; Val. Max. v. 4. Ext. § 4; Lucil. Aetn. 602-40; Claudian. Idyll. 7; Sil. Ital. xiv. 196; Auson. Ordo Nob. Urb. 11.)
Culture
The opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania , and a museum exists at his birthplace. The Teatro Massimo Bellini, which opened in 1890, is named after the composer. The opera house presents a variety of operas through a season, which run from December to May, many of which are the work of Bellini.
In the late 1980s and 1990s Catania had a unique popular music scene with local
radio stations. As a result of these idiosyncratic and regional radio stations Catania boasted a youth culture in which indie pop and indie rock from lesser known
international bands like. As a result of the eclectic taste in indie pop and indie rock Catania has been the birthplace of a number of dynamic and unusual independent music record labels.
The city is the home of Amatori Catania rugby union team, and Calcio Catania football team.
Transportation
Catania has a commercial seaport (Catania seaport)
in the city, an international airport (Catania Fontanarossa) to the South, a central train station (Catania Centrale) on the main lines Messina-Syracuse, Catania -Gela and Catania -Palermo , as well as the privately owned small-gauge Circumetnea railway which runs for 110
km from Catania round the base of Mount Etna. It attains the height of 976 m above
sea level before descending to rejoin the coast at Giarre-Riposto to the North.
In the late 1990s/early 2000s the first line of an underground railway was built, but never completed, under the
city, extending the Circumetnea from its stop on the north side of town to the Central Railway Station on the
southeast.
Main Sights
The symbol of the city is u Liotru, or the Fontana dell'Elefante and was constructed in 1736 by Giovanni Battista
Vaccarini. It is a manufact in lava stone portraying an elephant and surmounted by an obelisk. Legend has it that
Vaccarini's original elephant was neuter, which the men of Catania took as an insult
to their virility. To appease them, Vaccarini appended appropriately elephantine testicles to the original statue.
The Sicilian name u Liotru is perhaps a deformation of Heliodorus. A similar sculpture is in Piazza Santa Maria
della Minerva in Rome.
The city has been buried by lava a total of seven times in recorded history, and in layers under the present day
city are the Roman city that preceded it, and the Greek city before that.
Many of the ancient monuments of the Roman city have been destroyed by the numerous earthquakes.
Catania is the birthplace of the composer Vincenzo Bellini (1801). An opera house,
the Teatro Massimo Bellini is named after him and a museum exists on the site of his birth.
The city's monuments also include:
The Piazza del Duomo is attractive, lively and contains the Elephant Fountain - the symbol of the city.
The adjacent Cathedral (Duomo) is imposing and worth a visit.
The food and fish markets just below the Piazza del Duomo are a lively and colourful place to visit.
Via Etnea - the main shopping street, north of the Piazza del Duomo has most of the city's imposing building and is
busy throughout the day and evening.
Information courtesy of Wikipedia -
La Città di Catania.wmv
Fondata nel 729 a.C. dai Greci Calcidesi, vanta una storia millenaria caratterizzata da svariate dominazioni i cui resti ne arricchiscono oggi il patrimonio artistico, architettonico e culturale.
Nel corso della sua storia è stata più volte distrutta da eruzioni vulcaniche (la più imponente, in epoca storica, è quella del 1669) e da terremoti (i più catastrofici ricordati sono stati quelli del 1169 e del 1693).
Il barocco del suo centro storico è stato dichiarato dall'UNESCO Patrimonio dell'umanità, assieme a sette comuni del Val di Noto (Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa e Scicli) Wikipedia
Veneto, terra di meraviglie
Video promozionale delle attività produttive del Veneto
Taormina
Focusing on Taormina, Jewel of Sicily, presented by Alessandro Sorbello the Sensational Sicily Series of Films showcase one of the most beautiful regions on earth, rich in history, Sicily formed part of the cradle of civilization.
A project born from a collaboration between the Region of Sicily The Italian Chamber of Commerce, New Realm Media and Alessandro Sorbello Productions.
Taormina (Greek: Ταυρομένιον - Tauromenion; Latin Tauromenium) is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina (ancient Messana) and Catania (ancient Catana). Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century. It has popular beaches (accessible via an aerial tramway) on the Ionian sea, which is remarkably warm and the has a high salt content. Taormina can be reached via highways (autostrada) from Messina from the north and Catania from the south.
Comuni of the Province of Messina in Sicily.
Acquedolci | Alcara li Fusi | Alì | Alì Terme | Antillo | Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto | Basicò | Brolo | Capizzi | Capo d'Orlando | Capri Leone | Caronia | Casalvecchio Siculo | Castel di Lucio | Castell'Umberto | Castelmola | Castroreale | Cesarò | Condrò | Falcone | Ficarra | Fiumedinisi | Floresta | Fondachelli-Fantina | Forza d'Agrò | Francavilla di Sicilia | Frazzanò | Furci Siculo | Furnari | Gaggi | Galati Mamertino | Gallodoro | Giardini-Naxos | Gioiosa Marea | Graniti | Gualtieri Sicaminò | Itala | Leni | Letojanni | Librizzi | Limina | Lipari | Longi | Malfa | Malvagna | Mandanici | Mazzarrà Sant'Andrea | Merì | Messina | Milazzo | Militello Rosmarino | Mirto | Mistretta | Mojo Alcantara | Monforte San Giorgio | Mongiuffi Melia | Montagnareale | Montalbano Elicona | Motta Camastra | Motta d'Affermo | Naso | Nizza di Sicilia | Novara di Sicilia | Oliveri | Pace del Mela | Pagliara | Patti | Pettineo | Piraino | Raccuja | Reitano | Roccafiorita | Roccalumera | Roccavaldina | Roccella Valdemone | Rodì Milici | Rometta | San Filippo del Mela | San Fratello | San Marco d'Alunzio | San Pier Niceto | San Piero Patti | San Salvatore di Fitalia | Santa Domenica Vittoria | Sant'Agata di Militello | Sant'Alessio Siculo | Santa Lucia del Mela | Santa Marina Salina | Sant'Angelo di Brolo | Santa Teresa di Riva | San Teodoro | Santo Stefano di Camastra | Saponara | Savoca | Scaletta Zanclea | Sinagra | Spadafora | Taormina | Terme Vigliatore | Torregrotta | Torrenova | Tortorici | Tripi | Tusa | Ucria | Valdina | Venetico | Villafranca Tirrena
History - Taormina 's coastal location, facing Greece, between the powerful cities of Syracuse and Catana to the south, and Messana (and behind it, mainland Italy) to the north, determined much of its history. It is only about 5 km from the site of the ancient Naxos, and there is no doubt that Tauromenium did not exist as a city till after the destruction of Naxos by Dionysius I of Syracuse, 403 BCE; but the circumstances connected with its foundation are somewhat confused and uncertain.
It appears, however, from Diodorus that after the destruction of Naxos, the remaining inhabitants of that city were driven into exile, and its territory was assigned by Dionysius to the neighbouring Siculi. These, however, did not re-occupy the site of the ancient city, but established themselves on a hill to the north of it, which was called the hill of Taurus (ὁ λόφος ὁ καλούμενος Ταῦρος). Here they at first constructed only a temporary camp (in 396 BCE), but afterwards erected walls and converted it into a regular fortress or town, to which they gave the name of Tauromenium. (Diod. xiv. 58, 59.)
The place was still in the hands of the Siculi in 394 BCE, and they held it against the efforts of Dionysius, who besieged the city in vain for a great part of the winter, and though he on one occasion forced his way within the walls by a nocturnal surprise, was again driven out and repulsed with heavy loss. (Id. 87, 88.) But by the peace concluded in 392 BCE, it was expressly stipulated that Tauromenium should be subject to Dionysius, who expelled the greater part of the Siculi that had settled there, and supplied their place with his own mercenaries. (Id. 96.)
From this time we hear no more of Tauromenium till 358 BCE, when we are told that Andromachus, the father of the historian Timaeus, brought together all the remains of the exiled Naxians, who were still scattered about in different parts of Sicily, and established them all at Tauromenium. (Id. xvi. 7.) This is related by Diodorus as if it were a new foundation, and even as if the name had then first been applied to the city, which is in direct contradiction with his former statements. What had become of the former inhabitants we know not, but there is little doubt that the account of this resettlement of the city is substantially correct, and that Tauromenium now for the first time became a Greek city, which was considered as taking the place of Naxos, though it did not occupy the same site. (Wesseling, ad Diod. xiv. 59.) Hence Pliny's expression, that Tauromenium had formerly been called Naxos (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14) is nearly, though not strictly, correct.
The new settlement seems to have risen rapidly to prosperity, and was apparently already a considerable town at the time of the expedition of Timoleon in 345 BCE. It was the first place in Sicily where that leader landed, having eluded the vigilance of the Carthaginians, who were guarding the Straits of Messina, and crossed direct from Rhegium (modern Reggio di Calabria) to Tauromenium. (Diod. xvi. 68; Plut. Timol. 10.) The city was at that time still under the government of Andromachus, whose mild and equitable administration is said to have presented a strong contrast with that of the despots and tyrants of the other Sicilian cities.
He welcomed Timoleon with open arms, and afforded him a secure resting place until he was enabled to carry out his plans in other parts of Sicily. (Diod. l. c.; Plut. l. c.) It is certain that Andromachus was not deprived of the chief power, when all the other tyrants were expelled by Timoleon, but was permitted to retain it undisturbed till his death. (Marcellin. Vit. Thucyd. § 27.)
We hear, however, very little of Tauromenium for some time after this. It is probable that it passed under the authority of Agathocles, who drove the historian Timaeus into exile; and some time after this it was subject to a domestic despot of the name of Tyndarion, who was contemporary with Hicetas of Syracuse and Phintias of Agrigentum. (Diod. xxii. Exc. H. p. 495.) Tyndarion was one of those who concurred in inviting Pyrrhus into Sicily (278 BCE), and when that monarch landed with his army at Tauromenium, joined him with all his forces, and supported him in his march upon Syracuse. (Diod. l. c. pp. 495, 496.)
A few years later we find that Tauromenium had fallen into the power of Hieron of Syracuse, and was employed by him as a stronghold in the war against the Mamertines. (Id. p. 497.) It was also one of the cities which was left under his dominion by the by the treaty concluded with him by the Romans in 263 BCE. (Diod. xxiii. p. 502.) This is doubtless the reason that its name is not again mentioned during the First Punic War.
There is no doubt that Tauromenium continued to form a part of the kingdom of Syracuse till the death of Hieron, and that it only passed under the government of Rome when the whole island of Sicily was reduced to a Roman province; but we have scarcely any account of the part it took during the Second Punic War, though it would appear, from a hint in Appian (Sic. 5), that it submitted to Marcellus on favorable terms; and it is probable that it was on that occasion it obtained the peculiarly favored position it enjoyed under the Roman dominion. For we learn from Cicero that Tauromenium was one of the three cities in Sicily which enjoyed the privileges of a civitas foederata or allied city, thus retaining a nominal independence, and was not even subject, like Messana, to the obligation of furnishing ships of war when called upon. (Cic. Verr. ii. 6. 6, iii. 6, v. 19.)
But the city suffered severe calamities during the Servile War in Sicily, 134-132 BCE, having fallen into the hands of the insurgent slaves, who, on account of the great strength of its position, made it one of their chief posts, and were able for a long time to defy the arms of the consul Rupilius. They held out until they were reduced to the most fearful extremities by famine, when the citadel was at length betrayed into the hands of the consul by one of their leaders named Sarapion, and the whole of the survivors put to the sword. (Diod. xxxiv. Exc. Phot. p. 528; Oros. v. 9.) Tauromenium again bore a conspicuous part during the wars of Sextus Pompeius in Sicily, and, from its strength as a fortress, was one of the principal points of the position which he took up in 36 BCE, for defence against Octavian.
It became the scene also of a sea-fight between a part of the fleet of Octavian, commanded by the triumvir in person, and that of Pompeius, which terminated in the defeat and almost total destruction of the former. (Appian, B.C. v. 103, 105, 106-11, 116; Dion Cass. xlix. 5.) In the settlement of Sicily after the defeat of Pompey, Tauromenium was one of the places selected by Augustus to receive a Roman colony, probably as a measure of precaution, on account of the strength of its situation, as we are told that he expelled the former inhabitants to make room for his new colonists. (Diod, xvi. 7.)
Strabo speaks of it as one of the cities on the east coast of Sicily that was still subsisting in his time, though inferior in population both to Messana and Catana. (Strab. vi. pp. 267, 268.) Both Pliny and Ptolemy assign it the rank of a colonia (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9), and it seems to have been one of the few cities of Sicily that continued under the Roman Empire to be a place of some consideration. Its territory was noted for the excellence of its wine (Plin. xiv. 6. s. 8), and produced also a kind of marble which seems to have been highly valued. (Athen. v. p. 207.) Juvenal also speaks of the sea off its rocky coast as producing the choicest mullets. (Juv. v. 93.)
The Itineraries place Tauromenium 32 miles from Messana, and the same distance from Catana. (Itin. Ant. p. 90; Tab. Peut.) It continued after the fall of the Roman Empire to be one of the more considerable towns of Sicily, and from the strength of its position was one of the last places that was retained by the Greek emperors; but it was taken by the Saracens in 906 after a siege of two years, and totally destroyed.
In the late 19th century Taormina gained some prominence as the place where Wilhelm von Gloeden worked most of his life as a photographer of predominantly male nudes. Also credited for making Taormina popular was Otto Geleng, best known in his hometown of Berlin for his fine paintings, which he composed and painted in Italy but exhibited in Germany.
What distinguishes Geleng, however, is his choice to depict the more southern regions where he captured the spectacular views and light of Sicily. He often painted the area's Greek colonial ruins, including Taormina .Taormina 's first important tourist was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who dedicated exalting pages to the city in his book entitled Journey to Italy, but perhaps it was Geleng's views that made its beauty talked about throughout Europe and turned the site into a famous tourist center. The artist arrived in Sicily at the age of 20 in search of new subjects for his paintings.
On his way through Taormina he was so enamoured by the landscape that he decided to stop for part of the winter. Geleng began to paint everything that Taormina offered: ruins, sea, mountains, none of which were familiar to the rest of Europe. When his paintings were later exhibited in Berlin and Paris, many critics accused Geleng of having an 'unbridled imagination'. At that, Geleng challenged them all to go to Taormina with him, promising that he would pay everyone's expenses if he were not telling the truth.
During the early 20th century the town became a colony of expatriate artists, writers, and intellectuals. D. H. Lawrence stayed here at the Fontana Vecchia from 1920 to 1922, and wrote a number of his poems, novels, short stories, and essays, and a travel book, Sea and Sardinia. Charles Webster Leadbeater, the theosophical author, found out that Taormina had the right magnetics fields for Jiddu Krishnamurti to develop his talents, so the young Krishnamurti dwelt here from time to time. Halldór Laxness, the Icelandic author, worked here on the first modern Icelandic novel, Vefarinn mikli frá Kasmír.
Ruins and archaeology
The teatro greco, the Greek theatre, the present town of Taormina occupies the ancient site, on a lofty hill which forms the last projecting point of the mountain ridge that extends along the coast from Cape Pelorus to this point. The site of the old town is about 300 m above the sea, while a very steep and almost isolated rock, crowned by a Saracen castle, rises about 150 m higher: this is undoubtedly the site of the ancient Arx or citadel, the inaccessible position of which is repeatedly alluded to by ancient writers. Portions of the ancient walls may be traced at intervals all round the brow of the hill, the whole of the summit of which was evidently occupied by the ancient city. Numerous fragments of ancient buildings are scattered over its whole surface, including extensive reservoirs of water, sepulchres, tesselated pavements, etc., and the remains of a spacious edifice, commonly called a Naumachia, but the real destination of which it is difficult to determine.
But by far the most remarkable monument remaining at Taormina is the ancient theatre (the teatro greco, the Greek theatre), which is one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, on account both of its remarkable preservation and of the surpassing beauty of its situation. It is built for the most part of brick, and is therefore probably of Roman date, though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theatres; whence it is supposed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theatre of the Greek period.
With a diameter of 109 metres (after an expansion in the 2nd century), this theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily (after that of Syracuse); it is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. The greater part of the original seats have disappeared, but the wall which surrounded the whole cavea is preserved, and the proscenium with the back wall of the scena and its appendages, of which only traces remain in most ancient theatres, are here preserved in singular integrity, and contribute much to the picturesque effect, as well as to the interest, of the ruin. From the fragments of architectural decorations still extant we learn that it was of the Corinthian order, and richly ornamented. Some portions of a temple are also visible, converted into the church of San Pancrazio, but the edifice is of small size.
Culture and tourism
The David di Donatello Taormina Film Festival has been held for over fifty years, with international film stars viewing films on a screen erected in the Greek theatre.
Just south of Taormina is the Isola Bella, a nature reserve. Tours of the Capo Sant' Andrea grottos are also available. Taormina is built on an extremely hilly coast, and is approximately a forty-five minute drive away from Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna.
In 1927 the young Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness (born 1902) published his first major novel, Vefarinn mikli frá Kasmír (The Great Weaver of Kashmir), a panorama of social, literary, religious and sexual issues of his times. Laxness, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1955, wrote most of his novel in Taormina which he then praised highly in his book of autobiographical essays, Skáldatími (The Time of the Poet) from 1963.
Economy
Much of Trapani's economy still depends on the sea. Fishing and canning are an important local industries, with fishermen using the mattanza technique to catch tuna. Coral is also an important export, along with salt, marble and marsala wine. The nearby coast is lined with numerous salt-pans.
The city is also an important ferry port, with links to the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, Sardinia and Tunisia.
Getting in Taormina
By train
Regular trains to and from Messina and Catania However the station (called Taormina -Giardini) is on the seafront 2km below the centre. There are some buses down, but it's often more convenient to take a long-distance bus from the centre straight to or from your destination.
By bus
Regular buses to and from Messina and Catania .
By plane
Look for flights to Catania . There you can rent a car to get to Taormina .
Get around Taormina
By foot
The main street of Taormina is pedestrianised, making it easy to wander around by foot.
By car
If coming in by car, you may enter the town center only to go to a hotel or a rented house: local police may require to see proof of booking. In alternative, it's better to park the car at one of the 2 large public parkings ('Parcheggio Lumbi' or Parcheggio Porta Catania ) that you encounter on the outskirts of the city coming in. From there, either walk to the city center (just 2 min from 'Parcheggio Porta Catania '/around 10 min but uphill from 'Parcheggio Lumbi') or catch the shuttle buses running continously to the center.
However, there are regular shuttle buses down to Giardini-Naxos, the train station, Letojanni and up to Castelmola.
There is also a frequent Cable Car down to the beach at Mazarro.
Main Sights
Cathedral of San Lorenzo built in 1421 then restored and changed in 1748 by architect G.B. Amico with the addition of the side chapels, the choir, the dome, the bell tower and the façade. Inside neoclassical plasters by Girolamo Rizzo and Onofrio Noto and vaulted fresco paintings by Vincenzo Manno, a painting of the Crucifixion attributed to Flemish Van Dyke.
Torre di Ligny in stone and tufa built in 1671 by Viceroy Claudio La Moraldo, prince of Ligny, which hosts the Prehistory Museum.
Castello di Terra, according to the tradition over 2,300 years old, was an important defence post of the city, from its position opposite the other Castello di Mare (called Colombaia) located on an island and built according to the legend by greek hero Amilcares. In 1360 Queen Costanza, the wife of Federico d'Aragona, stayed here. The Castello di Mare has an octagonal plan and dates back to the XVI century.
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