The rich history of the city, the bloody battles for the right of possession of the territory have not been in vain - without a diagram of Taormina with the sights here just do not understand.
We recommend starting the sightseeing with the main highlight of the resort - the Greek Theatre. To build it, the Greeks leveled an imposing mountain and extracted over 100,000 cubic meters of limestone. As a result, the theater became the second largest in Sicily, capable of accommodating around 10,000 spectators.
Later, the Roman emperors who took power in the city held gladiatorial battles here, but after the fall of the great empire, this place fell into disrepair and was only restored in the 11th century. Nowadays, the annual Taormina Art Festival takes place here.
Among the attractions of Taormina with names associated with Melpomene, there is another ancient venue for performances that was built in the 1st-2nd century AD on the site of a temple. The Roman Odeon is much less famous than the Colosseum and could accommodate only 200 people.
The Naumachia is mentioned in excursions when describing the attractions of Taormina, which is also related to spectacles. It is a kind of pool where gladiatorial battles took place. Niches located around the perimeter of the 5-meter-deep pool have survived to this day. They housed statues of gods and ancient heroes.
On the map of Taormina with its attractions, there is a cozy and picturesque Isola Bella island. As early as 1890, a residence was built here, and exotic shrubs and trees were planted. Over time, it changed hands, but it gained the greatest fame thanks to Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, who settled here in 1870. The aristocrat was engaged in photographing naked young boys in the image of ancient heroes or staging scenes from Greek tragedies in his photographs. In our time, the island is famous for its unique nature and pristine beaches.
In the photos of Taormina's attractions, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas on Cathedral Square is marked. Built in the 13th century, it was later redesigned in the Baroque style, but this did not diminish the grandeur and magnetism of the structure itself.
When describing the attractions of Taormina in Russian, it is impossible not to mention the Corvaja Palace. The palace, which initially started with a tower built by the Arabs in the 11th century, later grew to unprecedented proportions. It was once owned by the noble Corvaja family, and the palace was named after them. Nowadays, it houses an ethnographic museum.
Listing all the attractions of Taormina is extremely difficult. Considering its rich history, every corner of the city is beautiful in its own way. The ancient and beautiful churches in the city are worth mentioning: the Church of St. Augustine, the Church of St. Pancras, the Church of Our Lady in the Rock, and the Church of St. Joseph. Each of these religious sanctuaries is majestic and captivates tourists with its extraordinary beauty and ornamentation.
