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Taormina (ME)
Two Thousand Years Suspended Between History and the Sea
Founded on Mount Tauro after the arrival of the Greek settlers from Naxos, Taormina was born from the encounter between the ancient Sicilian peoples and Greek culture. Known as Tauromenion by the Greeks and later as Tauromenium under Roman rule, the city became one of the most important centers of ancient Sicily.
During the Roman period, Taormina preserved its prestige and its extraordinary Greek theatre, which was later expanded and transformed by the Romans into a monumental venue for public spectacles. Over the centuries that followed, the city became a major Byzantine stronghold and one of the last great centers of the Eastern Roman Empire in Sicily before the Arab conquest in 902.
Arabs, Normans, and later medieval rulers all left their mark on Taormina. The ancient walls, the gates, and the Cathedral of San Nicola, built in the 13th century, still tell the story of a city suspended between East and West. But Taormina’s international rebirth began in the 19th century. During the era of the European Grand Tour, the town became a beloved destination for artists, writers, and aristocrats seeking the beauty of Sicily, its mild climate, and its breathtaking views over the Ionian Sea.
The German photographer and baron Wilhelm von Gloeden helped make Taormina famous throughout Europe with his artistic photographs. Soon the town welcomed important figures from the worlds of royalty, literature, and culture, including Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Edward VII, Oscar Wilde, D.H. Lawrence, Truman Capote, and Tennessee Williams.
In the 20th century, Taormina became one of the symbols of Mediterranean elegance and international cinema. The Taormina Film Festival, founded in 1955, brought Hollywood stars and filmmakers to this extraordinary corner of Sicily, continuing the city’s long tradition as a meeting place for art, culture, and beauty.
As the French writer Guy de Maupassant wrote in 1885:
"Whoever has seen Sicily and has not seen Taormina has not seen Sicily at all."
Today, Taormina remains a unique place where ancient history, breathtaking landscapes, and centuries of culture meet above the sea.
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