Page 184 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sicily

182  SICIL Y AREA B Y AREA

Exploring Taormina the local tourist information
bureau. Next to the palazzo are
From Easter to October and during Christmas, Taormina is the Baroque Santa Caterina and
inundated with visitors, so if you prefer peace and quiet it is a the ruins of the Odeion, a small
good idea to go out of season. The climate is mild here even Roman theatre.
in the winter. The town is especially delight ful in the spring, T Greek Theatre
when the air is filled with the scent of orange and lemon Via Teatro Greco. Tel 0942-23220.
blossom, the gardens are in bloom and Mount Etna is still Open 9am–1 hr before sunset daily.
snow-capped. A regular shuttle bus links the car park to the & 8
centre of town, or you can park at Mazzarò and take the Set in a spectacular position,
cable car to town. this theatre is one of the most
famous Sicilian monuments
in the world. It was built in
the Hellenistic age and then
almost completely rebuilt in
the Roman period, when it
became an arena for glad-
iatorial combat.
From the cavea, carved from
the side of a hill, the view takes
in Giardini-Naxos (see p184)
and Mount Etna. The upper
part of the nine-section theatre
is surrounded by a double
portico. The theatre originally
had a dia meter of 109 m (358 ft)
Corso Umberto I, running the length of the town and a seating capacity of
5,000. Behind the stage area
P Corso Umberto I Giuseppe. A short distance stood a wall with niches and a
The main street in Taormina away is the Porta di Mezzo gate colonnade. Some of the Corin-
begins at Porta Messina and with the 17th-century Torre dell’ thian columns are still standing.
ends at Porta Catania, a gate Orologio, or clock tower. Above
crowned by a building showing and below Corso Umberto I
the municipal coat of arms. there are stepped alleyways and
The street is lined with shops, lanes passing through quiet,
pasticcerie and cafés famous for characterful areas. One such
their glamorous clientele, like alley leads to the Naumachie,
the Wünderbar, where you can a massive Roman brick wall
try the cocktails that Liz Taylor dating back to the Imperial age,
and Richard Burton were so with 18 arched niches that once
fond of. Halfway down the supported a huge cistern.
Corso is Piazza IX Aprile, a
panoramic terrace with P Palazzo Corvaja The Greek Theatre in Taormina, once capable
Sant’Agostino (now the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Tel 0942- of seating 5,000 spectators
Municipal Library) and San 23243. Open 9am–1pm, 4–6pm Tue–
Sun. 8 0942-620 198. & P Villa Comunale
Taormina’s grandest building Via Bagnoli Croci. Open 9am–1 hr
dates from the 15th century, before sunset in summer;
although it was originally an Arab 8am–sunset in winter.
tower. The austere façade topped Dedicated to Duke Colonna di
by crenellation is made elegant Cesarò, this public garden was
by the three-mullioned windows bequeathed to Taormina by an
and the limestone and black lava English aristocrat, Florence
decorative motifs. The courtyard Trevelyan, who fell in love with
stairway decorated with reliefs of the town. Situated on a cliff with
the Birth of Eve and The Original a magnificent view of Etna and
Sin takes you to the piano nobile, the coast, the garden is filled
where the Sicilian parliament with Mediterranean and tropical
met in 1411 and where Queen plants. A characteristic part of
Blanche of Navarre and her the garden is the arabesque-
retinue lived for a short period. decorated tower, similar to a
The Wünderbar has always been a favourite Some of the rooms are open to Chinese pagoda, that the owner
with visiting film stars visitors. On the ground floor is used for bird-watching.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp204–5 and pp216–17

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