Taormina & Etna
Greeks and Romans built Taormina and Castelmola, the higher district overlooking it. Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea are a stunning backdrop. Naxos, on the coast near Giardini, was the first permanent Greek settlement in Sicily, but Taormina's Greco-Roman amphitheatre is the most famous archeological site in the area, and its view toward Mount Etna is world-famous, almost a pictorial trademark for this overwhelmingly medieval town of fortified walls, Romanesque churches, castle-like homes and timeless stone streets. Taormina is full of restaurants, shops and ice cream bars. In the 1960s, Wunderbar, in Piazza IX Aprile, was a hang-out for Tennessee Williams, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who regarded Taormina as an artsy alternative to Monte Carlo. In earlier times it was tsars, emperors and kings who called at Taormina during their Mediterranean sojourns but nowadays the cruise ships also stop by. Continental visitors of the past included Goethe, Dumas and Dali. The town was a refuge for England's aristocrats and eccentrics. It was here that D.H. Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterly's Lover, an erotic classic said to be based on local events, in the early 1920s. An annual film festival attracts glitterati of stage and screen, and classical plays are performed in the amphitheatre.
At over 3,000 meters, Etna is Europe's highest active volcano, and it boasts the longest recorded history of any volcano in the world, with accurate references dating from as early as 700 BC. It is also a 'sacred mountain,' as the object of much Greek mythology.
Bottom Line: Sicily's most popular resort is a good gateway to Etna, but it's crowded from May through September and especially in June, July and August, so consider an OCTOBER or APRIL visit. Don't overlook Castelmola, a "secret" part of Taormina featuring Bar Turrisi with its erotic decor and house specialty, almond wine.
Getting There: From Messina or Catania, take the A18. Coming from Palermo, take the A20 to the A18 via Messina for the coastal route, or the A19 cross country to Catania and then the A18 northward to Taormina.
Dining: The Gran Duca at Corso Umberto 172 is elegant and has a great terrace. For pizza try Gambero Rosso at Via Naumachia 11.
