Page 279 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

the theatre, though not always for the better – the arched apertures, niches and columns

of the impressive Roman scene-building, for example, must have obscured the views
of Etna that were presumably a major reason for the theatre’s original siting. As the
spectacles of the Imperial Roman era were strictly gladiatorial, the stage and lower
seats were cut back to provide more room, and a deep trench was dug in the orchestra
to accommodate the animals and combatants.

TAORMINA’S FESTIVALS

Taormina stages festivals and parades at Christmas and Carnevale, but summer is
the best time for cultural events. Between June and September, Taormina Arte (
gotaormina.com) features a varied theatre, music and dance programme, from rock

bands and symphony orchestras to classical dramas, held either at the spectacular
Teatro Greco or the Palazzo dei Congressi in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Tickets cost
from around €15. The events kick off with the Taormina FilmFest (
taorminafilmfest.it), which runs for a week every June, previewing new movies
from around the world in their original versions on a big screen at the Teatro Greco

(tickets €8–12).

Tickets for all events are available online or at the Palazzo dei Congressi, Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele.

Giardino Pubblico

Via Bagnoli Croce • Daily dawn–dusk • Free

The Giardino Pubblico were endowed by a Scot, Florence Trevelyan, who settled in
Taormina in 1899 having been “invited” to leave England in the wake of a romantic
liaison with the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. She also contributed the

curious apiari (“beehives”) – pavilions, variously resembling rustic log cabins and
stone- or brick-built pagodas, and now holding caged birds, plants and a children’s
play area.

Piazza IX Aprile

Tourists and locals all collide bang in the middle of Corso Umberto I at Piazza IX

Aprile, Taormina’s “balcony”. The restored twelfth-century Torre dell’Orologio
(clocktower) straddles the Corso here, while sweeping views from the terrace
overlook Etna and the bay. It’s hard to resist the lure of a café seat here – just be
warned that you’ll be presented with a big bill, even for an espresso. There are two
small churches in the square: squat fifteenth-century Sant’Agostino is now a library,

while San Giuseppe’s seventeenth-century facade is adorned with plaques depicting
skulls and crossbones.