Taormina is well known as a picturesque vacation town on the coast of Sicily that hosts an international film festival each summer. Beyond its wonderful beaches and resorts, though, Taormina has a fascinatingly complex history due to the numerous conquerers who took it over.

While many know of Taormina’s photogenic amphitheater, only a few understand the town’s history and origins.

Taormina is situated on the northeast coast of Sicily, on the top of a hill at 675 feet above the sea level. In its early decades, it saw plenty of colonizers, and its successful, flourishing periods have been interspersed with dark ones as well.

The first ancient people who took over Taormina and developed its architecture, in 358 B.C., were the Greeks from the nearby town of Naxos. They gave the colony the original name Tauromenion (because of its proximity to Mount Tauro), of course from the Greek language.

The Greeks gave this area the usual appearance of their colonies, by building the Agora, which became, and still is, the city symbol.  The Teatro Antico (also called Agora) was actually built in the third century B.C. by taking advantage of the morphology of the land.

Right after the Greeks, the Romans took over the city and they reconstructed the theater into an amphitheater, which is now known worldwide.

Today it is used for plays, ballets, concerts, and festivals, and has been the set for Woody Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite”.

A very interesting thing that the Romans built is the “Naumachie”, which is a brick wall that included a tank connected directly with the aqueduct which was built in order to face the upcoming city expansion.

With the fall of Constantinople, Taormina became the new capital of all of eastern Sicily and gained importance at every level.

Due to its strategic position, it was conquered by the Byzantines, who built two fortresses, one on the top of Mount Tauro and the other one, in a spot more in the countryside, on the Picco di Mola.

Under the Byzantines, Taormina gained importance in a religious context, becoming the headquarters of the Archbishop. After conquest by the Normans’ conquest, though, Christianity became the first religion of the city and many convents were constructed.

Today Taormina remains a very popular destination for tourists, and the Teatro Antico alone hosts 500,000 visitors per year.

So hurry up and visit Taormina to learn more about its history. Just don’t forget to check out the gorgeous beaches and the amazing little typical shops and restaurants where you can have some of the best food experiences of your life.

Posted by Monica Sciannimanico