Sicily Guide to Taormina
Taormina is a charming hillside town on the east coast of Sicily, and is one of the island's main tourist resorts. Whilst Taormina can be hot and busy during July and August, crowded with Italian tourists, it is far more pleasant and (slightly) less busy during the rest of the year.
Taormina's coastal location, facing Greece, between the powerful cities of Syracuse and Catania to the south, and Messana (and behind it, mainland Italy) to the north, determined much of its history. It is only about 5 km from the site of the ancient Naxos, and there is no doubt that Tauromenium did not exist as a city till after the destruction of Naxos by Dionysius I of Syracuse, 403 BC; but the circumstances connected with its foundation are somewhat confused and uncertain.
By far the most remarkable monument remaining at Taormina is the ancient theatre (the teatro greco, or "Greek theatre"), which is one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, on account both of its remarkable preservation and of the surpassing beauty of its situation. It is built for the most part of brick, and is therefore probably of Roman date, though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theatres; whence it is supposed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theatre of the Greek period.
This theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily (after that of Syracuse), and is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts.
Many manifestations and events are organized during the summer in Taormina. The exceptional frame for pop and classical concerts, opera and important performances often recorded by television (for example, the ceremony of the Silver Ribbon Award, the Festivalbar, the Kore) is the Ancient Theatre. Since 1983, the most important performances, are realized by Taormina Arte, the cultural institution which organizes one of the most famous music, theatre and dance festivals. Inside the program of Taormina Are tthere is the Taormina Film Fest, the well-known cinema festival, the heir of the Cinema Festival of Messina and Taormina, born in 1960, which for about twenty years has guessed the David of Donatello Awards with the participations of the most famous Italian film stars. During the Taormina Film Fest now are awarded the Silver Ribbons, prize created by the Italian Film Journalists.
Since 2005, in October, Taormina Arte has been organizing the Giuseppe Sinopoli Festival, a festival dedicates completely to the great conductor, died in 2001, for many years the artistic director of Taormina Arte.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1857) as well as Wikipedia.
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