TAORMINA & THE NORTHEAST
The View That Started Everything
A Greek theatre, a volcano, and a coastline that has been making people lose their composure since 700 BC.
The Greek theatre at Taormina was built in the third century BC on a hillside above the Ionian Sea, with Etna positioned directly behind the stage as if the architects had negotiated with the volcano. They hadn't. They simply understood that when you have a view like this, you build toward it and let it do the work.
Taormina has been doing this ever since. The town sits on a terrace six hundred metres above the sea, medieval and immaculate, with the coastline stretching in both directions and Etna always present — smoking quietly, occasionally less quietly. The Grand Tour brought the English. The Victorians built the hotels. Everyone who has arrived since has had the same thought: that this might be the most beautiful place they have ever seen.
The northeast coast beyond Taormina is wilder and less visited. The Alcantara gorge cuts through ancient lava flows. The Nebrodi mountains behind the coast hold hill towns that tourists rarely find. Etna itself — Europe's most active volcano and a UNESCO site — rewards the traveller who goes beyond the cable car and into the craters on foot with a guide.
WHEN TO COME
April through June, and September. Taormina in July and August is magnificent and crowded. Come in spring when the wildflowers are out on Etna's slopes and the town belongs more to itself.
HOW TO MOVE
Fly into Catania — forty minutes away. A car is essential for Etna and the surrounding hill towns. Taormina itself is pedestrianised — park below and walk up, or take the cable car from Mazzarò beach.
WHO IT'S FOR
Anyone who has ever wanted to sit in a 2,700-year-old theatre and watch the sun set behind a volcano. History lovers, luxury seekers, and anyone whose idea of a perfect morning involves espresso above the clouds.
WHERE TO STAY
Taormina's Finest
Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel
Mazzarò, Taormina, Sicily
"The most romantic hotel in Taormina has its feet in the water and its heart in 1919."
A 1919 private villa on the Bay of Mazzarò — Belmond's most intimate Sicilian property, with direct private beach access, baroque interiors, and sunset boat trips to the Grotta Azzurra.
Grand Hotel Timeo
Taormina, Sicily
"The oldest hotel in Taormina has had a century and a half to get this right. It has."
Taormina's oldest hotel, open since 1873, steps from the Greek theatre — Belmond's most Sicilian property, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and a literary terrace that D.H. Lawrence, Oscar Wilde, and Truman Capote all called their own.
San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel
Taormina, Sicily
"The monks chose this clifftop for contemplation. The view makes it easy to understand why."
A 15th-century Dominican monastery converted into Taormina's most prestigious hotel — Four Seasons service, double Michelin-starred dining, and an infinity pool above the Ionian Sea.
TAORMINA EXPERIENCES
Go Deeper
VOLCANO TOUR
Mount Etna — Into the Volcano
A half-day trek on Europe's most active volcano — lava fields, craters, lava caves, and a guide who knows every flow and formation by name. Hotel pickup included. The volcano you've been watching from Taormina, from the inside.
Best For:
Duration:
Active Travelers · Nature Lovers
Half Day