Facing the Ionio Sea, along the Eastern coast of Sicily, is where you will find Taormina, offering precious and breathtaking panoramas in the presence of Etna, which is situated only a few kilometres from here.
inhabitants decided to migrate to the hills and founded Tauromenion (358 BC).
The City, however, remained under Syracuse, until the end of the Second Punic War, with which Rome annexed the whole of Sicily (212 BC).
Taormina became civitas foederata (an allied City) and in history, became a base and shelter for the rioters during the Servile War (134-132BC) and afterwards for Sesto Pompeo (Sextus Pompeius), son of Pompeo Magno (Pompeius Magnus), who was fighting against Octavian, the future Augustus (36BC).
With the advent of Christianity, the City became an Episcopal seat.
After the fall of Rome, the City experienced the arrival of the Vandali and firstly became part of the Ostrogoth Reign of Italy and secondly part of the Byzantine Empire.
The Arabs were fiercely rejected for years until the night of Christmas 906 AD, when, only thanks to a betrayal, the City fell and was destroyed. The inhabitants were massacred, the women deported and City became known as Almoezia.
History repeated itself with inverted roles in 1078, when the Normans, lead by Ruggero I, besieged and conquered Taormina.
The Swabians then followed, then the Angioini and after the Vespri, the Aragonese.
It was then subjected to a siege by the French in 1675 and after a brief Napoleonic rule in Italy, returned as part of the Reign of Sicily with the Bourbons until the end of 1860, the year of Unification in Italy.
It was next seat for the German Command from Wermacht, and endured bombardments by the Anglo-American troops on 9th July, 1943.
Taormina’s world fame came about after visits from excellent artists who gave it good fortune: Goethe, Nietzsche, Wagner, and Wilder are some of the many who stayed in Taormina, and who spoke of their work.
After the end of the war, Taormina enjoyed the good life, being host to great actresses and actors of the international jet set.
People go to Taormina just to say that they have been there, as with other famous Italian Cities. But a visit to the Greek Theatre is something fascinating to the sensitive and cultured mind and those who travel with nobler intentions.
