Best of Eastern Sicily: Taormina and Castelmola private tour from Giardini Naxos

Your guide will meet you at Cruise Ship Port or at your hotel. First, you will drive to Taormina where you will have a walking tour covering all the main attractions of this fabulous city located on a spectacular hillside. Opposite the Town Hall, the street widens out into Piazza del Duomo, with the Cathedral of San Nicola. Founded by the Hohenstaufens in the 13th century and altered several times in the 15th to 17th centuries, it combines medieval and more recent features. The unplastered exterior, with its crenellations, is original, whereas the Baroque main door was added in 1636 and matches the 1635 Baroque fountain in the middle of the square. The three aisles of the basilica are separated by large pillars supporting pointed arches. The interior is decorated with a number of works dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the 15th-century Visitation of the Virgin Mary by Antonio Giuffrè and Madonna and Child with Saints by Antonello da Saliba, painted in 1504.

The Church of San Giuseppe or Chiesa di San Giuseppe is a beautiful church in Taormina, dedicated to Saint Joseph. The church, built in Baroque style in the second half of the 17th century, stands near the famous Torre dell’Orologio, dominating the main square of the town, Piazza IX Aprile. The church was built after 1650 as the seat of the Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory. On the facade of the church and also inside, there are numerous references to the confraternity: inscriptions, coats of arms, details of sculptures, bas-reliefs, mottos and allegorical figures.

The main street of Taormina is dedicated to Umberto I of Savoy, king of Italy from 1878 to 1900. The Corso Umberto I was part of the ancient Via Valeria which, crossing the city before falling down towards the sea, was connecting Messina to Catania. Bordered to the north by Porta Messina and to the south from Porta Catania, the Corso shows facilities and buildings belonging to styles from different eras, from the Arabic to the Norman, from the Gothic to the Baroque. The Greek-Roman monuments have been replaced by new constructions, so the temple of Jupiter Serapis has been replaced by the Church of San Pancrazio and on the remains of the Odeon was built the Church of St. Catherine. The presence of palaces and churches along the Corso and its surroundings have transformed the ancient Via Valeria in today’s historical center, animated by shops and cafes that every day welcome visitors from all over the world.

In the sea below Taormina is a small rock-bound island with a nature preserve, almost connected to the mainland by a sandy beach. You can cross to walk the paths around its perimeter and enjoy the views from its terraces. All along the shore below Taormina are coves and beaches for swimming, which you can reach by paths. There is also a cable car between Taormina and the beach resort of Mazzaro, just below town. Just north of Mazzaro are more beaches at Spisone, Mazzeo, and Letojanni. You can also take a bus to the beaches.

Palazzo Corvaja (sometimes spelled Palazzo Corvaia) is a medieval palace in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, dating from the 10th century. It was principally built at the end of the 14th century and is named after one of the oldest and most famous families of Taormina, which owned it from 1538 to 1945. On four main floors and constructed around a courtyard, the Moorish Gothic palazzo is crenelated. The principal floor has a fenestration of pairs of lancet windows divided by columns. The courtyard walls are decorated by reliefs illustrating The Creation. Today the palazzo is used as an exhibition center.

The 14th century Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano in Taormina is a masterpiece of Sicilian Gothic art with characteristic elements of the Arab and Norman era. Originally owned by the family of Spanish origin De Spuches (or De Spucches), Dukes of Santo Stefano di Briga and Princes of Galati, the palace was acquired by the Municipality of Taormina in 1964 and intended to house the Mazzullo Foundation.

Porta Catania delimits the southern part of Corso Umberto I, is part of the second city wall and its construction dates back to 1440, a date which is engraved in the shrine depicting the Aragonese coat of arms in the center above the arch. It is also called Porta del Tocco, because public meetings were held in the adjacent square in Norman times. Touch time was the first hour afternoon, so it signaled 13.00.

The gate provides access to the heart of Taormina, the most beautiful part of history, and visited the city. The famous Corso Umberto of Taormina, the road that crosses the entire historical center of the city and frequented by many tourists every day, is closed at the ends by two gates, Porta Catania and Porta Messina. In the middle of the street we find the door called the Clock Tower. The gates were built in the city’s fortification walls and provide access to the heart of Taormina, the most beautiful part of history and visited the city. The door to door on the north side is Porta Messina. Set within a stretch of wall that connects with the center of Taormina fortress, Castel Tauro, Porta Messina is newer than the other and until the unification of Italy in 1860, was called Porta Ferdinandea, and dates back to the Bourbon period in the nineteenth century, in the period in which reigned Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies.

The little Gothic church of Sant'Agostino was built in 1448, dedicated to Saint Sebastian, who was believed to have miraculously saved the city from the plague. It was later expanded into a monastery of the Hermits of St. Augustine, whose friars changed its dedication. Originally a Sicilian-style late Gothic building, it was substantially changed around 1700, adding the bell tower and entrance arch replaced with the present entrance. Only the top of the arch and the small rosette above the door remain from the original church. It is now used as a public library. Its campanile is a small crenelated tower, and the door was added in 1700.

The Greek Theatre of Taormina is the most fascinating historical monument of the “pearl of the Ionian Sea”. It is one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions so that Johann Wolfgang Goethe in his famous “Journey to Italy” wrote: “No theater audience has never had such a sight in front of him.”

Taormina The Odeon. There are no doubts as to the origins of the Odeon, or “small theatre”. It was built directly by the Romans when Taormina became a military colony in the year 21 B.C. under Caesar Augustus Octavian, the first Roman emperor. Much smaller than the other theatre, it is evidence of how important culture was to Taormina in those days. The small theatre is just behind a hill named after St. Catherine of Alexandria in Egypt, near Palazzo Corvaja. lt was found accidentally on June 5th 1892 and until that moment no one had even suspected it existed. The story of its discovery is an unusual one. A blacksmith named Antonio Bambara was digging in his land behind St. Catherine’s Church when his pick uncovered a red brick construction. A year later the real excavations began and the Odeon appeared, badly damaged in various sections.

Below the former Dominican monastery, Via Roma runs east to the municipal gardens of Villa Comunale. The gardens were created by Florence Trevelyan, an Englishwoman who planted rare species here and built the fanciful and imaginative Victorian stone follies that survive today. Its commanding position offers some excellent viewpoints, and you'll find more if you follow Via Bagnoli Croce on to the Belvedere. From here, you can return on Via Luigi Pirandello, passing below the Greek Theater, to the Porta Messina.

After Taormina, you will visit Castelmola a wonderful medieval village, perfect to get lost in its narrow streets or to have a cocktail and light lunch observing the amazing scenery of the bay below.

Upon return to Naxos, you will visit panoramic spots with marvelous views of the bay, accompanied by the history of the city. The tour ends with return to the port or hotel.