TAORMINA
sicilia
Taormina is a small town on the east coast of Sicily, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. The "embryo" stage of Taormina's life lasted from 736 to 425 BC but we know very few information. Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, conquered Taormina in 392 BC after two attempts. After Dionysius died, Taormina had a period of great splendour when Andromache, whose son was Timaeus the philosopher, was elected head of the town. The Syracuse rule was followed by a period of Roman dominion. During the Middle Ages Taormina had the same fate as the rest of Byzantine Sicily in trying to withstand one Moslem attack after the other. After the city was conquered by the Saracens in 902, its people attempted to revolt time and time again in spite of their rivals from nearby Messina who tried to subdue them. In 1410 the city became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. It was under French occupation in 1675 before being occupied once again by Spain under Philip V. It was the Bourbons' turn in 1734 although their dominion only lasted until 1861 when Italy was united.
Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the XIX century. It has popular beaches on the Ionian Sea, which is remarkably warm and has a high salt content.
Sites: Porta Messina, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Palazzo Corvaja, Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria), Odeon, Naumachie, Greek Theatre, Antiquarium, Public Gardens, Piazza IX Aprile (Clock-Tower), Badia Vecchia, Piazza Duomo (Cathedral), Porta Catania, Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano, Isola Bella.
Porta Messina
In ancient times Taormina was protected by a circuit of walls with a triple fortification system, which from the north on the side looking towards Messina continued in a north-east direction and ended in the west on the side looking towards Catania. Traces of these walls can still be seen today not only in the centre of the city where the Clock-Tower stands, but also at the two furthest ends of the city where there are two entrances, commonly called "Porta Messina" (Messina Gate) and "Porta Catania" (Catania Gate). "Porta Messina", restored at the beginning of the XIX century, was named "Porta Ferdinanda" when it was opened in 1808 by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. There is a tablet commemorating the occasion on the top of its arch. From "Porta Messina", Corso Umberto, the main street of the inhabited centre, has begun.
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the crucial point of Taormina. Meeting place of tourist and not, it is the ancient Roman Forum and, before, the Greek Agora. On the square valuable monuments appear.
Palazzo Corvaja - The Arabian dominion in Sicily lasted from the IX to the XI century. During the XI century the Arabs reinforced the city's defences by building, among other things, a tower which is the main part of today's Palazzo Corvaja. The cubic tower reminded the Arabs of their sacred "Al Ka 'bah" which, according to Mahomet, was the first temple erected to God by Abraham at the Mecca. The tower was extended at the end of the XIII century with the addition of the area which is on the left of the entrance portal. Together with this new wing, a staircase was built leading from the courtyard to the first floor. On the landing there are three magnificent panels in Syracuse stone sculpted in high-relief: the first one pictures the creation of Eve; the second panel, the original sin; and the third is of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. The right wing of the building was constructed at the beginning of the 1400s in order to house the meetings of the Sicilian Parliament. In any case the mansion is named after the Corvaja family, one of the oldest and most noble families in Taormina. In 1960 Palazzo Corvaja was enlarged and the new wing now houses the tourist office. Palazzo Corvaja is a mixture of styles due to the different eras during which it was built and extended. Its styles go from Arabian (the battlements of the tower) to Norman (the XV-century hall) to Gothic (the mullioned windows of the XIV-century hall).
Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria - The Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is in front of Palazzo Corvaja. The exact construction date of the church is not known. It is thought to date back to 1663, the year engraved on the tablet of the ossuary found outside the church and now located in the wall beside the staircase which leads to the crypt. The sacristy is thought to have been built before the Church, during the XVI century. As it was built on the ruins of the Odeon, the remains of which can be seen behind the church, part of the orchestra and scene were destroyed.
Odeon
The "Odeon" was built by the Romans when Taormina became a military colony in the year 21 BC 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, that could hold till 200 people, was found accidentally on June 5th 1892 and until that moment no one had even suspected it existed. 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. The architecture of the Roman Odeon is almost identical to that of the large theatre but is oriented differently: the Greek-Roman Theatre faces the south while the small Odeon faces north-east. It was built with lateritious material, in other words with large clay bricks joined together with lime. The Odeon has the same construction plan as all other Roman theatres and is divided into three main sections: the scene, the orchestra and the cavea. The scene of the Odeon consisted of the stylobate (base) and the peristyle (colonnade) of a Greek temple, some say dedicated to Aphrodite, which was discovered during the excavations on the Odeon. Apart from theatrical performances, this small Odeon, built right in the centre of the Polis, is thought to have been used for musical recitals and auditions reserved to magistrates, important civil, military and religious people and their families as well as to guests of consequence.
Naumachie
The ruins of the "Naumachie" are formed by a big and solid massive wall, 122m long and 5m high, that, after the Ancient Theatre, is the most ancient ruins of Greek origins in Taormina. The name "Naumachie" (from Greek meaning "sea battle") improperly given to these ruins is probably attributable to the fact that there is a large reservoir on the remaining wall, which used to be a water supply for the Gymnasium and a reserve for the whole city. There are 18 niches with round arches and 18 other smaller rectangular niches.
Greek Theatre
The most important and best preserved ancient monument in Taormina is the Greek Theatre, known also as "Ancient Theatre". It was realized in a beautiful panoramic point, from which we can admire the Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. The Greek Theatre in Taormina is the second-largest in Sicily after the one in Syracuse. No one is sure of when the Theatre was actually erected. Those who believe it was built by the Greeks say it must have been around the middle of the III century BC, when Hiero was the tyrant of Syracuse. But due to the theatre's structural characteristics, some say it was erected by Roman engineers to be used exclusively by the Greeks. This would explain all the Greek incriptions inside the theatre. Further evidence that the Theatre is of Greek origin is in the well-cut blocks of Taormina stone (similar to marble) below the scene of the Theatre; these are a typical example of the ancient Greek building technique. The theatre is divided into three main sections: the scene, the orchestra and the cavea. The scene is opposite the cavea and is where the actors used to perform. There is now a large ten-metre long portion missing in the centre of the scene, supposedly caused by attacks during the wars. The orchestra of the theatre was the flat clearing in the centre which separated the scene from the cavea. This area was for the musicians, but the choruses and dancers also performed there. The word "orchestra", nowadays meaning a musical band, comes from this part of the Greek theatre. The cavea on the other hand is the series of steps, from the lowest to the highest ones at the top, where the spectators were seated. The steps were carved out of the rock and, in place where there was none, they were built in masonry. The theatre is thought to have been able to seat about 5400 spectators. Nowadays as the Theatre is still practicable; it seated the audiences of the most important Italian cinematographic event, the "David di Donatello" award; now an international festival entitled "Taormina Art", lasting the whole summer period, is held there with cinema, theatre, ballet and symphonic music reviews.
Antiquarium
Near the Greek Theatre there are the ruins of an ancient temple and an Antiquarium. The Antiquarium is a small archaeological museum on show in two rooms of the Ancient Theatre guardian's house, once called the House of the Englishmen because it was supposedly inhabited by English families during the first days of tourism in Taormina. Few archaeological specimens remain in this house-museum since most of them are in Naples, Messina and Syracuse. The most interesting are: a statue dedicated to Olympio, winner of a horse race; two important pillars, one called the "Tavola degli Strateghi" (Table of the Strategists), a slab engraved with the names of the stragists, and the other called "Tavola dei Ginnasiarchi" (Table of the Gymnasiarchs), dedicated to the magistrates in charge of the Gymnasium where the young men were educated psychologically and physically; a small oval sarcophagus in marble, probably made for a child.
Public Gardens
The city gardens, named after the Duke of Cesarò who was a representative of Taormina's constituency when they were made, were donated by the Cacciola-Trevelyan family during the 1920s. Inside, there is a thick vegetation and a typically Mediterranean array of hedges and flower-beds with cobbled paths which lengthwise connect the almost three hectares of park. An avenue lined with olive-trees in memory of the fallen during various wars runs among precious trees of various species, some of which are rare and extraordinarily beautiful. In garden there are some characteristic pagoda-style towers with arabesque designs, made of bricks and edged with lava pumice-stone. Florence Trevelyan, an English noblewoman, had these towers built so as to study the birds since she was a keen ornithologist.
Piazza IX Aprile
Piazza IX Aprile is the most beautiful square in Taormina, it is the centre of the social life of this wonderful town. It is always crowded of Italian and foreign tourists who must stop here to admire the beautiful panorama that the square offers. On the square there are two churches: the Gothic Church of Sant'Agostino, now the Public Library, and the Baroque Church of San Giuseppe.
Clock-Tower - The most important building of the square is the tower, named "Clock-Tower". The Clock-Tower acts as an entrance gate to the part of the city that historians call "the XV-century area". Dating back to the XII century, the tower was razed to the ground during a French invasion under Louis XIV in 1676. What can be admire today is a reconstruction by the people of Taormina in 1679, who added a large clock to the tower.
Badia Vecchia
The Gothic architecture of "Badia Vecchia" is very similar to that of "Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano". It therefore follows that the two buildings are of the same period, the late 1300s. The Gothic style of this building too is therefore influenced by Arabian and Norman art. "Badia Vecchia" is formed by three rooms having the same surface area. A frieze of inlaid lava-stone and white Syracuse stone decorates the building, marking the dividing line between the first and second floors. Three magnificent mullioned windows rest on the frieze one beside the other so that they resemble a single window with six openings. "Badia Vecchia", like "Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano", was built as a stronghold along the boundary walls, the former to protect the northern part of the city and the latter the southern part. Armando Dillon, a Neapolitan architect, is of the opinion that this building was called "Badia Vecchia" due to the fact that it was at one stage the home of Mother Abbess Euphemia, who was a regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1355 in the name of her younger brother Frederic IV, known as "the Simple". It does seem, however, that the mansion is called "Badia Vecchia" because it once was an abbey. This theory is based on the discovery of a sacred painting at the bottom of a rain-water well and it seems that the painting was hidden there so as to save it from one of the many invasions on Taormina.
Piazza Duomo
Piazza Duomo is another crucial point and meeting place of Taormina. It is built around a beautiful Baroque fountain. The fountain, built in 1635, is in Taormina marble with three concentric steps as its base. The city's coat-of-arms normally pictures a male centaur but in this case it was turned into a female centaur and a two-footed one at that. In the square there is also the XVII-century Town Hall.
Cathedral - The "fortress cathedral", which is what Taormina's main cathedral is considered, was built around the year 1400 on the ruins of a small medieval church. The cathedral has a Latin-cross plan with three aisles; there are six minor altars in the two side aisles. The nave is held up by six monolithic columns, three on each side, in pink Taormina marble and their capitals have a foil and fish-scale decoration. The ceiling of the nave has wooden beams supported by carved corbels reproducing Arabian scenes with a Gothic air.
Porta Catania
"Porta Catania" is the end result of various changes and restorations, the last of which were performed in 1440 by the Argonese. The Aragonese coat-of-arms is sculpted in relief above the city coat-of-arms in the centre on the top part of the gate.
Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano
Near "Porta Catania" there is "Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano". The palace's square structure, massiveness, position and batlemented walls make it look like a fortress, therefore making people think that the initial constructor was a Norman. This XIII-century palace has a beautiful garden in front of its main facades and was the home of the De Spuches, a noble family of Spanish origin, who were Dukes of Santo Stefano and Princes of Galati, two towns on the Ionian coast in the Messina area. "Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano" is surely one of the masterpieces of Sicilian Gothic art, in which the elements of Arabian and Norman art merge. Arabian reminiscences are aroused by the decoration on the top part of the palace: a wide frieze runs along the east and north facades formed by a wavy decoration in lava-stone alternated with rhombus-shaped inlays in white Syracuse stone, together forming a magnificent lace of marquetry. Norman art instead is recalled by its square tower-like plan and by what remains of the swallow-tailed battlements on the top of the building. "Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano" today houses the Mazzullo Foundation, run by a clever sculptor who has succeeded in turning tradition into modernity. Many of his sculptures are on show in the palace.
Isola Bella
Isola Bella is a small island near Taormina. The beautiful island (also known as "The Pearl of the Ionian Sea") within a small bay on the Ionian Sea was a private property until 1990, when it was bought by the Region of Sicily and became a nature reserve, administrated by the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. There is a narrow path that often connects the island to the mainland beach. The island has a small and rather rocky beach which is a popular destination for sunbathers.
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