Taormina

Where to park in Taormina:

Taormina has three public parking lots: Porta Catania, Lumbi, and Porta Pasquale. Of the three, the closest to the center is Porta Catania, located 300 meters from Corso Umberto.

What to see and do in Taormina:

Everything there is to see, reach, and discover is on Corso Umberto, the pedestrian street in the historic center. Along it are the main attractions, such as the Duomo, the Clock Tower, Piazza IX Aprile (a panoramic square), various churches, shops, restaurants, and bars. Several important streets branch off from Corso Umberto, including Via Teatro Greco, which leads to the theater of the same name. A place worth visiting for its charm and views is the Villa Comunale, a natural site with a walkway overlooking the bay of Giardini Naxos, with Mount Etna in the distance. Where to begin the tour? It makes no difference whether you start at Porta Messina or Porta Catania.

In this guide, we begin from the terrace of the Porta Catania parking lot. Walking from the parking lot terrace to Porta Catania and continuing along Corso Umberto toward Porta Messina, following the green line on the map, you will encounter:

A small, unnamed villa, rich in vegetation, overlooking the bay of Giardini Naxos;
The former Church of Sant'Antonio Abbate (no. 5), built around 1330, which houses a permanent nativity scene filled with figurines;
Porta Catania, the arch marking the first end of Corso Umberto, located on the old city walls of the second ring of the medieval city;
Via De Spuches, leading to the Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano (no. 8), built between 1300 and 1400, now used as a museum;
The Salita del Carmine (S. Carmine), leading to the former Church of Carmine (no. 6), built around 1600, now used as an exhibition hall and a place where you can see a piece of Taormina in Miniature;
Piazza Duomo (no. 9) with the Duomo (no. 11), Taormina's main church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, of medieval origin, and the Baroque fountain known locally as the "four fountains";
Salita Ciampoli (s. Ciampoli), which leads to Palazzo Ciampoli (no. 13), built around 1400 and now a museum displaying different works throughout the year;
Via dei Fabi, the staircase leading to the 15th-century Church of Varò (no. 17), with its richly decorated interior;
Clock Tower, built in the 12th century on the ancient medieval walls dating back to the 4th century. These walls once surrounded the older medieval city of Taormina;
Piazza IX Aprile (no. 19), a panoramic square offering a unique view of the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna in the background. From here, you can admire the Bay of Giardini Naxos;
Church of San Giuseppe (no. 18), facing Piazza IX Aprile, a Baroque church built between the 17th and 18th centuries;
Former Church of Sant'Agostino (no. 20), located on Piazza IX Aprile, which houses a museum and the municipal library;
Public Restrooms on Piazza IX Aprile for those who need to pee;
Via Naumachie, which leads to the Naumachie, what remains of what were once large cisterns used by the Romans to store water. Today, it is a long red brick wall with semi-vaulted niches in a green area;
Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria (no. 22), a Baroque church built in 1600 adjacent to the ruins of the Odeon, an ancient Roman theater;
Via Teatrino Romano (little theater street), which leads to the Roman theater of the same name (no. 21), located behind the Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria;
Palazzo Corvaja (no. 23), whose construction began in the Arab era between 902 and 1079 on the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum;
Via Teatro Greco, which leads to the second-largest Greco-Roman Theater (no. 30) in Sicily, but first in location and panorama. Unique in its kind and location, it hosts many world-class events, including the Film Festival;
Via Di Giovanni, which leads to the Villa Pubblica or Trevlyan Park (no. 26), the city's large green lung. A magical place created by Lady Florence Trevelyan, it is home to numerous varieties of plants and flowers, as well as some bizarre and interesting buildings known as Victorian Folies.
Porta Messina marks the other end of Corso Umberto.
Outside Porta Messina is the Church of San Pancrazio (no. 28), the patron saint of Taormina, and the ruins of the Roman Baths (no. 29), known as the Baths of San Pancrazio due to their location next to the church.