November 1st
Taormina is an extremely cute and photogenic town, touristy yes, expensive yes but if you are in search of a romantic super nice place then this town is it. We are here for 5 nights and hope to do a mix of adventuring, touring archeological ruins, and plain old relaxing.
Wow, today is November 1st and we have been on the road for over two months …time flies!! In any event today we are heading out to see the Teatro Antico di Taormina, which is about a 25-minute walk from our apartment. Yes, the weather is absolutely splendid, again, and we do consider ourselves extremely lucky to be enjoying such perfect conditions.
On the way, we were going to drop into the Chiesa Santa Catarina and somewhat by fluke ran into the Roman Odeon. It is known as the “small theatre” built by the Romans when Taormina became a military colony in the year 21 B.C. under Caesar Augustus Octavian, the first Roman emperor. In 1892 A blacksmith was digging on his land behind the Chiesa when his pick uncovered a red brick structure, subsequent excavation revealed the remnants of the Odeon…It was a stage for musical and literary presentations, which were performed only for the elite of the city. The Odeon was a covered theatre with a capacity of fewer than 200 people. It was built with clay bricks and is divided into three main parts: the scene (stage), the orchestra, and the cavea (seating).
The main event for the day however is the Teatro Antico di Taormina carved into the bedrock by the Greeks in the 2nd/3rd century BC. As with most Greek theaters the natural scenery is integrated into the architecture of the building. It is beautifully situated, on a hill overlooking the Bay of Naxos and Mount Etna.
The Teatro’s main function was to present dramatic and musical performances and it was able to accommodate several thousand spectators. Thereafter, the Romans expanded and transformed the theatre around the 2nd century AD to make room for games and gladiatorial contests. Sadly, most of the ornaments and columns, the latter brought by ships to Vilalagonia (port in the bay of Naxos on the pic below) and then pulled with ropes and pulleys by hordes of slaves to the Theatre, one can only imagine the monumental effort required !!!
Sadly, During the Middle Ages, most of these columns were removed to build palaces and embellish places of worship, including the Cathedral.
Click to enlarge photos:
Aside from the Teatro the views are also great… beach areas north of Taormina
Castelmola is a stunning hilltop village situated above Taormina affording sterling views of Taormina and the coast…
We take our time taking it all in but by the time the site starts to be crawling with tourists, we know it is time to head back downhill…
…dropping into the Villa Communale di Taormina. It is not about the Villa but the gardens which were created by a Scottish noblewoman, Lady Florence Trevelyan. She may or may not have been a Lady, as the history is rather sketchy, but nevertheless had money, married a doctor, and established this rather beautiful albeit eccentric garden. It become the property of the town in 1922 and is extremely well maintained and appreciated by the citizenry and tourists alike. One of its curious features are the quaint purely ornamental structures called “follies” (a word I had never of before)….it was fun to meander in this garden sit on a bench and enjoy a cool aqua frizzante:
It has been an extremely pleasant day, with dinner chez nous as we prepare ourselves for our “adventure” outing tomorrow…