Skip to main content
AIRPORT TRANSFER - Book now
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Please, insert the date
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input

Saracen Castle in Taormina

Saracen Castle - Taormina

The Saracen Castle (Castello saraceno) is situated in an elevated position above Taormina, at about 397m high.

Most probably it was the site of the antique acropolis of the Greek town of Taormina. The Romans and later the Byzantines must have strengthened the site. In 902 AD the town fell to the Muslims after a siege of 2 years. They rebuilt the castle into its present form with a trapezoid plan adapted to the shape of the rock and crenellated walls.

You can get to the castle via a staircase that starts from the church of the Madonna della Rocca climbs up to reach the door.

The remains of this fortification are constituted by the imposing tower, the walls on which is implanted a tower, a cistern and an underground corridor.

Today, the castle is unfortunately closed and can not be visited by those tourists who would like to see the wonder of this ancient historic monument and the magnificent panorama from the summit of Mount Tauro.

Saracen Castle

Related articles

Arabian Necropolis

Arabian Necropolis - Taormina
A few hundred meters from Corso Umberto, along the Via Pirandello, there is the Arabian necropolis. It alleged to have been built during the Byzantine period, between the tenth and eleventh centuries. The necropolis is defined in the columbarium method, because it consists of symmetrical cells on top of each other put. Now, you can only see the remains of a larger building that stretched toward the northeast, placing itself among the current remains and the St. Peter's Church. Related art...
Read more

Corso Umberto I

Corso Umberto - Taormina
The street follows the route of the ancient Consolare Valeria, the main thoroughfare in the original Greco-Roman settlements. This pedestrian steet provides a lively promenade for tourists and is lined with elegant shops and restaurants. Placed half-way between Taormina’s two main gates, is Piazza IX Aprile, the town’s main square. Located in the south side of the piazza is the Clock Tower or Porta di Mezzo which forms the passageway leading from the Greek-Roman part to the Medieval part. R...
Read more

Palazzo of the Dukes of Santo Stefano

Palazzo of the Dukes of Santo Stefano - Taormina
The Palazzo of the Dukes of Santo Stefano is situated right next to the gate Porta Catania, on the Via De Spuches Built between the late 1200s and the early 1300s, the palace was part of the medieval walls of Taormina. The Palace of the Dukes of Santo Stefano is a masterpiece of Sicilian Romaneque and Gotic style, fitted with Arabic-Norman elements. The building has a beautiful garden in front of its main facades, where there is still a well for the collection of rain-water which was the wa...
Read more
Related Articles