Naumachie in Taormina

The palace Badia Vecchia (Old Abbey) was built in the fourteenth century and was originally a tower in defense of the walls of Taormina. According to some scholars, the building is called Badia because it was an Abbey, where lived Mother Abbess Euphemia, regent since 1355 of the Kingdom of Sicily. The Badia Vecchia was restored in the fourteenth century, which led to the installation of numerous ornaments. For example you can notice the fine frame that divides the first from the second floor…

The ancient theatre is without question the most important feature for sight-seers in Taormina, also because for its very fortunate natural setting, with splendid view toward the Calabrian coast, the Ionian coast of Sicily and the spectacular cone of Etna. The construction of the amphitheater starts probably by the Greeks around the third century. BC, at the time of Hiero II. To allow the construction was necessary to remove manually from the mountain over 100,000 cubic meters of rock. The p…

The clock tower is situated half way down the Corso Umberto I next to IX April Square. Because of its location, the tower is also called Porta di Mezzo and it is the gateway into the medieval village and separates the Classical and Hellenistic parts of Taormina. Built in the twelfth century on ancient Greco-Roman foundations, the tower was destroyed by the invasion of the French troops of Louis XIV in 1676. It was last renovated in 1679 due to the strong wishes of the people of Taormina; it was…