Taormina

Nestling in the shadow of Mount Etna is Taormina, a small town located on the eastern coast of Sicily, in the province of Messina. In ancient times it was a Greek colony dating from about 400 BC, which submitted to Roman rule in 212 BC.
Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century with its beautiful beaches beside the blue Ionian sea and the picturesque isle of Isola Bella and an outstanding nature reserve situated just south of Taormina.
Taormina is built on the extremely hilly north-east coast, and is approximately forty-five minutes away from Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna.
The remains of the "Greek theatre", are not actually Greek, as the theatre was rebuilt by the Romans in the 2nd century BC on the site of the original theatre. Today the theatre is frequently used for concerts and theatrical performances.
In the late 19th century Taormina gained some prominence as the place where Wilhelm von Gloeden worked most of his life as a photographer of predominantly male nudes.
During the early 20th century the town became a colony of expatriate artists, writers, and intellectuals. D. H. Lawrence stayed in Taormina from 1920 to 1922, and during his stay he wrote a number of his poems, novels, short stories, and essays.

Places to visit: Castelmola, the nature reserve of “Alcantara Gorge”, Nebrodi Park, Catania, Acireale and “Riviera dei Ciclopi”, Etna.