Taormina - Italy

Beautiful cards from Taormina, a city located on the east coast of Sicily about halfway between Messina and Catania on the Ionian Sea.

 © SIME * ph. Antonino Bartuccio

 Settled on a hill of the Monte Tauro, Taormina dominates two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side, the top of Mount Etna, the European highest active volcano, often capped with snow, offering to the visitors a breathtaking, dramatic and memorable view over almost one hundred miles of Mediterranean sea. Taormina really seems to be born as a tourist resort since past times, when ancient people like the Sicels, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards chose it as their residential site thank to its favourable position, mild climate and magic atmosphere. - in: http://www.taormina.it/introduction

 © SIME * ph. Demetrio Carrasco

Isolla Bella is tiny island located in a small bay on the coast just below Taormina. The island is connected to the mainland by a small and narrow path that depending on the tide may be submerged. The island itself was actually private property up until 1990 when the owners went bankrupt and auctioned the island, which was bought by the Region of Sicily. Since then it has been designated as a nature reserve and is home to numerous species of birds and lizards. - in: https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Top-10-Things-Taormina-Sicily

© SIME * ph. Alessandro Saffo

One of the main attractions of the city is the Ancient Theatre. Built for the most part of brick,  is therefore probably of Roman date, though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theatres; whence it is supposed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theatre of the Greek period. With a diameter of 109 metres (358 ft) (after an expansion in the 2nd century), this theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily (after that of Syracuse); it is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. - in: wikipedia