Corso Humberto I

Corso Humberto is a peaceful street beginning at Porta Messina gently climbing up to Porta Catania. A number of elegant shops, restaurants and cafes line the street from which emanate unexpected smells like the sweet scent of marzipan fruits and almond paste. At the entrance to the street, lies the Chiesa di San Pancrazio, believed to have been the earliest Bishop of Taormina. The church was built of the ruins of a temple dedicated to Zeus Serapis. The main front is graced with a gracious doorway made of Taormina stone, framed on each side by niches containing statues of saints.

Naumachie

A side street off to the left. The name technically refers to the simulated naval battles that the Romans so enjoyed watching for entertainment. In this case, it relates to a redbrick wall dating from the Roman period that has been reinforced by a system of blind arcading. In fact, it probably served as a supporting wall for a large reservoir of water and formed part of a rectangular building, possibly a gymnasium.

Piazza IX Aprile

It is a gracious piazza with a balcony overlooking the sea and offering wonderful views over the bay and across to Mount Etna. On the other sides are the bare facade of the Chiesa di San Giuseppe, (17th century), S. Agostino, now a library, and the Torre dell’Orologio, sitting on an open loggia that provides access to the 1400’s part of the town. The present building dates from the late 1600’s, when the clock was added, although it would appear that the foundations date as far back as the 6th century AD, when the tower formed an integral part of the town’s defenses. The piazza serves as a meeting-place, then crowded with people happy to while away the time at one of the bars with tables outside.

Palazzo Campo

Palazzo Campo is a medieval mansion in Taormina, dating back to 1412 and the coat-of-arms above its main entrance portal bears this date. It provides a backdrop to the steps of Salvia Palazzo Campo. The front of this palazzo is composed of two levels separated by a decoratively engraved stone panel. The entrance is set into an elegantly pointed arch, and is surmounted by coat of arms. Palazzo Campo housed one of Taormina's most famous night clubs, "Seton Auto", named after the arches built in Gothic style.

Duomo

Its a 13th century cathedral dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari. It simple facade is ornamented by a Renaissance doorway with two single light windows at the sides and a rose window aligned with the transept above. The crenellations along the roof line have earned it the name of “cathedral fortress”. The left lateral side has a fine entrance set into a pointed arch ornamented along the edge with vines. The interior is gothic the ground plan is a Latin cross; the nave is separated from the side-aisles by an arcade of pointed arches. These spring from column shafts of pink marble. Over the second altar, in the south aisle, sits a fine 16th polyptych by Antonello de Saliba.

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele

It occupies the site of the ancient Roman Forum. The ancient buildings with fine Baroque doorways of pink marble and Taormina stone are still clearly visible. These red brick ruins belong to an Odeon, a small covered theatre from the Roman period around 1st century AD.

Palazzo di S. Stefano

Its a fine building dating back to the 15th century built for the Dukes of Santo Stefano. The bold rustication gives it the appearance of a fortified fortress. Running through the length of the upper story is a two-tone geometric frieze. The palace presently accommodates the Fondazione Mazzullo, which hosts permanent exhibitions of sculpture and drawings by the artist Graniti. A recurrent theme among the works in lava, granite and bronze, is the expression of pain: this is especially notable in a series of executions by firing squad in which crumpled bodies are depicted as mutilated. In contrast, what is striking about the female busts is their impenetrable facial expressions, portrayed through features that in some barely delineated and in others are perfectly modeled.

Palazzo Corvaja

The existing Palazzo Corvaja consists of a tower built in the 11th century by the Arabs, to reinforced the city's defenses. The cubic tower reminded the Arabs of their sacred "Al Ka 'bah" which, according to Mahomet, was the first temple erected to God by Abraham at the Mecca. A left wing and the staircase leading to the first floor were added in the 13th century and later in the 15th century a right wing was added. It was later abandoned and left to become ruins over the years. It was completely restored after the Second World War. Currently the courtyard holds offices of the Sicilian Tourists Authorities along with typical Sicilian puppets and splendidly ornate Sicilian carts, intricately carved and decorated with wrought-iron fixtures.