Art And Culture in Taormina

Culture in Taormina starts with the ancient theatre, Greek in origin and largely rebuilt in brick under Rome. It is about 109 metres across, the second largest in Sicily after Syracuse, and still stages concerts and opera. Just off Corso Umberto stand the Roman Odeon, the thirteenth-century cathedral and a baroque fountain of 1635. Goethe came in 1787, and Taormina became a Grand Tour stop. The film chapter is newer: the hill villages of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò stood in for Corleone in the original Godfather.

What we run here splits into a half day and a long stay. The half day is a four-hour Godfather coach tour with a guide: Savoca, with its Capuchin crypt and Bar Vitelli, and the church in Forza d'Agrò. It has about half an hour of free time in Savoca and ends in Taormina in the late afternoon. The long stay is four days in a small group, and more landscape than museum: free time in the old town on arrival, then Etna with the Alcantara Gorges, and a two-hour boat trip along the coast towards Isola Bella. The theatre ticket comes with neither.

Practical. Savoca lies at 330 metres and Forza d'Agrò at 420, a little cooler than the coast. Bring a wind jacket and comfortable shoes for them. Church entry is not included. Summer coast days run 28 to 30C, and Etna at about 1,500 metres is roughly ten degrees cooler, so the lava-cave day wants a layer. Pickup points vary between Taormina, Letojanni and Giardini Naxos, so reconfirm yours with the agency. The Godfather tour cancels free until 24 hours before; the four-day stay charges 50% about three weeks out.