The town was a part of the kingdom of Syracuse for quite a long time, to subsequently pass under Rome’s government, along with all the Sicilian territory. From Cicero we know that the town was one of the only three cities in Sicily to be given the title of civitas foederata – and thus the privileges of a nominal independence.
Taormina was also the spectacular backdrop of one of the most crucial sea-fight of the Roman era – that between the fleet of Octavian and that of Pompeius, Historians confirm that the town kept on being one of the few cities of Sicily to be acknowledged as a place of some consideration under the Roman Empire: its area was famous for the excellence of its wine and the production of a particularly precious marble.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Taormina continued to be one of the more important towns of Sicily: the Arabs took the town in 902, after a two-years siege – and totally destroyed it. Muslims rule of the town until 1078, when it was captured by Norman lord Roger I.
After the fall of the Normans, the whole Sicily passed under the Angevines and then the Aragonese: it was in Taormina that King Martin II of Sicily was elected, back in 1410.
In 1675 the area fell under the French, who had occupied Messina: unfortunately, the Bourbons dynasty of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies didn’t reserve a relevant role to the town and its surrounding area – even if it was provided with a station on the second oldest railroad in the region.
But it was at the end of the following century that Taormina’s fame as one of the most beautiful tourist destination was actually. Since that moment on, tourism has kept on being the key feature of Taormina: but in totally exclusive way, offering its guest an original, irresistible mix of natural and artistic beauty, top cultural events and a warm, sincerely welcoming and sweetly captivating atmosphere. And from Johann Wolfgang Goethe to Tennessee Williams (read more in our Inspiring Taormina section) this enchanting mixture has always been – and still is nowadays – the truly distinctive characteristic of the town: all through the centuries, a multitude of artists, poets, painters, politicians, actors, sportsmen, kings and sovereigns have chosen Taormina as their preferred holiday destination. And, it must be said, lots of “normal” people, too, coming from every corner of the world, attracted by the place’s history, sights, monuments – but also by its colours, perfumes, food and handicraft...
What else? Let’s go back in time for a while: the word Tauromenion, the Greek name of the town, is composed by two different parts – the first, “Tauro”, depicting the bull-shaped Monte Tauro; the second, menein, meaning “to stay”... enjoy your stay in Taormina!
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