Greek tragedies, dramas, contests between gladiators: once upon a time Sicily's amphitheaters were used to stage all genre of theatrical performance and gruesome spectator sport. Many of these immense open air theaters have survived the passage of time and today provide stunning venues for concerts and shows. Each summer, Taormina's Greek theater is used for the Taormina Arte festival. The amphitheater is just one of the many reasons why tourists flock to this beautiful town on the east coast of Sicily. Other highlights include Taormina's splendid beaches, stylish shopping district, and historic center brimming with churches and elegant palazzi, the most impressive of which is Palazzo Corvaja, a quite amazing combination of Arabian, Norman and Gothic architectural styles. Taormina's Antiquarium archaeological museum is well worthy of visit.
From Taormina, we head for Giardini Naxos, another of eastern Sicily's fashionable bathing resorts. Although its beaches are among the most beautiful in Italy, the town is best known for its archaeological site, in which to admire tombs dating all the way back to the bronze age. The historic center of the town is home to the magnificent Schisò Castle and the ornate Church of Santa Maria Raccomandata. The Gole dell'Alcantara lies just fourteen kilometers away from Giardini Naxos. This spectacular deep gorge, traversed by the Alcantara river, is a major tourist attraction.
Acrireale and Acicastello share a prefix derived from a figure of Greek mythology: the ill fated Sicilian shepherd Aci, lover of Galatea, crushed to death by his rival Polyphemus. Arcireale has a splendid historic center, in which to find any number of baroque masterpieces, including the impressive Cathedral and Palazzo Musmeci. Whilst Arcireale is, perhaps, best known for the beneficial properties of its thermal waters, Acicastello is famous for its castle. This massif fortress, built by the Normans and constructed using the local volcanic rock, occupies an amazingly panoramic position overlooking the entire Riviera dei Ciclopi.
The 3300m high Mount Etna is both mountain and volcano, the slow eruptive activity of which keeps volcanologists busy. By a number of these scientists, but especially by the local population, Etna is considered a gentle giant, unlikely to indulge in explosive behavior. Once cooled, lava has an incredible fertilizing effect on the soil and gives way to the most stunning of natural environments. The National Park of Etna is a quite unique place where to go trekking, mountain biking and, in the winter months, even skiing.
Lying under the watchful eye of Etna, Catania is one of Sicily's most beautiful cities. At the center of Piazza Duomo, in the shadow of the baroque cathedral, we find the symbol of the city: a black lavic stone elephant, supporting an Egyptian obelisk. In the historic center, in the vicinity of Via dei Crociferi, lie great part of Catania's churches and historic palazzi, almost all of which constructed in flamboyant Sicilian baroque style, after the devastating earthquake of 1693 which all but flattened the city and killed some 60,000 of its inhabitants. Frederick II of Swabia's 13th century Ursino Castle and the amphitheater, theater and baths dating back to Roman times, were among the few edifices to survive the earthquake and the powerful tsunami which immediately followed it.
