Ancient theater of Taormina

The most important and best preserved ancient monument in Taormina is the theatre.

It was built in a wonderful panoramic point, from which you can admire the mass of Etna and the Ionian Sea.
On some steps is engraved the name of Philistide, the wife of Hieron II, the tyrant of Syracuse who most likely had the Taormina theater built in the 3rd century BC.
The building was rebuilt in Roman times and more precisely in the 2nd century AD

The auditorium, i.e. the space for the steps, has a diameter of approximately 109 meters and is divided into nine sectors.
The theater of Taormina, in terms of size, is the second in Sicily after that of Syracuse.
At the top of the steps there is a double portico, covered by a vault.

Thirty-six small niches open onto the wall of the portico and perhaps served to house some statues.
In Roman times, the theater orchestra was transformed into an arena for gladiatorial games.

The scene has three large openings, flanked by niches and columns relocated here in the 19th century by the architect Francesco Saverio Cavallari.

For years now, the Taormina theater has been the splendid setting for cultural events and international awards