The Ancient Greek-Roman Theater of Taormina is the 5th oldest existing in Sicily, the second largest and the first in terms of both strategic and panoramic position.
The first plant is of Greek origin and dates back to the 3rd century BC. Almost a century after landing in Naxos, today Giardini-Naxos, the Greeks saw in the promontory of Taormina the opportunity to settle in a safe and strategic place.
The name Taormina comes from the Greek Tauromenium or house on the Tauro (Toro) as the shape of the promontory originally belonged to Toro. After the choice of the place, the Greeks began to build starting from public areas such as the Agora and the Theater. Subsequently they continued with all the works that their civilization required so that they could be definitively established.
The Theater was of social and cultural importance for them as was the Agora. Their performances had the dual purpose of entertaining and educating. The size of the ancient theater of Taormina highlights the great importance it held in the Sicilian chessboard.
Describing today what the Ancient Theater of Taormina looked like at the time of the Greeks is a bit difficult since, during the Roman domination, it was adapted to their needs.
The Greeks used to entertain the public with theatrical representations that ranged from tragedy to comedy while the Romans, beyond this type of representations, loved the re-enactments of battles, whether they were sea or land, aimed at enhancing their military superiority .
During their domination, they profoundly changed the layout of the city adapting it to their standards. In general, the macro parts that make up a Theater, in the two concepts, are almost the same: the Scene, the orchestra and the cavea.
The Ancient Theater of Taormina is no exception and it is possible to clearly distinguish these macro parts of the system.
The spectacularity of the ancient theater of Taormina is its position. From it it is possible to dominate the two sides, that of Messina and that of Catania in which Etna plays a predominant role. From the top of the cavea you can admire unique views of the landscape and capture its beauty.
