From Mount Etna to the Ionian Sea

Enjoy the buffet breakfast with a lovely cappuccino before making your way to the nearby cable car station.

Take the cable car and in around 50 minutes you will reach the top. There, feel free to walk around, take in the views or have a drink at the only bar in place.
The Etna cable car is open every day from 9 am to 4 pm, with the last departure uphill at 3:30 pm.

After morning walk, take the cable car back and hop back into your car.

The finely kept medieval town of Taormina is positioned spectacularly on a mountain slope, covered by subtropical vegetation. The town has been popular with travelers since the 18th century when it was a favorite stop for nobles on the Grand Tour.
Over the years, it's been a favorite of writers, artists, and celebrities, but the appearance of exclusivity is only skin-deep. In reality, what was once a little hill village still can't believe its good fortune. Much of its late-medieval atmosphere remains, with the one main traffic-free street showing an uninterrupted line of old palazzi, flower-decked lanes, and tiny piazzas.
Although there are no beaches in town, the exceptional ruins of the ancient theatre and the sheer grandeur of the town's setting, framed by a distant Etna, more than compensate.
Trivia: DH Lawrence lived in Taormina between 1920 and 1923.

Enter the historic center via the 15th-century Porta Catania.

Have lunch on the terrace of Ristorante Al Duomo. Enjoy the local cuisine while admiring the Duomo of Taormina.
Ristorante Al Duomo is open every day from 12 to 3 pm, then from 7 to 11 pm.
Book your table in advance: +39 0942 625656

Take a bit of time to visit the battlemented Duomo di Taormina. It was originally erected in the 13th century but then substantially renovated by the Spanish in the 15th-century Renaissance style.
The tiny piazza in front has a Baroque fountain with Taormina’s symbol - a two-legged centaur with an angel’s bust.
You can visit the Duomo di Taormina for free every day between 8.30 am and 8 pm.

Badia Vecchia is the only surviving structure of a 15th-century monastery and one of the most elegant ones in the old town of Taormina. It features the town’s signature swallow-tail battlements and twin Gothic windows.
Inside, there are a few Roman town antiquities on show, including a magnificently carved coffin, with views out the windows over the roofs to the sea.
You can visit Badia Vecchia for free from Tuesday to Saturday, between 9 am and 8 pm.

Pass through the arch of the rebuilt 12th-century Torre dell'Orologio to reach Piazza IX Aprile from where you can take in the stunning views of the shore and Mount Etna.
While it may be difficult to resist the allure of a café, be warned: even for an espresso, you'll be greeted with a large bill. But if you must, choose Bar Wunderbar, formerly visited by various celebrities, such as Greta Garbo.

Continue along the Corso, keeping an eye out for Via Naumachia. It will lead you to Le Naumachie, a 122-meter-long Roman brick wall with 18 arched niches that previously supported a big water cistern and a gymnasium.

The Baroque church of Santa Caterina was built over the ruins of a tiny break theatre known as Teatro Romano, where sophisticated Romans would enjoy musical recitations.
Have a look at the odeon from outside (around the back), then enter the church to have a closer look at portions of the theatre revealed on the nave floor.
Chiesa di Santa Caterina is open daily from 9 am to 12 pm, then from 4 to 7 pm.

The 10th-century Palazzo Corvaja is beautifully decorated with black and white motifs. Furthermore, the building features Arab, Norman, and Catalan-Gothic architectural elements.
Once the residence of Queen Blanche of Navarre, today it houses the Taormina Tourism Office. If you visit the office, you will notice a stairway leading up to a great hall. That’s where the Sicilian assembly of 1410 picked a successor to the Aragonese line.
You can enter the palace between 8.30 am and 10 pm.

Teatro Antico or Teatro Greco is Taormina's most important landmark. It horseshoe-shaped theater was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC, but the majority of what remains today dates from the 1st century AD, when the Romans restored it.
The rebuilding under the Roman Empire dramatically altered its character. The installation of arches and columns obscured the otherwise unobstructed views of Etna, apparently a key reason for building the theatre here. Similarly, because Imperial Roman play was exclusively gladiatorial, the stage and lower seats were reduced in size, and a deep trench was constructed in the orchestra to accommodate the animals and warriors.
Cut out of the hillside, Teatro Greco still offers a panoramic view of southern Calabria, the Sicilian coastline, and Mount Etna - a stunning natural background for the audience enjoying concerts and festivals here during the summer months
Teatro Antico di Taormina is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm.

Get back in your car to continue the route.

Madonna della Rocca is a 17th-century church with heavenly views over Taormina and the coastline, stretching all the way to Calabria.
It’s open daily from 8.30 am to 7 pm.
Trivia: Chiesa Madonna della Rocca was built on the place where a shepherd fleeing a storm claimed to see Virgin Mary.

Enjoy dinner with a view at Al Saraceno. Savor delicious regional food paired with Sicilian wine.
Al Saraceno is open every day from 12 to 2.30 pm and from 7 to 11.30 pm.
Book your table in advance: +39 334 722 4790

After the lovely dinner at Al Saraceno, retire for the night at Suite Adalgisa. Feel free to set an alarm and wake up to watch the sunrise from your balcony tomorrow morning before returning to bed to finish your rest.