July 2023
Visiting Teatro Antico di Taormina – Taormina, Sicily
Teatro Antico di Taormina is one of the famous attractions in Taormina, perched high into the sky and the cliff for a truly unique destination. The teatro was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC for drama use, then rebuilt by Romans for games and contests. The teatro is still used today for shows and entertainment – what an incredible piece of history. It sits higher on the cliffs and also boasts stunning views all around the perimeter.
Summer time in Taormina can be crowded to say the least and when we tried visiting the teatro earlier in the day, it was way too crowded and we did not want to waste time standing in line. It was our luck that for two nights the teatro was open to the public much later than normal. We took advantage and visited later in the evening when the crowds were far lower. Typically during this time of year the teatro is open until 7PM but for tonight and tomorrow night it was open until 11PM. When we passed by this line earlier in the day, it was mobbed and when we arrived at 830PM, there was little wait to purchase tickets. Tickets cost 13.50 euro a person for entrance.
We walked all the way to the top of the teatro and while we were taking in the view of the structure, we noticed there was a stage rehearsal of an opera – how cool to get to watch this?!
Since the sun was setting, I wanted to see some of the views from the teatro before sitting down to watch the opera play out. From the teatro, you are able to get a panoramic view of the around surrounding Taormina – all the way up the coastline, the beaches and Isola Bella below, and Mt Etna.
It was here we noticed that Mt Etna was actually smoking and we were mistaking it for clouds. We learned later in the trip that gas is a good thing from the volcano – means that there is water being released and settles down the “tummy” of the volcano. With the sun setting, it made for some beautiful photos.
We sat and watched the rest of the practice performance of the opera before making our way back to the Airbnb.
The fact that the teatro was basically empty during our visit I imagine is a popular spot that gets very crowded with tourists. What an amazing first couple hours in Taormina! Make sure to visit the Teatro Antico di Taormina when visiting Taormina. If you are lucky enough to be visiting when the teatro is open later into the evening, this is the most magical place for sunset.
