Patron saint festival In 267 days
Feast of Saint Pancras
📅 Every year, on 9 July
On 9 July Taormina celebrates Saint Pancras, its patron, in the church that bears his name, at the height of the summer season.
Goethe called it a patch of paradise, D.H. Lawrence lived here for three years, and the Grand Tour crowned it Europe's terrace: from Taormina your gaze holds the Ionian Sea and a smoking Etna in the same frame. The Ancient Theatre, founded by the Greeks in the third century BC and adapted by the Romans, has the Mediterranean's most scenographic backdrop — and in summer it is still a working stage.
Below lies Isola Bella beach and its nature reserve; above, the village of Castelmola and its almond wine. Yes, it's expensive and worldly — it has been for two centuries, and it's still worth it.
The Taormina guide
What to see 15
Teatro Antico di Taormina · Isola Bella · duomo di Taormina and 12 more
What to eat here 3
Arancino · Pasta alla Norma · Pitone messinese
Where to stay 24
24 places to stay · top rated: Villa Fiorita Boutique Hotel 9.8 · Villa Mabel Boutique Hotel 9.7
Events & festivals 1
Next up: Feast of Saint Pancras, Friday 9 July
Getting there
Nearest airport: Reggio Calabria, 40 km away
Taormina is part of 🏘️ Villages 🏖️ Seaside
Tours, tickets and experiences
Bookable on GetYourGuideExperiences in Taormina
🎉 Festivals and feasts in Taormina 1
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What to see in Taormina
Teatro Antico di Taormina Sicily's second-largest ancient theatre, with Etna framed in the gap of the Roman stage wall. 
Isola Bella A tidal island in Taormina known for its exotic flora and mid-century architecture camouflaged among the rocks 
duomo di Taormina Taormina's medieval cathedral of Saint Nicholas blends Sicilian Romanesque-Gothic style with fortress battleme 
Castello di Monte Tauro A medieval fortress set 400 meters above sea level on the ancient lower acropolis of Taormina. 
chiesa di San Pancrazio Built over an ancient Greek temple in Taormina, this Baroque church incorporates original cella stone walls. 
chiesa di Sant'Agostino A 15th-century former church and Augustinian convent in Taormina, now serving as the civic library. 🍝 The flavours of Taormina
Arancino fried rice cone stuffed with ragù, pointed like Etna
Saffron rice, ragù with peas and caciocavallo inside a golden cone-shaped crust: in Catania it is masculine and pointed, and the quarrel with Palermo over the name is serious.
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Pitone messinese fried half-moon pastry filled with escarole, tuma cheese and anchovies
A thin sheet of dough folded into a half-moon and fried, with escarole, tuma cheese, anchovies and black pepper inside: Messina’s street food, to eat hot straight from the rosticceria.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Taormina
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Taormina, but an easy day trip away.
Royal Palace of Caserta 📍 Caserta · 21 km The Bourbon palace: 1,200 rooms, 1,742 windows and three kilometres of fountains uphill. Ponte Leproso 📍 Benevento · 17 km Roman bridge over the Sabato where the Via Appia entered Benevento, rebuilt in 1712; UNESCO site. Basilica del Corpus Domini 📍 Maddaloni · 17 km Maddaloni's main church, with a high altar designed by Luigi Vanvitelli and panels by Pompeo Landolfo. basilica della Madonna delle Grazie 📍 Benevento · 17 km Neoclassical Greek-cross basilica to the patron Madonna of Benevento, with a Franciscan convent. teatro romano di Benevento 📍 Benevento · 17 km Roman theatre inaugurated under Hadrian between 125 and 128, with a 98-metre cavea; still used for shows. duomo di Benevento 📍 Benevento · 17 km Cathedral rebuilt after its destruction in 1943, keeping the Romanesque façade, bell tower and ancient crypt.