Taormina

Taormina is Sicily's most famous, upmarket and expensive resort, and it's all (or at least mainly) down to its fabulous location high up on Monte Tauro. The town's beautiful old Greek amphitheatre provides perhaps the most impressive scenery in Sicily, with the brilliant blue sea and coastline down below and the majestic Mount Etna dominating the inland horizon. The place perfectly embodies Greek and Roman ideas of beauty, harmony and proportion and so seems to offer a true link from the modern world back to classical antiquity. Taormina is not cheap, and some would say it's a bit pretentious. Still, its beauty can't be denied.

Taormina has attracted travellers for many centuries because of its beauty, and during the last couple of hundred years or so many writers, from Goethe to D H Lawrence and beyond, have sung its praises and helped make it famous. The town still attracts artists and writers, but during the tourist season, it is so crowded that it is hard to distinguish the different categories of visitors. One thing they all have in common though, is that they are fairly well off, as Taormina is both exclusive and expensive.

Taormina is situated on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily, some 55km (34 miles) north of Catania and 52km (31 miles) south of Messina. Beach resort Giardini-Naxos is just a few kilometres away to the south.

Taormina has a majestic position high up on a hill that overlooks two wide bays, one to the south leading to Giardini-Naxos and the other facing eastwards, in the direction of the Italian mainland. A steep climb downhill is required in order to visit any of the beaches in the area.

There are two sets of beaches near Taormina. The nearest are the pebble beaches of Mazzarò, which are located just below Taormina and can be reach by cable car. The southernmost of these is the most crowded. Isola Bella, a popular islet, is located between the beaches. The area has several coves and grottoes that can be explored. A few miles further south, in Giardini-Naxos, there are long, sandy beaches that are more conducive to swimming.

Taormina has plenty of attractions, but by far the most impressive is the old Teatro Greco (which is more Roman than Greek in appearance owing to a Roman first-century redesign). The views from there are absolutely magnificent - with the sea and the beautiful coastline on the left of the horizon and Mount Etna, with its still active volcano, towering up in the landscape to the right. The amphitheatre is also the site of an international film festival and several theatre productions every summer. Other things worth seeing include the Palazzo Corvaja, a building of Arabic origin which today houses the tourist office and a museum of local folklore; an impressive 12th-century clock-tower on Piazza IX Aprile; and the public gardens, which were created by Florence Trevelyan, a Scottish woman who settled in Taormina in 1899.

Mazzarò and Isola Bella by the sea right below Taormina are excellent for kids, as there are coves and grottoes to explore and pedal boats for hire with which to do so. All kinds of watersports are on offer as well - from wind surfing and scuba diving to fishing. For swimming and playing on the beach, Giardini-Naxos is the best choice.

The pedestrianised Corso Umberto can feel a bit like an upmarket, open-air shopping mall, lined as it is with Italian fashion shops and art galleries interspersed by gift shops and outlets selling trendy sunglasses and swimwear. Compared to cities in Northern Italy, prices aren't too bad, but they are higher than in many other Sicilian towns. The big Italian chains are here, but there are also many local shops selling typically Sicilian products such as ceramics.

There are loads of bars and cafes and other places to have a drink in Taormina, and there are some good night clubs as well. Generally, the scene is quite civilized - no Ibiza-style rave parties here. Still, things get lively enough at the local clubs and discos, and the music tends to be very loud. Time Out, Via San Pancrazio 19, is a really nice Irish pub with live music most evenings.

There are plenty of restaurants in Taormina. The standard is generally good, although in many cases unexceptional, particularly considering the rather high prices (it is worth noting, however, that most places have inexpensive tourist menus). The best restaurant is Casa Grugno near the cathedral. Housed in a 16th-century building it offers a modernised and highly exciting version of traditional Sicilian cuisine.

The bus service in an around Taormina is rather good. There are frequent departures to and from Messina and Catania (including the airport), and within Taormina there are quite frequent services as well, which is a blessing, since nearly all the routes leading to the centre of town are very steep. A cable car provides transport between the town and Mazzarò down by the sea. The train station, one of Italy's prettiest with art nouveau elements, is also located by the sea, way below the town. All trains running between Messina and Syracuse stop here, including many coming from the mainland. For trips inland from Taormina, for example to Mount Etna, it is a good idea to hire a car or a scooter.

In peak season it is hard to find parking spaces. Your best bet is the Lumbi car park, from where a minibus service will take you to the centre of town, or all the way down at Mazzarò car park, which is located next to the cable car going up to Taormina.

The lava-clad, sulphurous upper slopes of Mount Etna are worth exploring. To save time and energy it is a good idea to book a whole-day trip with one of the tour operators in Taormina. 4x4 minibuses take you high up to some of the craters (although not to the main one on top). More urban explorations include Messina to the north and Catania to the south. The former is undoubtedly the prettiest of the two, but Catania is arguably more interesting, with plenty of history traceable in its streets and buildings. It also has Sicily's busiest market and a good number of excellent restaurants serving traditional, local dishes.

Stay a night at San Domenico Palace Hotel on Piazza San Domenico. Built on the site of a 15th-century monastery, the hotel is one of the finest in Italy, offering opulence and luxury within a refined and classic context. Facilities include a superb restaurant, a piano bar and a heated pool with a wonderful view of Mount Etna and the bay below.

Catania Airport (CTA)