Experiences in and around Taormina

What to do in and around Taormina: history, fashion, shows, striking views of the Ionian Sea.
Palazzo Vecchio Taormina

The 5-star boutique hotel Palazzo Vecchio will reccomend what to do in and around Taormina during your stay, with exclusive tours through an area of timeless charm like Sicily.

Ancient villages rich in history, art, and culture have inspired famous films and TV series, localities touched by the 18th-century European Grand Tour, timeless destinations of modern worldliness, and romantic glimpses of a sea with depths to explore. The majestic profile of Mount Etna fuels the territory with legends and food and wine traditions appreciated all over the world.

Whatever the experience you choose, the staff of Palazzo Vecchio Taormina will be at your disposal to enrich it with unique services, allowing you to explore local destinations in the utmost comfort.

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Romantic Ape Calesse tour from Palazzo Vecchio: a charming Sicilian experience in the coolest areas of Taormina

Taormina on Ape Calesse

The 5-star boutique hotel Palazzo Vecchio invites you to discover Taormina from a new perspective, aboard an APE Calesse. This quaint, vintage-looking three-wheeled vehicle represents one of the icons of Sicily.

The APE Calesse will transport you on a romantic and fun journey through the coolest streets of Taormina, to follow the steps of national and international personalities from the world of culture and entertainment who have traveled them and been inspired by the magical atmosphere of the village. From David Herbert Lawrence author of the novel "Lady Chatterlay's Lover" to the "Divine" Greta Garbo, a film diva of the 1930s, from the bohemian writer Oscar Wilde to the photographer Wilhelm Von Gloeden, famous for his photographs with an Arcadian flavor, to Roberto Benigni and Carlo Verdone, contemporary actors of Italian cinema, appreciated worldwide. Many illustrious names have fallen under the spell of Taormina.

During the Ape Calesse tour of Palazzo Vecchio, you will discover some anecdotes about their stay in town and the main places that preserve memories of their passage. The two-hour tour will include among its stops: Casa Cuseni, the Sicilian home of the English painter Kitson with its marvelous gardens and its view of the sea and Mount Etna; the old casino, the only one in Sicily until its closure in 1965; and Villa Caronia with its dense Mediterranean scrub vegetation and an enchanting viewpoint over the bay of Giardini Naxos. The route will end with a stop at a panoramic area on Isola Bella.

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4x4 Jeep excursions to Europe's highest active volcano

Etna Jeep tour

The Etna Jeep Tour, organized by Palazzo Vecchio Taormina, will take you on a fascinating journey to discover the mysteries of Europe's highest volcano.
Leaving from the Palazzo Vecchio Hotel in a 4x4 vehicle, an expert guide will take you up to an altitude of 3,000 meters to discover lava caves and craters in an impervious but evocative environment where endemic flora and fauna have evolved uniquely, adapting to even the most extreme living conditions.
Upon request, the tour can be accompanied by tastings of fine local food and wine products in one of the renowned wineries along Etna's slopes.

Etna DOC wine tastings and evocative walks on the slopes of the volcano

Etna walk and wine

The Etna territory boasts a rich and renowned winemaking tradition appreciated all over the world, which you can discover with Palazzo Vecchio Taormina's "Etna walk and wine" tour.

A private vehicle will take you up to the slopes of the UNESCO World Heritage volcano, where, thanks to the importation of the Greeks in the seventh century, then passing through the Romans, wine excellence has been cultivated for millennia according to family traditions. Through a walk among the vines, you will be able to try renowned types of Etna DOC wines, such as Nerello Mascalese with its spicy notes, Nerello Cappuccio with its aroma of white flowers, Minella, with hints of white-fleshed fruit and Catarratto with its citrus flavor.
Each of these wines tells a characteristic of the slope you are visiting. You will explore wineries with a long history in wine production, guided by an expert winemaker and accompanied by a light lunch with fresh, 0-kilometer products.

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Wine tour aboard a FIAT 500 from Palazzo Vecchio Taormina

The "Dolce Vita" among wineries and vineyards of Etna

The 5-star boutique hotel Palazzo Vecchio Taormina takes you to discover the "Wine Roads" on the Etna territory, aboard a FIAT 500, an icon of the Italian "Dolce Vita" with a charming vintage look.

The half-day tour, for a maximum of two people, is a romantic and evocative experience that will take you to Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slope of the volcano, where two of Etna's DOC wines are produced in historic vineyards: the Nerello Mascalese, with fruity and spicy aromas and a rich and persistent flavor, and the Carricante, fresh and rich with floral notes.

The winery tastings will be paired with a light lunch made with local products. You will continue by visiting the ancient castle of Lauria, with architecture from the Norman-Swabian period. From here you will be able to admire the splendid views of the Alcantara Valley with its Gurne, natural pools created by the erosion of the Alcantara River, immersed in dense native vegetation. The experience is recommended for curious couples about the history of the area, starting with its typical flavors.

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Tour of the most beautiful Greek colony in Sicily

Visit Syracuse with the Palazzo Vecchio Taormina tour

Palazzo Vecchio Taormina takes you on a tour to discover Syracuse, the most important and most beautiful Greek colony in Sicily, according to Cicero, home of Archimedes and the site of the oldest Greek Theater in the West.

Its unique historic center is developed on the islet of Ortigia, where it is possible to recognize significant traces of its Greek past in the Arethusa Spring, a small lake where the only papyrus specimens in Europe grow, and in the Temple of Apollo.
On the island, it is also possible to admire some examples of medieval and Renaissance palaces, such as Palazzo Bellomo and Palazzo Migliaccio, as well as more recent Baroque-style buildings such as the Cathedral, built on the remains of a 5th-century B.C.E. Doric temple, and Palazzo del Vermexio, whose facade is made of the typical white or beige stone of the Iblei.

The historic center is also the area where the city's evening movida takes place, with pubs and lounge bars enlivening its alleys until late at night, and from where it is possible to access the small beach of Cala Rossa, for unforgettable sunsets over the small bay.

Discovering Noto with the most romantic sunsets in Sicily

The Baroque of Noto

Palazzo Vecchio Taormina invites you to discover Noto, the Capital of Sicilian Baroque UNESCO World Heritage, just a few kilometers from Syracuse. The city, destroyed by a terrible earthquake in 1693, has been rebuilt in an enchanting Baroque style, characterized by the typical local honey-colored stone, which with the lights of sunset makes the facades of the churches and ancient noble palaces of the city shine. A spectacle that becomes more romantic when admired from the panoramic terrace of the former convent of the Clarisse.
In Noto, Baroque finds its greatest expression both in the richly decorated places of worship, such as the Cathedral of San Nicolò, and in the public buildings with wrought-iron balconies supported by grotesque figures carved in stone, as in the elegant example offered by Palazzo Nicolaci.

A spectacle that becomes even more picturesque on the occasion of the traditional infiorata, celebrated every year on the third Sunday in May.

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A dive into the authentic charms and traditions of Catania's Piscaria

Catania and its fishmarket

Catania is a multifaceted city built on Mount Etna’s feet. You can discover it leaving from Palazzo Vecchio, a 5-star boutique hotel in Taormina.
In the streets of Catania, vibrant with life until late at night, you will encounter art and Baroque architecture characterized by the typical dark gray color of the lava stone, tracing the city's multiethnic history. You can also taste food and wine products influenced by this mixture of cultures and the proximity of the volcano.

Passing through the alleys of its historic center, a few meters from the Baroque cathedral and the black basalt Elephant fountain, also called "U Liotru" in the local dialect, you will reach "A Piscaria," the city's ancient fish market that stands under the walls of the Palazzo dei Chierici.
"A Piscaria" of Catania has maintained its ancient Arab souk appearance and the authenticity of typical Sicilian smells, tastes, and sounds over the centuries.
On the stalls, every morning fresh fish is displayed, but also local fruits and vegetables. Moreover, it is possible to taste Sicilian street food delicacies amidst the hubbub and folkloric tales of the vendors.

A plunge into Sicily's richest Greek acropolis: a tour of Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples from Palazzo Vecchio

Agrigento and its Valle dei Templi

For those who love classical history and culture, Palazzo Vecchio Taormina suggests its tour of Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, the most extensive and richest archaeological site of classical Greek civilization in the world. Its uniqueness earned its inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The area covers the plateau corresponding to ancient Akragas, described by the Greek poet Pindar as the most beautiful among the cities of mortals.

The remains of ancient Doric temples are preserved here, such as the Temple of the Goddess Concordia, the best preserved in the world along with the Parthenon and in front of which one can admire the majestic sculpture of the fallen Icarus by contemporary artist Igor Mitoray, Or the Temple of Zeus Olympius, one of the grandest in antiquity, as can be deduced from the proportions of its Atlases, the stone giants that held up its entablatures and enchanted even Goethe.
Other evidence of the ancient Greek civilization is collected in the site's in-house Archaeological Museum, which houses more than 5,000 artifacts and tells the story of the area from prehistoric times to Greco-Roman times.

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Discover the tradition of Majolica and the Mosaics Villa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Caltagirone and Piazza Armerina

The Caltagirone and Piazza Armerina tour will take you from Palazzo Vecchio Taormina to discover two of Sicily's inland UNESCO World Heritage treasures, aboard a private Mercedes Benz transfer.
Caltagirone's worldwide fame is due to its ceramics, probably of Arab influence, which adorn the city's landmarks with their characteristic yellow, blue, and green colors and geometric or floral shapes. One example is the scenic staircase of the Baroque Church of Santa Maria del Monte, adorned with Caltagirone-style majolica made by local artisans, whose beauty is enhanced every year at the end of July during the traditional Infiorata.

A few kilometers from Caltagirone, Piazza Armerina preserves a supreme example of an ancient Roman aristocratic villa, famous for the rich polychrome, figurative, and geometric mosaics, perfectly preserved, that decorate its floors for more than 3,500 square meters. Scenes of daily life and the hunting of exotic animals used in venationes or exhibited in private zoos. The most famous representations are "The Girls in Bikinis" in the Sala dell'Otium, young women intent on the play, in skimpy outfits reminiscent of modern swimsuits.

Visit the iconic villages of Francis Ford Coppola's saga

"The Godfather" tour

For cine-tourism enthusiasts, Palazzo Vecchio Taormina boutique hotel recommends the "Godfather Tour" to discover the most iconic places in the towns of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò, made world-famous by Francis Ford Coppola's saga.

On board a Mercedes Benz with a private driver you will travel along the Ionian coast that connects Taormina to Savoca, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. During the first stop, you will taste Bar Vitelli's famous lemon granitas with Zibibbo, counted among the best in Sicily, to be accompanied by the typical cookie "A zuccarata." The exteriors of the 18th-century building that houses the bar, in Coppola's cult, are the backdrop for some scenes of the love story between Mike Corleone and Apollonia, daughter of the bar's owner.
After this refreshing break, you will visit the 13th-century Church of San Nicolò where the wedding between the two protagonists of the film is set.

The tour will continue to the nearby medieval village of Forza d'Agrò, a true concentration of authentic Sicilian beauty, with its lookout over Mount Etna and the Ionian coast, its olive and almond groves, ravines, and winding streets. Its streets fascinated Coppola, who filmed here the scene of young Vito Corleone's nighttime escape on a donkey. To give the experience a retro touch you can conduct the tour independently by renting a FIAT 500.

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Palazzo Vecchio Taormina

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TAO Lifestyle S.r.l. | P. IVA 03726250834

Salita Ciampoli, 9
98039 Taormina ME, Sicily, Italy
info@palazzovecchiotaormina.it
(+39) 0942 892996

Photo credit: Tyson Sadlo | tysonsadlo.com

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