Taormina has been a resort since the 19th century Grand Tour — Goethe wrote about it, D.H. Lawrence lived there, and since 1980 it's been branded as Sicily's luxury destination. Siracusa (Syracuse) was founded by Corinthian Greeks in 734 BC, was the largest city in the ancient world for a period, staged the world première of Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, and is the birthplace of Archimedes. The comparison is not fair to Taormina but is honest about what each city actually is.
Read the guide →Taormina (population 11,000) sits on a cliff at 250m above the Ionian Sea — the Greek theatre (3rd century BC, rebuilt by the Romans, seating 5,400), Etna visible as backdrop on clear days, and a perfectly preserved medieval corso (Via Teatro Greco, the main pedestrian street) that has been commercially optimised for 150 years of international tourism. The town is physically beautiful and the view from the Teatro Greco (€15, including the Antiquarium archaeological collection) is the most frequently photographed Sicilian image. The practical reality of visiting in July–August: 10,000+ daily visitors on a medieval street 5 metres wide, prices 40–60% above Sicilian average, hotel rooms at €200–500 that would cost €80–200 anywhere else in Sicily. The specific Taormina experiences that justify the premium: the Teatro Greco at opening time (8am, before the tour buses), the Isola Bella (the small nature reserve island connected to the main beach by a gravel sandbar, accessible by cable car from the town centre or by boat from the beach — beautiful, ecologically significant, genuinely worth seeing), and the Taormina Film Festival (the Italian-language film festival that has run since 1955 and uses the Teatro Greco as its outdoor screening venue in June–July).
Siracusa (Syracuse, population 120,000) was founded by Corinthian Greek colonists in 734 BC — among the first generation of Greek colonial settlements in Sicily (the Sicilian Greeks called their territory Magna Graecia, Greater Greece). By the 5th century BC, Siracusa was arguably the most powerful city in the western Mediterranean — larger than Athens, wealthier than Carthage, and the site of the most dramatic military episode of the Peloponnesian War (the Athenian expeditionary force of 415–413 BC, described in Thucydides, which was completely destroyed in the Siracusa harbour, ending Athens's western ambitions and beginning the decline of Athenian power). Archimedes of Siracusa (c.287–212 BC) — mathematician, physicist, engineer, and the inventor of the Archimedean screw — was born, worked, and was killed here during the Roman sack (212 BC). The Roman soldier who killed him, according to tradition, found him working on a mathematical problem in the sand and killed him when he refused to stop working.
The specific Siracusa experiences: the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (€15, Via Paradiso — the Greek theatre, the Roman amphitheatre, the Ear of Dionysius, and the stone quarries where 7,000 Athenian prisoners were imprisoned after 413 BC; the INDA drama festival uses the Greek theatre each May–June). Ortigia (the original island city, connected to the mainland by two bridges — the most completely preserved ancient Greek urban island in the Mediterranean, with the Piazza del Duomo built directly on top of the foundations of the Athena temple, its columns visible inside the cathedral walls). The Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi (€12, Viale Teocrito — the finest prehistoric and ancient Greek collection in Sicily).
Historical significance: Siracusa is incomparably more historically significant — one of the founding cities of Western civilisation, the site of Archimedes, the location of history-changing military events (the destruction of the Athenian fleet, which Thucydides considered the most significant military event of the 5th century BC). Taormina is a beautiful resort with a genuine Greek theatre. There is no comparison. Tourism experience: Taormina is more immediately photogenic, more accessible, and more organised as a tourist destination. Siracusa requires more context and more time but rewards it far more richly. Prices: Taormina is 40–60% more expensive for accommodation and food. A comparable hotel room costs €90 in Ortigia and €250 in Taormina in August. Combining both: Siracusa and Taormina are 90km apart — 1.5 hours by car, 2 hours by train (regional, with a change at Catania). A week in southeastern Sicily with a base in Siracusa and a day trip to Taormina is the most intelligent structure for a first Sicily visit.
For historical depth and intellectual substance: Siracusa — the Parco Archeologico, the Ortigia island medieval city, the Archimedes heritage, and the INDA Greek drama festival (May–June) represent one of the most historically significant visitor destinations in Italy. For immediate visual beauty and resort infrastructure: Taormina — the Teatro Greco view, the Isola Bella, and the Etna backdrop are among the most spectacular in Sicily. For budget: Siracusa is 40–60% cheaper than Taormina. The optimal Sicily itinerary: base in Siracusa for 3 days (Parco Archeologico, Ortigia, Museo Orsi), with a day trip to Taormina on day 4 (90km, 1.5 hours — Teatro Greco at opening time, Isola Bella, evening return).
Ortigia is the island nucleus of ancient and medieval Siracusa — a small island (approximately 750m × 500m) connected to the Siracusa mainland by two bridges, containing the most intact ancient Greek urban fabric of any Mediterranean city. The Piazza del Duomo is built on the foundations of a 5th-century BC Doric temple to Athena — the original columns are visible inside the current cathedral walls (the temple was converted to a cathedral in the 7th century AD, the most complete example of this Greek-to-Christian architectural conversion in Italy). The Fonte Aretusa (the freshwater spring on the Ortigia waterfront, where papyrus grows in Italy's only natural papyrus plant colony outside Egypt — the plant was introduced by the Arabs in the 9th century) is a genuinely extraordinary sight. Ortigia in the early morning (7–9am, before the day-trip coaches): empty stone streets, the cathedral facade in the first direct light, the Fonte Aretusa with its papyrus, and the Ionian Sea visible from the Lungomare waterfront.
Day 1 (Siracusa arrival): Fly into Catania (CTA), 50 minutes south to Siracusa. Check into Ortigia accommodation. Evening walk of Ortigia — Piazza del Duomo, Lungomare Alfeo, Fonte Aretusa.
Day 2 (Siracusa Parco Archeologico): Morning: Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (€15, 9am open — Greek theatre, Ear of Dionysius, Latomie gardens). Afternoon: Museo Orsi (€12). Evening: Ortigia waterfront restaurants.
Day 3 (Noto and surroundings): Noto (35km, 45 minutes — the UNESCO baroque capital, the most completely preserved baroque city in Sicily). May: the Infiorata flower festival. Return via Avola for almond products.
Day 4 (Taormina day trip): Drive to Taormina (90km, 1.5 hours). Teatro Greco at 9am. Isola Bella cable car. Lunch on Corso Umberto. Return to Siracusa evening.
Day 5 (Ragusa and Modica): The two other Val di Noto UNESCO baroque cities — Ragusa Ibla (the lower baroque city, 35km from Siracusa) and Modica (the chocolate city, 15km from Ragusa).
The Ear of Dionysius (Orecchio di Dionisio) is a 23-metre-high artificial cave at the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis in Siracusa — an S-shaped limestone quarry cut in the 5th century BC, with extraordinary acoustic properties (a whisper at the base of the cave is amplified and audible at the top). The name was given by the painter Caravaggio during his 1608–1609 visit to Siracusa — he suggested (fancifully) that the cave was used by the tyrant Dionysius I of Siracusa to listen to the whispered conversations of prisoners held in the quarries below. The acoustic properties are genuine; the Dionysius legend is picturesque but historically undocumented. Entry included in the Parco Archeologico ticket (€15). Related: Sicily in May guide, Sicily island guide.
Siracusa Parco Archeologico advance booking, INDA Greek drama festival tickets, Taormina Teatro Greco early-morning access, and the one-week Catania-base circuit.
La Redazione di TourLeaderPro.comItalian wine classification uses a hierarchical system that is complex but logical once the logic is understood:
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica): The broadest category — wine produced in a specific geographical area without compliance with the specific production rules of a DOC or DOCG. The IGT category contains some of Italy's finest wines: the Super Tuscans (Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello — wines that use Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Tuscany, not permitted by Chianti Classico DOCG regulations, and therefore classified as IGT Toscana despite selling for €100–400+ per bottle). DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata): Wines produced in a specific zone from specific grape varieties using regulated winemaking methods. Italy has approximately 340 DOCs. The regulations cover: the grape varieties (the blend percentages), the maximum yield per hectare (limiting production to concentrate flavour), the minimum ageing requirements, and the specific geographical boundary of the production zone. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita): The highest classification, with stricter production rules than DOC and government tasting panel approval required for each vintage. Italy has 77 DOCGs including Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Amarone della Valpolicella, Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (the "official" Prosecco DOCG), and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The Super Tuscans paradox: Sassicaia (Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri) — the first Super Tuscan, produced since 1944, using Cabernet Sauvignon on the Tuscan coast — was classified as IGT Toscana for decades because the Bolgheri DOC didn't exist. In 1994, the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC was created specifically to accommodate this single wine — the only DOC in Italy named after one producer's wine.
Italy's most important wines by category: Barolo DOCG (Piedmont — the "King of Italian wines," from the Nebbiolo grape in the Langhe hills, minimum 38 months ageing, production zones La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, Monforte d'Alba); Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (Tuscany — Sangiovese Grosso (locally called Brunello) from the hill above Montalcino, minimum 5 years ageing including 2 years in oak, the highest minimum ageing requirement of any Italian DOCG); Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG (Veneto — made from partially dried Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes, the most labour-intensive Italian wine production method, 15–17% alcohol); and the Super Tuscans (IGT Toscana despite premium pricing — Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello, Masseto).
The Slow Food movement (founded in Bra, Piedmont, in 1989 by Carlo Petrini) maintains a register of endangered traditional food products (Presìdi Slow Food — Slow Food Presidia) — approximately 600 Italian products whose production has declined to the point where institutional support is required for survival:
Mosciame del Tonno (Tuna Bresaola, Liguria): The dried tuna fillet — a preservation technique that dates to the Arab trading presence in Liguria (8th–9th centuries), producing a product similar to beef bresaola but made from tuna. The Mosciame was historically the Ligurian equivalent of cured ham — a portable, high-protein, flavour-dense food for sailors and fishermen. Now produced by approximately 5 Ligurian producers from locally caught bluefin tuna (Atlantic bluefin, Thunnus thynnus). Available at specialist delicatessens in Genoa (Salumeria Breschi, Via San Bernardo 54). Parmigiano Reggiano delle Vacche Rosse (Reggiana Cow Parmigiano): Standard Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from the milk of Holstein-Friesian cows (the large black-and-white dairy breed). The Parmigiano delle Vacche Rosse uses the milk of the Reggiana breed (the original Emilian cow, nearly extinct by 1985, now supported by the Presìdi Slow Food programme) — producing a cheese with higher fat content, more complex flavour, and significantly lower production volume (approximately 50 wheels per year from certified producers). Available at the Mercato di Mezzo in Bologna or from the consorzio at vacherosse.it. Focaccia col Formaggio di Recco (Ligurian Cheese-Filled Flatbread): The specific product of Recco (18km east of Genoa) — a paper-thin unleavened dough enclosing a layer of Stracchino (the fresh Ligurian cheese) and baked in a wood-fired oven until crispy and bubbling. The IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) for Focaccia di Recco col Formaggio covers only the specific Recco municipality. The 7 officially certified producers in Recco are the only legitimate sources; the versions sold elsewhere in Liguria and Italy are approximations. Available fresh at Il Fornaio di Recco (Via Assereto 13, Recco, open from 9am, eat immediately from the paper bag).
The Slow Food movement was founded in Bra (Cuneo province, Piedmont) in 1989 by Carlo Petrini as a response to the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome — a specific act of culinary counter-programming that grew into an international organisation with approximately 100,000 members in 160 countries. Slow Food's Italian activities include: the Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre food fair in Turin (even years, October — the largest artisan food fair in the world, 100,000+ visitors, slowfood.it); the Osteria d'Italia guide (the most authoritative restaurant guide for traditional Italian regional cooking, published annually); and the Presìdi Slow Food programme (the 600 endangered traditional Italian food products supported by consumer advocacy and producer technical assistance). The Slow Food philosophy has produced the most systematic documentation of Italian regional food heritage available anywhere.