The Ancient Theatre of Taormina
A very important destination of Sicily is certainly the ancient Theater of Taormina, in the province of Messina, the location of this beautiful place is in Via del Teatro Greco, 1.
History of the Theater of Taormina.
Was built by the Greeks presumably in the third century B.C. and later modified, as it is today, with expansions and renovations by the Romans.
In fact, originally, this theater was built so that inside there were musical and dramatic performances, while in Roman times it was used for gladiator fights and naval battles. And so they had to expand the orchestra, this area was in fact used by the Greeks for the musicians, while in Roman times it was used as an arena.
The structure of the theater was linked to a small sanctuary of which today remains only the base. The theater was probably abandoned during the siege of the Vandals as the decline of the Empire followed.
In the Middle Ages both the stage and the two turris scalae were reused to build a private palace.
Description of the antique Theater of Taormina.
Was excavated in the rock and in the background you can see the Ionian Sea and the imposing Mount Etna. Its maximum diameter is about 109 meters and it is about 20 meters high, the orchestra has a diameter of 35 meters.
Then it has an auditorium that, as in ancient times, is divided into nine wedge-shaped sectors, there are eight stairs to give access to the audience.
The auditorium is then surrounded, in the highest area, with a double gallery of arches that are supported on the outside by simple pillars and inside by marble columns. At the time, the theater was built to accommodate about 10,000 spectators, today it houses 4,500 viewers.
The Theater nowadays
If you want to visit today this wonderful theater, of course you can.
But it is not only a tourist destination, the Theater of Taormina hosts many shows such as :
- operas and symphony concerts
- ballets and dramas
- the award ceremony of the David di Donatello.
Furthermore since 1983 it is also the location of show events such as “Taormina Arte” and “Taormina Film Fest“. In the ancient Theater of Taormina were also filmed some scenes of the movie “Mighty Aphrodite” by Woody Allen.