Taormina - Greek Theater

(Local Name: Teatro Greco) Taormina's most famous landmark is the Greek Theater. This description is accurate only in so far as the theater was originally built in the third century B.C. under Hiero II of Syracuse; in the second century B.C., however, under Roman rule, it was completely rebuilt with all the characteristics of a truly Roman theater, the perfectly semicircular cavea (auditorium; nine keystones, upper diameter 109m/358ft), the stage rising above the level of the orchestra and the richly articulated stage loft which is so high that its sides adjoin the top rows of seats, producing an enclosed space. The view through a gap in the wall of the loft of the surrounding countryside as far as Mount Etna appeals to young and old alike and has been the subject of thousands of books, paintings and photographs.