Taormina is the reason cruise ships stop at the east end of Scicily.

Like the perched villages of France(see Eze), TaorminaSicily was built at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea to help protect the village from ship born raiders. It’s an understatement to call Taormina’s setting spectacular--- a thumb of land 700 ft. above the sea overlooking a bay on one side and the Sicilian coast on the other, with steaming, snow capped Mt Etna, Europe’s tallest and most active volcano, in the background.

Originally one of the Greek settlements in Sicily, Taormina most noteworthy sight, after the setting itself, is the Greek Theater, dating back to the third century B.C. The remains of the theater, still in use today, is a Roman reconstruction of the original Greek amphitheater (the Greeks built with stone, the Romans used bricks, but note that the upper tier of seats are stone, so they are probably part of the original Greek theater). The theater, a half circle, facing inland, is 360 ft. across at the stage, with Mt Etna perfectly centered behind the stage.

After exploring the theater, we walked downhill to the attractive town garden (take the first left after you leave the theater. Bear left whenever there is a choice), with its impressive views of the coast and Mt Etna, then back to Corso Umberto, the main street. Working our way back to Corso Umberto from the downhill side of the Gardens gave us a chance to wander through some of the less heavily touristed neighborhoods, which are attractive themselves.
 
The Cathedral, at the far end of Corso Umberto from the Greek Theater, marks the end of the main street. The side streets of old Taormina were very attractive, well worth some time spent aimlessly wandering. The ruins of a medieval castle, visible uphill from all parts of Taormina, can be visited.

The modern tourist resorts are below the town on the beaches. A gondola connects old town to the beach.

Arriving by train from Messina ($26 rt for two), we took the local bus ($2, ow) to climb more than 600 feet to Taormina proper. The bus stops right in front of the station, slightly to the right. On the bus from Taormina back to the station, we had front row of seats, giving us an unobstructed view out the front window. That view of the trip down to the station is the best $2 per person we ever spent. How the bus made it around the curves in the road defies human
understanding. I would go back to Messina and Taormina just for the bus ride.

To get your bearings, the bus station is downhill from the back(top) of the theater. The Gardens are downhill behind the stage. Corso Umbetouristrto and the street going to the theater form a letter T.

Once in town, walking is the way to get around.

In many ways it is still like a number of other hill towns in Sicily; for instance there is no outstanding church, although of course the number of tourist-geared places has risen.

The only problem is where to fix the eyes, and the answer is everywhere. Etna and the surrounding mountain area fill the skyline in one direction and the immediate view straight down to the coast is as good in its way as the more panoramic coastal views which are also to be relished.

There is a lovely restored clocktower in the main street but on the whole, theater excluded, the appeal of Taormina does not depend on specific buildings.