THE GETAWAY

By Christian-Luc Parison, Editorial Director of L’Officiel Voyage

TAORMINA : A BALCONY OVERLOOKING ETNA

Perched on the slopes of Mount Taurus, with the blue of the Ionian Sea and the fumaroles of Mount Etna in the background, Taormina is undoubtedly one of the prettiest towns in Sicily. Its terraced gardens, planted with orange trees and jasmine, its mansions and churches, as well as its characteristic restaurants tucked away in its courtyards, have made it an unmissable tourist destination for almost two centuries. Goethe extolled its beauties, Wagner composed his “Parsifal” here, Tennessee Williams and Vladimir Nabokov found inspiration here, while Liz Taylor and Richard Burton took refuge here during the filming of “Cleopatra”…
In short, an inspired and inspiring destination to explore as you wander its charming, cobbled streets, watch the sun set over Mount Etna from the terraces of the ancient theatre or sample the wines of the Pietradolce estate, whose vineyards climb the slopes of the volcano…