Greek Amphitheater in Taormina, Sicily, with snow-capped Mount Etna in the distance, is thought to originally have been built by Greeks in the 7th century BC. Romans expanded the facility in the second century AD, and it is still used extensively today for performances, like the one for which it is being set up in … Read more

At dusk in Taormina, Italy, worshipers take to the streets, carrying the particular icon of their church to the Cathedral during the Good Friday Procession. Following a brief ceremony at the Cathedral, participants once again take to the dark streets, carefully navigating the cobblestones by the light of their hand-held torches.

Good Friday flowers are strewn on a stairway in Taormina, Sicily, in preparation for the religious procession where worshipers carry icons through the streets to the Basilica Cathedral (the Duomo).

Piazza IX Aprile is so named because on April 9, 1860, during a Mass in the cathedral of Taormina, rumor spread that Garibaldi had landed at Marsala to begin the the fight for liberation from the Bourbons. Today anchored by the town’s Clock Tower and Church of San Giuseppe, it is the heart of Taormina, … Read more

The Cathedral of Taormina (the Duomo), a medieval church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, is located along Corso Umberto, the main street in Taormina. Because of its medieval construction and fortress-like appearance, the church is often called “the cathedral fortress.”