Taormina at Dawn – Serene & Beautiful – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 2

This post is the continuation of a recently started series about our travels to the eastern part of the Italian island of Sicily in the European spring of 2025. We had started off in the resort town of Taormina, where we had spent our first half a day just walking around the old town ( First impressions of Taormina – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 1 ).

We had quickly realised that Taormina like most of the extremely popular places in Europe would be best enjoyed early in the morning or late in the evening. The middle of the day was best spent either hiking above or below Taormina or simply resting our legs in the room as it would be chock a block with day trippers from cruises & people based in the city of Catania where we had flown into. In addition to that we were in Taormina on May 1st which is an holiday in Italy (and most of Europe) that would make old town Taormina even more crowded.

The only way we would get photos of the beautiful squares and streets of Taormina without the crowds was getting up early in the morning and going out before most of the tourists were up. We got up at 5 am in the morning on the first day and got ready and started our walk around Taormina just before 6 am. Lo and behold we were the only ones walking around!

The better half poses with chairs matching her jacket on the streets of Taormina

We reached Corso Umberto the main pedestrian street of Taormina to find it completely deserted. Let me emphasise here that we were out and about at dawn all 3 days we were in Taormina and even though we were the only tourists around we never felt unsafe. We also had city workers for company on the latter half of our morning walk with whom we always exchanged a quick “Buon Giorno” and a nod before resuming our walk through the town they helped keep clean.

Corso Umberto the main pedestrian street of Taormina  feels deserted at 6 am

We reached the beautiful Piazza IX Aprile that would be full of people in a few hours and were the only people crossing its chessboard pattern at that time. The sky was clear had beautiful colours at that time. The volcano as the backdrop and that patterned square and Porta di Mezzo ( Gate with the Clock tower ) with the soft light of dawn made for a great photo. We walked on the square to the benches and enjoyed the view for a while, it was a beautiful morning in a extremely picturesque town.

Piazza IX Aprile on a beautiful spring morning

We then took more photos of the beautiful buildings all around and used the small tripod that we usually carry nowadays to take photos of ourselves on the square and with the famed volcano in the background before resuming our walk.

The better half takes videos of the beautiful square

The sun starts to shine on the Sicilian coastline

Using the mini tripod to take a photo of ourselves

The beautiful colours of the sky at dawn in Taormina

No walk in Taormina is complete without a selfie with Mt Etna

We then started towards the Piazza Duomo which has the fortress like small Cathedral we had been inside the previous evening. We passed through the Porta di Mezzo , the tower gate with the clock, which has a beautiful mosaic of “Madonna with Child” on the inside. We had been unable to take photos of it due to the sheer number of people passing through the streets. That was not a problem early in the morning and we took a photo of the beautiful mosaic before moving on.

The passage under the Porta di Mezzo with the beautiful mosaic

The Madonna with Child mosaic under the Porta di Mezzo

We reached the Piazza Duomo and walked around the square taking photos of the petite cathedral and the Spanish fountain from all possible angles. It always feels like a privilege to have these beautiful squares in Europe all to ourselves during these early morning walks that are a norm now in all the cities and towns that we visit & the first thing I recommend to people on their European vacations.

The Duomo of Taormina on a early morning walk through old town

The fortresslike Duomo of Taormina

The Spanish fountain on the Piazza Duomo in Taormina

The sun starts shining on the Spanish fountain early in the morning

A pigeon photobombs our selfie with the Duomo of Taormina

Using the mini tripod again at the Piazza Duomo in Taormina

We then completed our walk out of the Porta Catania at the far end of town stopping to explore and take photos in the side lanes that went either way from Corso Umberto.

The pretty little side lanes up & down the hill from Corso Umberto in Taormina

The better half poses with the Porta Catania as the sun shines through the gate

We then went to the small park outside the gate which had great views over the coastline and the omnipresent Mt Etna. We enjoyed the views for a while from a bench at this unnamed park which had quickly become a favourite of ours before retracing our steps back.

At the small park outside Porta Catania with great views over the coastline & Mt Etna

The small square outside Porta Catania early in the morning

The sun starts shining brightly on our way back

Piazza IX Aprile now bathed in sunlight

Couldn’t resist another selfie at Piazza IX Aprile

At the Corso Umberto on our first morning walk through Taormina

We returned to the B & B Evelyne where a delicious breakfast was awaiting us after our mornings exertions. We would enjoy our breakfast on the terrace of the B & B and then proceed for our days sightseeing with a satisfied tummy ( More on that in a later post ).

Enjoying our breakfast on the terrace at the B & B Evelyne in Taormina

Even though we had gotten to see Taormina at its emptiest I still wanted to see all those pretty squares lit up. With the long weekend coming up Taormina would be partying well into the night and that ruled out walking around at night. So we would get up even earlier and step out well before sunrise to see the squares and streets all lit up and without the associated crowds of night. We would also go to the Porta Messina where we had entered the town the first day having run out of time on our first morning walk.

Since I have already described the locations I would just let the photos do the talking here. All I have to say is waking up at that early hour was fully worth it. I will just add on to the places where we didn’t venture on the first time.

The pretty lanes leading away from our B &B Evelyne early in the morning

The remains of a Roman wall – the Naumachia the Taormina

Corso Umberto is even prettier all lit up

Even the side lanes have a different aura with the lights on

Approaching Piazza IX Aprile with the lights on – the time is on the clock tower!

The lit up coastline and Catania in the distance

Piazza IX Aprile all lit up and pretty

Piazza IX Aprile with the sun slowly rising in the background

The passage under the Porta di Mezzo

The other side of Porta di Mezzo

Corso Umberto is best walked early in the morning

The Piazza Duomo with the lights on early in the morning

We took detour here to see the famous San Domenico Palace hotel which is an old historic hotel in Taormina made famous recently by the series ” White Lotus” that was filmed there. Not having watched the series I had no perspective about it from that angle but it was a photogenic locale all the same.

The small church of St Micheal with Etna in the background

The San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina

The picturesque location of the San Domenico Palace hotel

Happy us with the San Domenico Palace hotel in the background

We then went to the Palazzo deli Duchi Santo Stefano ( Palace of the Dukes of Santo Stefano) which is a palace from the 14th &15th century now taken over by the municipality of Taormina. We didn’t visit the interiors during our visit but just took photos from the outside.

The Palazzo dei Duchi Santo Stefano in Taormina

With the Palazzo Dei Duchi Santo Stefano

The town hall in Taormina on the left

Outside the Porta Catania in Taormina

The better half takes photos of the typical Sicilian balconies along Corso Umberto

My interest was piqued by these handmade toy vehicles

We also went to the other side of Corso Umberto towards the Porta Messina stopping at the square just before the gate which has the Church of St Catherine and the Palazzo Corvajo.

The Chiesa di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria

The Palazzo Corvaja on the right as the better half photographs the church

We then passed through the last stretch of the Corso Umberto which is usually swamped with groups later in the day and crossed out of the old town through the Porta Messina.

The last stretch of Corso Umberto leading to Porta Messina

Outside the Porta Messina with not a tour group in sight early morning

We then went back to the B & B with a short detour to the Via Cappuccini which is capped by the Church of St Anthony of Padova. I wanted to see the route before we returned there later that day on our way back from the village of Castelmola which we planned to visit that day. ( More on that in a later post)

Via Cappuccini with the Church of St Anthony of Padova at the end

At the end of our second morning walk through Taormina

The Instagram sensation Bam Bar deserted early in the morning

We would visit the famous Greek Theatre in Taormina as well as the pretty little island of Isola Bella later on our first full day in Taormina. That is topic for another post some other time, some other day. I wanted to write specially about our morning walks through the beautiful town which we enjoyed more than anything else in Taormina.

Till next time,

Ciao!

PS – This post might feel a bit repetitive and disjointed but I couldn’t think of any other way I could have done it. Apologies for the same.