This post is the continuation of a series documenting our travels to the Eastern part of the Italian island of Sicily in the European Spring of 2025. We were based in Taormina for the first 3 days of our trip when we had enjoyed peaceful walks around the Old town early in the morning ( Taormina at Dawn – Serene & Beautiful – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 2 ) and seen the most important historic site of Taormina – The Teatro Antico as well as gone down to the coast to see the beautiful island of Isola Bella ( Teatro Antico & Isola Bella, an eventful morning in Taormina – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 3 ).
We were in Taormina on the Labour Day Holiday weekend which meant that the already popular resort town would be uncomfortably crowded. We are not fans of being crushed by a sea of people in narrow lanes anywhere in the world so we decided that it was best to spend the main part of the day outside Taormina and return only when the day tripping crowds had left for the day. In such situations I have always relied on places that require a hike to get to as I have found that only a small fraction of the tourists are willing to expend any energy climbing hills or towers. While researching about Taormina I had read about the Saracen Castle located at an altitude of 400 metres towering high over the already cliff side town. We also wanted to visit the village of Castelmola, located high on the rock above Taormina so we had options to escape the crowds of the Labour Day weekend.
We decided to Hike up to the Saracen Castle and visit the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca, a small church carved into the rock on the way up on the evening of Labour Day itself. The long daylight hours of May meant that we would have enough time to make our way back to town before it got dark ( We carried pocket torches nonetheless!). We started from our B & B and soon realised that if we didn’t have this hike to do we would have been miserable as Corso Umberto was impossible to walk on without being jostled in the crowd. Luckily my experience about the laziness of most people was correct too and as soon as we started climbing the stairs up to the Sanctuary the crowds were nowhere to be seen.
No crowds in sight as we start our climb up to the Castello and the Sanctuary
No need to use any software to remove the crowd if there isn’t any!
As we climbed up and up on the well paved path and stair we left the chaos of Taormina far behind. As an added bonus we had great views over the town itself as we got up high above it.
Taormina from the path up to the Sanctuary Madonna della Rocca
The better half poses on the path up to the Sanctuary with Taormina in the background
A statue of Jesus with the cross on the way up to the Saracen Castle
The Eastern coast of Sicily from the path up to the Saracen Castle
We soon reached the Church carved into the rock and had the cosy little place to ourselves for the duration of our visit. We did our church routine of sitting in the pews for a few minutes before taking a few photos of the little church. Being carved into the rock the ceiling was part cave like and part modern giving it a unique feel.
The small altar at the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca
The opposite side memorial to the recently deceased Pope
The small but unique Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca above Taormina
Having the small church to ourselves leaving the maddening crowds behind
We then sat on the terrace outside with great views over the town of Taormina below and the sea beyond. We could see the entirety of the path we had climbed to get up here and were glad to see that a few more people were making the effort to get up here to enjoy the views.
At the terrace outside the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca
Taormina and the path up the hill that we had climbed to get up here
That was not the end of our exertions for the day though as I still wanted to get up to the Saracen Castle which was still higher up. I asked the better half who was a bit reluctant at first but agreed to complete the hike with some coaxing. We filled up our water bottle on the fountain at the Sanctuary and had a drink before resuming our climb up to the Castle.
View of Mount Etna and Taormina on the other side of the Sanctuary
While researching I had gotten mixed information about the castle. Few resources said that it’s closed but I had asked our B & B owner who had assured us that it has been restored and opened to the public recently. The Saracen Castle which is most likely the site of the Acropolis of the Greek ancient town of Tauromenion. The castle that exists today was built in the Arab rule in the 10th century and modified by the Normans later.
We reached the entry gate and paid for our way in which included free audioguides describing the various parts of the castle. The audioguide was great in describing the ruins for what they were originally and gave an idea of the historical importance of having a castle at this high location to control the area all around.
Inside the Saracen Castle above Taormina
The better half clicks away to glory at the Saracen Castle
We walked through the ruins up to the top most part which had 360 degree views all around. It was this view that made this castle so strategically important in the olden days, but right now it was a photographers paradise.
Happy us at the Saracen Castle with Castelmola in the background on the left
Again we were the only ones inside the castle for most of our time there, maybe that was because of the mixed information about the castle being closed or maybe people didn’t think the ruins were interesting enough to pay the entrance fees. For us it was fully worth it and more, even if you don’t care about the history the views will blow you away.
Going up to the highest levels of the Saracen Castle with great views all around
Taormina from the Saracen Castle and the coast up north – you can even see mainland Italy in the distance
The huge Teatro Antico ( in the centre of the image) seems tiny from high above in the Saracen Castle
Mt Etna sends out smoke with Taormina and the cross of the Sanctuary seen below
Enjoying the breeze and the views at the Saracen Castle high above Taormina
The hilltop village of Castelmola from the Saracen Castle
The view from the Saracen Castle with the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca below and the town even further down
The strategic importance of the Castle becomes clear once you see the view from here
Couldn’t resist taking more photos of the views from the Castello Saraceno
When we had had our fill of the views and listened to the entirety of what the audioguide had to offer we made our way back down to the ticket shop to return our audioguides and collect the free certificates they were giving for having climbed up here!
Posing with a mannequin dressed as an Norman soldier at the Saracen Castle
The ticket shop inside the castle which handed out the audioguides and certificates
Certificates given out by the Saracen Castle for visiting it !
A view of the volcano from a defence hole in the walls of the castle
With the certificates collected we started our descent down to Taormina happy that we had made the decision to spend our time hiking up here.
The path down to Taormina with the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca behind
The Saracen Castle which we had visited high above as we start our descent down to Taormina
Cacti on the slopes as we walk down to Taormina
On our way back we ran into the smaller ruins of a Roman Theatre or Odeon that we had missed till now. It was about to close now but we made a note to return next day to walk around this mini version of the grander Teatro Antico.
The Odeon in Taormina – almost hidden out of sight
We returned to the Main Street – Corso Umberto and were amazed at the Dadar station level of crowds ( For the people not from Mumbai – Dadar station is one of the most crowded railway stations in Mumbai and I consider it as a gold standard for extremely crowded places).
The extremely crowded Corso Umberto at Taormina on Labour Day
We jostled our way through the crowd to see what Piazza IX Aprile was like at that moment and it was as crowded as expected. I just took a few photos to show how crowded the pretty square can get before we walked to what had become our regular spot for a tasty, fresh and reasonably priced dinner – Da Cristina where we enjoyed the freshly made pan pizzas before returning to our B & B Evelyne for the night.
The crowds at Piazza IX Aprile on Labour Day
The next morning we would finish our early morning walk and returned to the B & B for the reliably fresh and delicious breakfast. We still left some space in our tummies because we wanted to try the famous granita with brioche at the Instagram sensation spot – Bam Bar. We wanted to get there just as it opened because there can be serpentine queues to get a table there later in the day. And standing in line for an hour for a dessert, however good it may be was just not my thing!
Enjoying the reliably fresh breakfast at the B & B Evelyne in Taormina
We reached Bambar as it opened and got a table without waiting a minute. We ordered a strawberry granita with cream for the better half and a raspberry one for myself. We ordered a brioche because I wanted to try this local tradition of having bread with a frozen dessert!
At the famous Bambar in Taormina – to have their famous Granitas
Our delicious granitas and brioche at Bambar, Taormina
Strawberry granita with cream and a brioche at the Bambar, Taormina
While I have to admit that the granitas were delicious and surprisingly the brioche went well with it, the granitas we would have later in our trip at lesser known local places in every town were equally good. There is no need to wait an hour in line at Bambar if you ever find yourself in Taormina, get a table if it’s immediately available but don’t miss exploring the town because you were in line for an hour for a granita!
The painted vespas and murals on the wall behind Bambar
Beautifully decorated doors and windows in the lane behind Bambar
With the Bambar ticked off our list we proceeded to the main bus terminal to catch the bus up to Castelmola. While it’s possible to hike up there, much of the hike has the same views we had seen yesterday. The bus was also at a convenient time and very cheap so we decided to conserve our energy and take the bus up to Castelmola.
The bus was on time and soon we were on our way up the narrow roads curving up the hill. The bus stopped at a few stops in between before it reached the main square of Castelmola where we alighted.
At the Piazza Sant Antonio in Castelmola
We headed straight up to the Norman Castle at the top of the town to take in the views before more people came up here from Taormina.
Walking up the steps to the Norman Castle at Castelmola
As this castle is the highest point around even higher than the Saracen Castle that we had been to yesterday, it has even more sweeping views of the Sicilian countryside around.
Mt Etna from the Castle at Castelmola
Castelmola is so high that the Saracen Castle on the right seems so far away
At the Norman Castle in Castelmola
Climbing up to see the views from the walls of the Norman Castle
Piazza Sant Antonio, Castelmola from the Norman Castle ruins
The better half poses at the ruins of the Norman Castle in Castelmola
Castelmola clings to the cliff with the coastline beyond
Getting our photo clicked by a fellow tourist at Castelmola
We then left the Castle grounds and went walking through the narrow streets of the village before we reached a small little square surrounded by cafes and a small church on one side. As usual the square was busy with people but the church was empty. We did our church routine before walking out into the square and resuming our walk around the hilltop village. We had no fixed agenda, walking around aimlessly in that pretty little village was good enough for us.
Walking around the narrow and steep lanes around Castelmola
Church of San Nicolo di Bari at Castelmola
The small but pretty square outside the church of San Nicolo in Castelmola
The square and the Church of San Nicolo on the right
Beautiful narrow cobble stoned streets of Taormina
Reaching the far end of Castelmola
The better half poses on the neat and pretty streets of Castelmola
We walked around the village till we ran out of village to walk around! Then we returned via the Main Street to the main Piazza Sant Antonio where we had started.
The patterned cobblestone layout of the Piazza Sant Antonio in Castelmola
The entrance of the Norman Castle we had visited earlier
A conveniently located drinking water fountain at the main square at Castelmola
We then decided to walk down from Castelmola to Taormina as it was a beautiful Spring morning and there was no better way for us to enjoy it. We started our walk down and immediately came across yet another small church carved into the cliff below Castelmola
The hole in the wall church in the cliffside below Castelmola
The better half poses with a cute looking car on the way down from Castelmola
These are everywhere in Sicily !
The walk down was a mix of walking on the side of wide tarred roads to narrow paved paths that seemingly led nowhere before we finally reached a long series of steps that led down to Taormina. We stopped wherever there was an open view to enjoy or a pretty scene to photograph and leisurely made our way down to Taormina.
Castelmola up above as we hike down to Taormina
The vertical nature of the landscape around Castelmola
Pretty wildflowers on the way down from Castelmola
Paths going all over as we descend from Castemola
On the pedestrian path down with the Saracen Castle in the background
Just another vine covered doorway on the path down to Taormina
Just another pretty gate to a residence on the way down to Taormina
The path seems to lead to nowhere as we descend from Castelmola
The final series of stairs as we reach Taormina
We descended into Taormina right next to the Church of St Anthony of Padua and we needed no invitation to go into the church. It was a perfect place to rest our legs for a few minutes and do our usual routine. Once again there was no one inside the Church!
Church of St Anthony of Padua
We do our Church routine at the Church of St Anthony in Taormina
We then walked to the Odeon which we had walked past the previous evening and went in to see the centuries old Roman Theatre. As compared to the huge crowds at the Teatro Antico, the Odeon is almost always empty which is surprising as its right there, hidden in plain sight!
Walking the centuries old Roman steps at the Odeon in Taormina
Having a Roman Theatre to ourselves in the middle of Taormina !
Hidden in plain sight – the Odeon in Taormina
It was lunch time now and all the walking had made us hungry so we decided to go to the Pizzeria that our B & B owner had recommended – The Villa Zuccaro Pizzeria. It was extremely busy as expected for the holiday weekend but we got a table immediately and enjoyed the extremely delicious pizzas. We also ordered beer drink for myself and a lemon drink for the better half to hydrate ourselves after that long walk in the Sicilian sunshine.
Delicious Pizzas at the Villa Zuccaro in Taormina
Enjoying a hearty meal after the morning’s exertions
Enjoying a tall glass of beer – perfect after a long hike
We then returned to our room to rest our legs for some time as Taormina was still unbearably crowded as the Labour Day weekend was still on. These hikes had given us the means to escape the crowds and enjoy beautiful places and views at the same time.
The B & B Evelyne – our home for 3 days in Taormina
We would be leaving Taormina the next day and head to our next destination, the island neighbourhood of Ortigia in the city of Syracuse. Whether that would be as pretty and enjoyable as our three days in Taormina is topic for another post, some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Ciao!
PS – This post has been my longest as I wanted to cover both hikes in a single post. Hopefully it doesn’t bore people too much!
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