History of Taormina
The history of a place has raison d’être starting from the legends linked to the origin of the name, this, already in the first instance, allows us to know the dominations that a place has undergone, for better or for worse, the myths that derive from the historical-cultural evolution of the city and the popular beliefs linked to its foundation. Regarding the foundation of Taormina there is no certain news, the legends are, perhaps, more numerous than the historical news. The reconstructions of the finds suggest that the definitive foundation of the Greek city dates back to 358 BC. C. when Andromaco, father of Timaeus, famous historian, gathered the survivors of Naxos and led them to Mount Tauro, hence the name of Taormina, Tauromènion. Taormina is one of the most beautiful treasures of all Sicily.
This name was assigned to the city by the Sicilians and the Greeks, but there are legends that derive the name from other sources, just think of the legend of the Minotaur, a symbol that appears on some very ancient coins, to which the foundation of the city is attributed. In 735 BC. c., the Siculi settled on Mount Tauro, near the current castle, and established peaceful relations with the Greek colony of Naxos, which was destroyed by Dionysus I of Syracuse. The Sicels, following the violent act of Dionysus I, offered refuge to the Greek colonists before the Syracusan tyrant conquered the Greek settlement of Tauromenium.
This denomination also reflected the typical aspect of the various Greek colonies, in fact Taormina became a city center worthy representative of the Greek architecture, typical of the time. In the beautiful Tauromenium the agora and the acropolis were built, located at the top of Monte Tauro. It is precisely in this period that the construction of the city symbol dates back: the Ancient Theater, built in the 3rd century BC. C. The wonderful Ancient Theater was built taking advantage of the morphological structure of the hill where it resides and is, to date, surrounded by a wonderful panorama that embraces two geographical extremes, the bay of Schisò and the Etna Volcano.
History testifies that the Greeks ruled the city for the first time in 358 BC. C.. As an ally of Syracuse, Tauromenium experienced a period of cultural and economic growth, before becoming a destination for conquest by the Carthaginians and the Romans, following the first Punic war. Already from this historiographical hint, it is possible to deduce that the history of Tauromenium has alternated prosperous periods with more hostile periods, this trend reflects the phases of the historical and cultural trend of all of Sicily.
The beauty of the Sicily region and of the city of Taormina, chosen as the thematic hub, is the fascinating result of the troubled historical vicissitudes that have followed one another over the centuries and which have given Sicily a face with a thousand shades, a marvelous synthesis of the diversity of all the populations that have dominated it, redesigning ever new and ever richer artistic, historical and cultural profiles.
Another legend on the origin of the name of Tauromenium, linked to an emblematic figure in the history of ancient philosophy, has Pythagoras as its protagonist. It is said that Pythagoras would have made Taormina adopt the laws of Caronda from Catania, appeasing the erotic excesses of a young man from Taormina by playing his magical flute. This legend enjoys little credibility since Pythagoras lived in a historical period during which Taormina had not yet been founded.
Greek period
Following the prosperous Greek period, Tauromenium experienced another flourishing historical phase.
During the first servile war, after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Taormina was one of the most important strongholds of slaves and allied itself with Sesto Pompilio. This alliance resulted in the deportation of the population after the victory of Octavian. When Octavian won, the city was downgraded to the role of a simple colony and forced to live several centuries in the saddest oblivion.
The renovation works of the architectural remains left by the Greeks are due to the Romans. The present structures did not undergo drastic changes from a structural point of view, the Romans have respected the original morphology of the city, their work has made changes only as regards the expansion of the city center and the different use of the existing structures. The marvelous Ancient Theater, under Roman domination, took on the appearance of an amphitheater; this demonstrates that the intervention of the Romans on the already existing Greek works did not completely distort the morphology of the Theater as the Greeks had designed and built it. The Romans deserve to be remembered not only for the care they have shown for the existing structures but also for the construction of new architectural works which, to date, are the pride of the city of Taormina.
One of the best-known cultural assets of Taormina, the Naumachie, also dates from the period of Roman domination. It is a terracing that included a cistern connected to an aqueduct built to follow the new urban expansion of the city.
Taormina is the synthesis of the most fascinating ancient cultures, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab.
Following the period of decline after the alliance between Taormina and Sesto, the city began to flourish again during the Byzantine domination. Syracuse lost its dominion and following the fall of Constantinople Taormina became the new capital of eastern Sicily. Each population has left its mark and the signs of the passage of the Byzantines on Taormina can be traced in the various buildings, just think of a second wall connected to the Greek one and built for defensive purposes. The construction of two strongholds located, one on the top of Monte Tauro and the other on the peak of Mola dates back to the Byzantines. In this period Taormina became the seat of the archbishopric, thus experiencing a very rich period, a rapid and important demographic and urban growth. Taormina became, temporarily, during the Arab conquest of Sicily, the capital of the Byzantine Sicilian province, before being the last Sicilian city to fall to the Arabs in 902 AD. It is precisely the Arabs who are writing an important new chapter for the
history of the city of Taormina. In 902 they complete the invasion of Sicily and conquer Taormina. It certainly cannot be said that the actions of the Arabs for the conquest of Sicily were among the most “peaceful”. If it is true, on the one hand, that in the course of their military actions the Arabs intervened with raw violence, on the other hand, it can be asserted that their cruelty was subsequently compensated for by an enlightened foresight in the management of the government on the conquered places. Suffice it to recall all the innovations that the Arabs introduced in the agricultural, linguistic, artistic and scientific fields. The Arab domination in Sicily, which goes from 902 to 1079, covers the historical period that goes from the ninth to the eleventh century. The Arab domination was undermined, in 1079, by the Normans who, however, mainly dealt with the administration of nearby Messina. The period of Norman domination coincides with the birth of the Borgo which has Porta di Mezzo and Porta del Tocco as its extreme points, a birth which was determined by the new demographic structure and by a new and alternative road restructuring. During the sixteenth century the city experienced a new urban expansion also favored by a moderate economic increase determined by the processing of the
sugar. The Spanish and French set in motion Taormina’s decline until the city was rediscovered as a tourist destination in the 19th century. With the increase in tourism, the city regained its splendor and became one of the best known tourist centers in eastern Sicily.