Museo naturalistico regionale di Isolabella e Villa Caronia
Regional natural history museum on the islet of Isola Bella in Taormina, an oriented nature reserve (riserva naturale orientata) with the Bosurgi house-museum and the garden of Villa Caronia.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Isola Bella is a small islet at the centre of a bay between Capo Sant'Andrea and Capo Taormina, connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus that can disappear at high tide. In 1806 Ferdinand I of Bourbon gave it to the municipality of Taormina; in 1890 it was sold to Lady Florence Trevelyan, who built a small house there and introduced exotic plants. In 1954 it passed to the Bosurgi brothers, entrepreneurs from Messina, who built a villa among the rocks. In 1990 the island was bought by the regional department for cultural heritage, and since 1998 it has been an oriented nature reserve.
The regional natural history museum includes the islet and Villa Caronia, the complex on the Capo Taormina promontory that today houses the administrative offices of the Naxos and Taormina Archaeological Park, with a terraced garden. A marked path allows visitors to observe the flora, which combines exotic ornamental plants and native species, and the fauna, including species found only here, such as a red-breasted lizard, and numerous seabirds. The visit includes the Bosurgi house, restored and turned into a museum, with stairways cut into the rock.
Highlights
- Oriented nature reserve since 1998
- Casa Bosurgi restored and turned into a museum
- Sandy isthmus that high tide submerges
- Exotic and native flora and seabirds
- Villa Caronia with terraced garden
Permanent exhibition
- Museo naturalistico regionale di Isola Bella – Nature trail on the islet and visit to the Bosurgi house, turned into a museum.
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico di Naxos e Taormina (Regione Siciliana)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
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| Reduced | €2.50 |
Full ticket €5, reduced €2.50. The Park sells tickets site by site.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The island is reached on foot along a sandy isthmus that can be submerged at high tide; the internal routes include stairways cut into the rock.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Funivia Taormina–Mazzarò · 200 m
By train to Giardini Naxos–Taormina station; from central Taormina the cable car descends to Mazzarò.
By car: A18 motorway, Taormina exit. From Mazzarò the islet is reached on foot, about 200 metres away on the right.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Visits can be organised for limited groups for safety reasons. |
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