Teatro antico di Taormina
Taormina's large theatre, mostly Roman, with a cavea 109 metres in diameter and views of the landscape; its inscriptions are housed in the Casina degli Inglesi.
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About the museum
The theatre occupies the crest of the hill of the same name, in a dominant position. With its cavea 109 metres in diameter it is, after the one in Syracuse, the largest theatre in Sicily, on the Italian peninsula and in Africa. The original layout is thought to date back to the 3rd–2nd century BC: this is documented by remains of the isodomic ashlar wall incorporated into the scaenae building, and by some seats with inscriptions, now kept in the western entrance hall.
What can be seen today belongs almost entirely to the Roman remodelling, in particular that carried out in the first half of the 2nd century AD. The present reconstruction of the columns of the scaenae frons is due to a 19th-century restoration. Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD the theatre was transformed into an arena, with the construction of the annular corridor closed by a raised parapet and of an underground room used for storing equipment and perhaps also animal cages.
The Casina degli Inglesi, formerly the seat of the theatre's 19th-century Antiquarium, houses Taormina's important epigraphic collection: a surprising quantity of Greek inscriptions of public character, above all lists of the strategoi and gymnasiarchs and financial accounts, dating between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
Highlights
- Cavea 109 metres in diameter, the second-largest theatre in Sicily
- Remains of the Hellenistic structure in the western hall
- Columns of the scaenae frons rebuilt in the 19th century
- Underground room and annular corridor of Roman date
- Epigraphic collection in the Casina degli Inglesi
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico di Naxos e Taormina
- Visitors per year
- approx. 894,593
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €12 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6citizens of the European Union aged 18 to 25 (the same concessions apply to citizens of non-EU countries on condition of reciprocity) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and a companion |
Free admission: First Sunday of every month
Free admission for under-18s, people with disabilities and a companion, EU tour guides and interpreters, ICOM members, EU teachers and school groups accompanied by their teachers (with booking), and other categories set out in regional regulations. Free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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