Castelmola
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Once the acropolis of Taormina, this rocky summit shares so much history with the town below that the two are hard to tell apart. The village crowns a peak that drops sheer towards the Ionian Sea, and the belvedere on Piazza Sant'Antonino looks over Taormina to the Calabrian coast. A path climbs from there to the castle ruins, which held out when the Saracens took the town in 902.
Highlights
- The belvedere on Piazza Sant'Antonino, over Taormina and the Ionian coast
- The path up to the castle ruins at the village's highest point
- The old entrance arch on its limestone stairway
- Castelrock, live music in the main square every 1 May
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Castelmola (IT), Castelmola (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 1,062
Things to see
- San Nicolò (IT)
Events through the year
- Feast of Saint GeorgeFour or five days of shows and a small fair on the access road
- CastelrockLocal musicians play live in the main square
- Feast of the Assumption at the AnnunziataThe Norman church opens for the novena and the Assumption
- Nativity scenes in the villageNativity scenes set up along the village lanes
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castelmola (IT), Castelmola (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Almond wineDrinkDry white wine infused with bitter almonds, herbs, citrus and zibibbo
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castelmola). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
124 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 93
- B&Bs and guest houses 24
- Hostels 5
- Campsites 2
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Forza d'Agrò · 7.9 km
- Savoca · 12 km
- Castiglione di Sicilia · 14 km
- Novara di Sicilia · 22 km
- Castroreale · 27 km