Description of the attraction
The ancient theater of Taormina was built by the ancient Greeks around the 3rd century BC. It is the second largest in all of Sicily after the theater in Syracuse - its diameter is 120 meters! It is also one of the best preserved ancient ruins on the island.
According to legend, to erect the theater, the builders had to level the whole mountain to the ground, moving about 100 thousand cubic meters of limestone. The theater itself is built of bricks. The spectator seats, which could accommodate up to 10 thousand people, are facing southeast towards the Ionian Sea. Unfortunately, most of the spectator places have not survived to this day. However, you can still see the wall surrounding the theater cave and the proscenium with the back wall of the main stage and service annexes. Only fragments remained of the scenery, which, however, suggest that the theater was decorated with Corinthian columns and rich ornamentation. Some parts of the nearby temple, which was later turned into the Church of San Pacrazio, have survived to this day.
In the 1st century AD, when the power in Sicily was in the hands of the Romans, the theater was significantly rebuilt and re-equipped to host the favorite spectacles of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire - bloody gladiatorial battles. Excellent acoustics, which once made it possible to hear the voices of the actors even in the last rows, now amplified the cries of defeated gladiators and excited spectators many times over.
Only in the 19th century, it was decided to restore the ancient Greek theater - by the way, Russian architects Mesmakher and Kossov took part in the work, who completed the facades. Today, this popular tourist attraction is also a symbol of Taormina. Various cultural and artistic events are regularly held here, in particular the international art festival "Taormina arte".
