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Castelmola-en

Castelmola tour through the village above Taormina

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Villa Valentina B&B is situated in Taormina countryside. Inside at 7.000 sqm of orange grove from where is possible reached the most important touristic places around Taormina.

The village of Castelmola represents the final point of the S.Provinciale 10 along which there are two city car parks. It is advisable to park in the second to avoid getting tired before the tour starts. The entrance to the town is represented by Piazza S. Antonio (1) which overlooks Taormina and Giardini-Naxos. Its space, paved with white and black Etna stone, represents the atrium of the village where locals love to relax and talk. Down the street All Saints we reach the Church of St. George (2) with the square front that takes its name from it. The church built around 1450 on a point of the rocky spur, has a single nave with a simple and linear style. It houses the patron saint of the city for which the villagers have a profound respect that is manifested by the religious festivals dedicated to him.

castelmola mappa paese
Map of tour

The church houses some valuable works of art and is equipped with catacombs. From the church we can go inside the medieval village along the small streets, to reach a small Piazza del Duomo (3) where we can relax for a few minutes before resuming the tour. Next to the square there is the Mother Church (4) dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari. Rebuilt on the ruins of the church of the 500 of which the side portal and the arch of the choir remain, inside you will see two eighteenth-century statues La Maddalena and the Our Lady of the Rosary. Outside, in front of the entrance, there is a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Giardini-Naxos. We go up the village along the streets of the village passing next to the Town Hall to reach the former. Church of S. Antonio (5) today auditorium from which, with a last effort, we will reach the Norman castle (6) the structure that stands on the highest and most strategic point of the medieval village. The walls of the castle remain. Historians are inclined to establish a period before the medieval and dating back to the Roman period.