Giardini Naxos

Giardini Naxos occupies one of Sicily's most historically charged stretches of coastline — the bay where Greek colonists made their first landfall on the island in 734 BC, establishing the settlement of Naxos that would become the mother city of Hellenic Sicily. Today, this seaside town at the foot of Mount Etna serves as the gateway to Taormina, the hilltop resort that has been captivating travelers since the Grand Tour.

Taormina, perched 200 meters above Giardini Naxos on a rocky terrace, is Sicily's most famous resort town and home to the ancient Greek-Roman theatre that provides what is routinely described as the most spectacular theatrical setting in the Mediterranean. The theatre's stage opens onto a vista that encompasses the Bay of Naxos, the coastline stretching south toward Syracuse, and — dominating everything — the smoking cone of Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano. Performances are still held here in summer, with Etna providing a backdrop that no stage designer could improve upon.

The archaeological site of ancient Naxos, within Giardini Naxos itself, preserves the foundations of the first Greek colony in Sicily — the template from which Syracuse, Agrigento, and Gela would later develop into the wealthy city-states of Magna Graecia. The on-site museum displays artifacts from the excavations, including pottery and architectural fragments that trace the colony's development from pioneering settlement to established polis.

Emerald Yacht Cruises, Explora Journeys, Scenic Ocean Cruises, and Windstar Cruises anchor in the Bay of Naxos, with the twin attractions of beachside Giardini Naxos and hilltop Taormina accessible by cable car, bus, or the kind of taxi ride that demonstrates Sicilian driving at its most exhilarating.

April through October provides excellent conditions, with May and September offering warm weather without the August crowds that make Taormina's narrow streets barely navigable. Giardini Naxos is where Hellenic civilization's westward expansion began — a beach that launched a thousand colonies and still provides the view of Etna that convinced the first Greeks they had found a land worth settling.