What is Castelmola known for?

The fortified rock above Taormina, used as Tauromenium's upper acropolis from the fourth century BC and refortified by Byzantines and Normans. Bar Turrisi has served vino alla mandorla since 1947, fusing a dry white with bitter almonds, aromatic herbs and citrus. From Piazza Sant'Antonio the gaze runs across the Gulf of Naxos to Etna and down to the Ionian, an angle Taormina cannot match.

Castelmola is a comune in the province of Messina, Sicily region of Italy, about 56 kilometers from Catania.

Sicily · Messina

Castelmola

A rock village at 529 meters directly above Taormina, the upper acropolis of ancient Tauromenium with a Norman castle and a 1947 almond-wine bar.

529m

Elevation

56 km / 35 mi

Nearest hub (Catania)

1,062

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Castelmola sits at 529 meters on a steep limestone rock two kilometers and several hundred meters above Taormina. The site served as the upper acropolis of Greek Tauromenium from the late fourth century BC; the Byzantines fortified it around 800, the local leader Costantino Caramalo strengthened the walls against Arab raids in the ninth century, and the Normans built the castle whose ruins still crown the village. From the piazza the view runs across the Gulf of Naxos to Etna in one direction and down to the Ionian in the other. Bar Turrisi has poured almond wine on the square since 1947, when the Turrisi family fused a dry white with bitter almonds, herbs and citrus; the bar was once listed by Focus magazine as one of the seven most peculiar places in the world for its phallic décor. The Duomo di San Nicola di Bari sits in the medieval plan of stone lanes that climbs to the castle.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Castelmola fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

6 photos · scroll →

Known for

Castello Normanno (Castello di Mola)
Ruined Norman castle on the summit, built on Byzantine and Greek fortifications and serving Tauromenium as upper acropolis.
Duomo di San Nicolò di Bari
Mother church at the centre of the village, rebuilt in the early twentieth century with a Baroque interior and original portal.
Piazza Sant'Antonio
Mosaic-paved belvedere with views of Etna, the Gulf of Naxos, and Taormina five hundred meters below.
Bar Turrisi
Almond-wine bar founded in 1947, four floors of phallic décor inspired by Mediterranean fertility cults, listed by Focus as one of the world's most peculiar establishments.
Centro storico
Medieval stone village stacked on the rock, with stepped lanes, narrow piazzas, and the typical Taormina architecture of compact stone houses.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the season Castelmola was built for. The Taormina coast fills with tourists, the village above empties out by dusk when the day-trippers descend, and the air at 529 meters stays cooler than the beach. July and August are crowded and hot; the climb from Taormina by foot is two hours and forty minutes of switchbacks. April and November are quiet shoulder months with mild light and open trattorie. December through March is the off-season: many establishments close, the wind off Etna cuts through the rock village, and the locals get the lanes back. The patronal festa for San Giorgio falls on 23 April with a procession through the centro storico.