Giardini Naxos
Giardini Naxos features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Taormina. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type ruins
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Taormina Taormina guide
About Giardini Naxos
The beach resort at the foot of Taormina's cliffs, on the site of the first Greek colony in Sicily (Naxos, 735 BC), with a museum of Greek finds and a pleasant beachfront.
Giardini Naxos is the beach town at the foot of the Taormina cliff, facing the bay that carries the name of the first Greek colony established in Sicily: Naxos, founded in 735 BC by colonists from the Greek island of Naxos. The ancient city of Naxos was destroyed in 403 BC by Dionysius of Syracuse and never rebuilt, but its site was identified in the 19th century and excavations have revealed a remarkable sequence of Greek cultural remains. The Museo Archeologico di Naxos, housed in a former Bourbon fortress on the seafront, contains an excellent collection of Greek pottery, terracotta figures, and architectural fragments. The modern Giardini Naxos is a pleasant beach resort with a long seafront promenade, restaurants serving fresh Ionian seafood, and the beginning of the volcanic sand beaches that characterise this coast.
Did you know? Naxos (735 BC) was the first Greek colony in Sicily, all subsequent Greek cities in Sicily traced their spiritual and political lineage back to this founding settlement on the Bay of Naxos.
How long is a visit to Giardini Naxos?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for Giardini Naxos. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Giardini Naxos worth your time?
Giardini Naxos is among the 15 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Taormina, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Taormina
Hear the story of Giardini Naxos
Preview the Taormina tour free in the Gingerguide app.