Taormina
a town on the E. coast of Sicily; on a lofty rock 900 feet above the sea; 35 miles S. W. of Messina. It has numerous relics of antiquity, as an aqueduct, tesselated pavements, and the remains of a theater, reckoned one of the most splendid ruins in Sicily, and commanding a view of almost unparalleled magnificence. Taormina (ancient Tauromenium), founded by the Siculi in the 4th century B. C., long Roman possession. It was taken by the Saracens in 902 and 962, by the Normans in 1078, by the French in 1676, and in 1849 by the Neapolitans under Filangleri.