Sport and free time
Visitors to Taormina who don't want to limit their experience to visiting places of historical cultural interest and the many tourist attractions and monuments, can always enjoy their free time by keeping busy with a variety of activies. For sport lovers, the warm climate allows you to carry out any type of activity at any time of year.
At every beach, even during the winter period, it's possible to play water sports such as windsurfing, sailing, fishing, scuba diving, canoeing and snorkeling.
The magnificent beaches and suggestive coastlines, the bracing air and the olfactory explosion created by the flowers scattered in every corner of the city, make even a simple afternoon jog a unique experience.
For more extreme sport lovers, in Letojanni, a small town on the outskirts of Taormina, it's possible to challenge gravity and wind by hang gliding, or paraflying for experts, and thanks to the presence of an internationally renowned club, it's also possible for beginners to have lessons with professional instructors.
In Taormina and its surrounds there are also many riding schools where it's possible to take horse riding lessons or individual or group excursions.
For lovers of tennis who can't stay without even when on holidays, the Taormina Sporting Club is the ideal place: locals and tourists, professionals and amateurs who wish to cultivate their passion meet on the courts every day. Thanks to their magnificent geographical position amongst rocky summits and an enchanting coastline, these courts will allow you to practice your favourite sport in a truly special place.
And, in the Alcantara and Agrò valleys, thanks to the many water passages, cascades and gorges, canyoning and rafting experiences will be unforgettable.
Even golf players will be satisfied thanks to the Golf Club "Il Picciolo" (the petiole), an 18 hole course in Castiglione di Sicilia, a small fraction situated approximately half an hour's walk away from Taormina. Golf players here will live an exciting and unusual experience amongst oak and hazlenut trees, palmtrees and bouganville plants.
And if you don't have a particularly sportive soul, then you can always dedicate your time to shopping.
Along "Corso Umberto" you can find renowned local ceramic workshops, where ceramics are produced using traditional methods and decorums, as well as modern techniques and particular combinations. There is no shortage of jewellery shops, where it's possible to purchase magnificent manufactured stone pieces, produced using the ancient inlay technique, or precious handmade jewels. The small yet plentiful delicatessens store many local wines and other typical gourmet products. Handmade workshops should also be discovered, selling excellent leather, wrought iron, and wood products.
If you need a good book to relax, you can access the public library for free in "Piazza IX Aprile", one of the main squares. Here it's possible to find Italian and international newspapers, as well as an important bibliography of Sicily and Taormina and ancient books of great value and esteem.
Alternatively, why not purchase a newspaper or your preferred book, and sit down to read in one of the many outdoor cafès fitted with elegant wrought iron tables, with breathtaking views, where you can breathe in a truly romantic atmosphere, almost straight out of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita"?
