Taormina's Roman Odeon and Numachie

The Roman Odeon of Taormina

The hidden Roman-era sights of Toarmina: The Odeon and Numachie

Largo S. Caterina is the small square near the start of Corso Umberto, just one block inside Taormina's northerly Porta Messina gate.

The Odeon

Around the right side of the small church of Santa Caterina, on the west side of the square, you can glimpse a section of curving seats belonging to the Odeon, a modest Roman-era theater of the AD 2nd century, currently closed to the public and engaged in the task of growing weeds.

The Numachie

Continuing down Corso Umberto, turn left down Via Naumachie and look to your left down a verdant alley to see the Naumachie ("really big niches"), a 400-foot-long brick wall of 16-foot-high niches that, around the middle of the AD 2nd century, formed a wall between an Imperial Roman gymnasium and an ancient cistern.

The niches now serve mainly as a place for kitchen workers to take their breaks, as the imposing ancient wall lies opposite the back entrances to several restaurants.

Climb back to to Corso Umberto and continue strolling south to Piazza IX Aprile, the cafe-lined main square in town.

The Roman-era Numachie of Taormina

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