Madonna della Rocca above the town

The chapel of the Madonna della Rocca is built half into the rock a couple of hundred metres above the corso: a white front, a small bell, and a terrace in front of it hanging over the whole town. From up here Taormina is a model of itself — the theatre on its spur, the roofs of the corso, Isola Bella in its cove and the coast running south to Etna.

The terrace is small, unfussy and, crucially, almost always empty, which is unusual for anything in Taormina with this view. It faces east and south-east, so the strongest light is early: at sunrise the sun comes up out of the sea directly ahead and the whole town below is lit warm while the cliff behind stays dark. At the end of the day the view is in shade but the sky over the sea still colours.

The path up is the Salita Castello, a stepped lane from Via Circonvallazione — around fifteen to twenty minutes of continuous climbing, unshaded, with uneven steps. A taxi can drive most of the way up the road towards Castelmola and leave a short walk instead, which is worth arranging if the session includes anyone who cannot manage the stairs. The chapel is small and sometimes locked, but the terrace is always open.