The Villa Comunale gardens in the afternoon

These gardens were laid out at the end of the nineteenth century by Florence Trevelyan, an Englishwoman who settled in Taormina, and they are unmistakably hers: exotic trees from three continents, gravel walks along the slope, and a series of small brick towers built out of salvaged materials and decorated with volcanic stone.

For photography they solve the problem Taormina otherwise has, which is glare. The garden is heavily planted and stepped, so it holds soft shade through the middle of the day when the corso and the theatre are hard and bright. The follies give architecture at portrait distance; the openings between the trees give the coast and Etna as a background without the crowds that come with the famous viewpoints.

Entry is free with fixed opening hours; check them, as the gates close before dark. Paths are gravel and gently stepped rather than steep, so the garden works for families and for older guests better than most of the town. It is five minutes from Piazza IX Aprile and makes the natural mid-session stop between the theatre and the evening light at the parapet.