Giardini Naxos

A few kilometers from Taormina is Giardini Naxos, the first Greek colony in Sicily. The origin of Giardini Naxos dates back to 735 BC when it was occupied by populations coming from Calcide Eubea and from the island of Nasso. In memory of the first settlement, and in honor of the existing union with these populations in Giardini Naxos Porta Naxos and the statue Nike can be admired. In the archaeological museum of Giardini Naxos there are many other evidences of the Greek population’ influence.

Since during the Peloponnesian War the town supported the Athenians, Dionysus, the tyrant of Syracuse, took revenge of it by razing the town and selling its citizens as slaves. Remains of the “necropolis of Remembrance” lead to assume that small communities have remained even after the siege of Syracuse.
Under Byzantine domination the town became a strategic landing point and held that role even in later centuries; worthy of note are, in fact, buildings such as the castle Schisò and the tower Vignazza designed to protect the bay.

The visit in Giardini Naxos would, eventually, be incomplete without going to admire the beautiful sea on which the town overlooks, which has also witnessed the historic passage of Garibaldi, who sailed from here to reach the coasts of Calabria .