Guy de Maupassant wrote in 1885, Taormina is “a landscape in which you can find all that seems to be created on earth to seduce the eyes, mind and fantasy.” Great writers such as Goethe and DH Lawrence were equally besotted — in fact, Lawrence’s most famous novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, was said to be inspired by an Englishwoman living in Taormina.

Built on the cliffs of Mount Tauro, the town affords spectacular views of the coast with its rugged rocks, sandy coves and crystal waters, and offers a prime viewing spot for sweeping panoramas of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest volcano. At night, the lights twinkling in Capo Taormina — the seaside area of the town — and the curve of the bay of Giardini Naxos are inexpressibly beautiful.