Ancient Theatre - Taormina, Sicily - View from the Cavea Towards the Stage

Looking down through the ancient brickwork of Taorminas Greek-Roman theatre towards the cavea, orchestra and surviving Roman stage building.

This photograph looks down through two weathered brick walls into the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, revealing the steep stone seating of the cavea, the orchestra below and the monumental remains of the stage building beyond. The elevated viewpoint emphasizes both the impressive scale of the theatre and the layers of ancient masonry that have survived on the hillside above Taormina. The original theatre was established during the Hellenistic period, probably in the 3rd–2nd century BC, but much of the structure visible today results from extensive Roman rebuilding during the first half of the 2nd century AD, under Trajan or Hadrian. With a cavea approximately 109 metres in diameter, it is the second-largest ancient theatre in Sicily after Syracuse. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, further alterations transformed the orchestra into an arena suitable for Roman spectacles. Today the Teatro Antico remains one of Taormina's most important monuments and continues its long association with performance by serving as a spectacular setting for cultural events.