Ancient Theatre - Taormina, Sicily - Columns of the Roman Stage Façade

Surviving stone columns, arches and weathered brickwork reveal the monumental Roman stage façade of Taormina’s Ancient Theatre.

This photograph provides a close view of the monumental stage remains of Taormina’s Ancient Theatre, where tall stone columns stand against massive walls of weathered Roman brickwork. Arched openings, niches and exposed sections of masonry reveal the complexity of the ancient stage building, while glimpses of Mediterranean vegetation appear through openings in the ruins. The theatre originated during the Hellenistic period in the 3rd–2nd century BC, but the structure visible today largely reflects extensive Roman reconstruction undertaken during the first half of the 2nd century AD. Its elaborate stage façade, or scenae frons, incorporated three principal openings accompanied by niches and architectural columns. The columns standing here today were repositioned during restoration work in the 19th century. Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, further modifications transformed the theatre for arena spectacles. Seen at close range, the combination of brick, stone and surviving classical columns provides a fascinating impression of the scale and architectural sophistication of Roman Taormina.