One of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Castelmola, a few km from Taormina, offers a wonderful view and a retro break at the Antico Caffè San Giorgio, where the ritual of Almond Wine was born.

The road that leads from Taormina to the small village perched 500 meters above the sea is truly magical. After a few curves, a splendid panorama of the Ancient Theater appears before you, then the magnificent Belvedere that is next to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Rocca.

The charming little church, which is worth a stop, is so called because it was built in the rock in 1640 by order of Abbot Francesco Raineri with the help of the Archbishop of Messina Geronimo Venero. A place of worship much loved by the local population, where it is said that various miracles and apparitions have occurred.

I have never felt a deeper nostalgia than that which I felt for Sicily reading Verga (…) for the splendid Sicily that penetrates deep into the blood. Splendid Sicily, so clear in its beauty, so close to the physical beauty of ancient Greece!

(David Herbert Lawrence)

Once you reach the small village of Castelmola, the taxi stops in the central Piazza S. Antonio, which seems to have come out of a Hollywood set for its beauty, where the characteristic shape of the Antico Caffè San Giorgio stands out.

Named in honor of the patron saint, it was founded in 1700 by monks as a tavern, until 1907, when, given the growth of the first tourists who went to visit Taormina, a stop on the Grand Tour, Don Vincenzo Blandano transformed it into a real café.

To offer visitors something special, he was inspired by the Hellenic tradition and began to serve a particular Almond Wine, called “Blandanino”. An amber-colored wine produced according to ancient Greek techniques with zibibbo, orange aromas, Sicilian almonds and secret essences.

Don Vincenzo also established a special collection of albums where the signatures and thoughts of visitors have been collected since 1907, even the most illustrious, such as (in alphabetical order): Pietro Badoglio, Winston Churchill, Guglielmo Marconi, John Davison Rockefeller, Wilhelm Von Gloeden, Pope Wojtyla, and many other rulers and personalities from the world of entertainment.

From the terrace of the Antico Caffè San Giorgio you can enjoy one of the most unique views in the world and, as per tradition, you must order a glass of almond wine to accompany the typical almond biscuits.

Continuing the walk in the village, you reach the Bar Turrisi, famous throughout the world because everything inside is shaped like a phallus. Founded in 1947 by Salvatore Turrisi who, driven by his great passions, women and Greek mythology, was inspired by the iconography of the cult of Priapus, the Greek god of fertility.

From there you can continue the walk to the remains of the ancient castle, on the top of the village, and then go back down to Taormina for a special dinner.

The Secret

“Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, the famous 1928 novel by David Herbert Lawrence, is inspired by the betrayal of the author’s wife who apparently had an affair with a young man from Castelmola, Peppino D’Allura.

Useful Info

Antico Caffè San Giorgio
Piazza S. Antonio Abate
98030 Castelmola, Messina
Tel. +39 0942 28228