C O N C E R T

Per sempre Chico

Celebration of Chico Scimone, Taormina’s sporting and musical icon

Taormina Sporting Club / Taormina Tennis Club, Via Bagnoli Croci 71 @7:00pm

Free Entrance

Today The Taormina and the Taormina Plectrum Orchestra celebrate Chico Scimone who was a marathon runner, a pianist, an orchestra conductor and an athlete by vocation.

Born in 1911 in Boston (USA) from Sicilian emigrants he spent many years playing piano at trendy nightclubs in New York and Chicago and on cruise ships.
In Taormina he founded the “La Giara” nightclub, welcoming and playing to the Taormina jet set of the fabulous Dolce Vita: Sofia Loren, Liz Taylor, Richard Burton. And he kept playing piano bar throughot his life.

In 1974 he founded the Women’s Tennis Asssociation and lauched another symbolic feat: the January 1st dive into the sea, a gesture of renewal, courage, and hope that has become an annual event.

When his physical condition no longer allowed him to participate in marathons, he began climbing skyscrapers. For 17 consecutive years, from 1984 to 2005, he participated in the legendary Empire State Building Run-Up, the race that leads athletes to climb 1,576 steps to the 86th floor of Manhattan’s iconic skyscraper. Chico began this feat at 72 and finished it at 93 years old.

Upon his death, the skyscraper was illuminated with the colors of the Italian flag in his honor.

He died in 2005 at 94.

MORE INFO

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Scimone

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel La Pensione Svizzera – Hotel Villa Schuler – Hotel Villa Ducale – Hotel Villa Carlotta

I T A L I A N   O P E R A   S E L E C T I O N

A selection of arias from

TOSCA

by Giacomo Puccini

Teatro Nazarena (Via Fontana Vecchia, 3) Sunday 10th May 2026 @ 9:15pm

A free drink during intermission on theater’s terrace is included

On May 10, 2026, Tosca returns to Taormina as part of Opera Selection 2026, offering audiences an intense and immersive encounter with one of Puccini’s most dramatically powerful works. Performed at the intimate Teatro Nazarena, this production places the emotional core of the opera at center stage, emphasizing tension, passion, and psychological depth.

Rather than relying on spectacle, this interpretation highlights the human conflict that drives the drama forward: love under threat, power abused, and moral choices made under extreme pressure. Puccini’s score unfolds with relentless urgency, moving seamlessly from lyrical introspection to moments of overwhelming dramatic force.

Cast
Tosca: Dolores Granados
Cavaradossi: Moisès Molin
Scarpia: Graziano D’Urso
Jailer: Franco Tromba

(source: italianoperataormina.com)

TICKETS on italianoperataormina.com

Standard ticket € 50,00

MORE INFO

Italian Opera Taormina > www.italianoperataormina.com – info@italianoperataormina.com – T. +39 340 642 6230 – www.facebook.com/italianoperataormina

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel La Pensione Svizzera – Hotel Villa Schuler – Hotel Villa Ducale – Hotel Villa Carlotta

International Jazz Day 2026

Taormina, Thursday 30th April 2026

Free events

A worldwide celebration of jazz leading up to the 15th anniversary.

It is an International Day declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011 “to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.”

This year, the Taormina Jazz Association boost a high-quality artistic program:
– at 6:30 pm, the SIZE46 Street Band parades along Corso Umberto, our main pedestrian street
– at 9:00 pm, at the Congress Hall, a concert by pianist Gilda Buttà, an internationally renowned artist and interpreter of the music of Ennio Morricone, who will perform Keith Jarrett’s famous Köln Concert, one of the cornerstones of jazz history.

MORE INFO

Taormina Jazz Association – www.instagram.com/associazione_taormina_jazz – associazione@taorminajazz.it – Mob. 0039 338 2973 459

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel La Pensione Svizzera – Hotel Villa Schuler – Hotel Villa Ducale – Hotel Villa Carlotta

Italian Opera Taormina 2026, 13° Ed.

Teatro Nazarena, via Fontana Vecchia n° 3, Taormina @ 9.15pm
Entrance:  strictly by 8.45pm

Performance Schedule:
APRIL > Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
From MAY to AUGUST > Monday to Friday
SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER > Every day except Saturday
NOVEMBER > Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday

A well-established format offering an unmissable selection of wonderful melodies by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, and many other great composers, performed by extraordinary voices accompanied by piano.

TICKET – Ask your Hotel or click HERE :
Standard Ticket (€30) – includes a drink during the intermission | Entry at 8:45 PM
VIP Ticket (€50) – early entry, welcome drink, and reserved seating in the VIP area | Entry at 8:30 PM
👶 Free entry for children up to 6 years old

During the year, Italian Opera Taormina realises also two special events:

• “Opera Selection” – An exclusive format with a selection of the most famous opera arias, performed by internationally acclaimed artists and accompanied by the piano

go to Opera Selection 

• “Taormina Internazional Music Festival” – A festival dedicated to chamber music, featuring world-class artists performing a repertoire ranging from Baroque to Romantic an

go to the International Music Festival

ITALIAN OPERA TAORMINA 2026

Program changes every night > click on the date!
(program is released few days before the date)

April

1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29

May

1,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Opera Selection: Tosca, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

June

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

July

1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

August

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31

September

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 – Opera Selection: I Pagliacci, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30

October

1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

November

2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30

MORE INFO

Italian Opera Taormina > www.italianoperataormina.com – info@italianoperataormina.com – T. +39 340 642 6230 – www.facebook.com/italianoperataormina

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel La Pensione Svizzera – Hotel Villa Schuler – Hotel Villa Ducale – Hotel Villa Carlotta

Castello di Taormina (source: castelloditaormina.it)

Taormina Castle

Opening hours: depending on the season

Ticket: Full ticket € 10,00 – Reduced ticket € 5,00

online tickets  @  www.castelloditaormina.it/biglietto-online

The Castle of Taormina is located on the top of Monte Tauro, at 397 metres a.s.l. Thanks to this position, it is also called the Castle of the Four Panoramas as it is possible to have a 360 degrees view: the Ionian Sea, the Strait of Messina, the Alcantara Valley, Mount Etnaand the urban area of Catania

The Arab-Norman Castle probably dates back to the Byzantine age, being for a long time one of the defense outposts against the Arabs.

(Source: castelloditaormina.it)

MORE INFO

Castello di Taormina  >> /www.castelloditaormina.it – info@castelloditaormina.it – Mobile: +39 379 261 8006

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel La Pensione Svizzera – Hotel Villa Schuler – Hotel Villa Ducale – Hotel Villa Carlotta