Perhaps Taormina’s most memorable square is Piazza IX Aprile. The Church of San Giuseppe with its double stairway has held court here since the 17th century, while the historic Wunderbar Caffè has played host to the likes of Truman Capote, Winston Churchill, Tennessee Williams, Henry Faulkner, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, and many others. As beautiful as the piazza may be–many film-site scouts have exploited its mystique–really, its views of the coastline and Mount Etna steal the show.
Allison Scola is founder, owner, and curator of Experience Sicily and the Cannoli Crawl. Named one of the experts for the 2019 New York Times Travel Show, Scola writes and lectures on Sicily and leads immersive tours and designs custom itineraries that delight discerning travelers. She has been featured on Rudy Maxa’s World with the Carey’s, America’s #1 Travel Radio Show and as the cannoli expert in the documentary Cannoli, Traditions Around the Table. Scola has lectured about Sicily at University of Pennsylvania, The New School, LIU Post University, Queens College, Westchester Italian Cultural Center, at high schools in the New York City metropolitan area, and at events in New York City.
