Ancient Theater, Taormina: Looking down into the cavea to proscenium with back wall of the scena

The theater in Taormina is the second-largest in Sicily after the one in Siracusa. It was a regular stop for visitors on the Grand Tour of the 17th-18th centuries. The date is uncertain but it is believed to be a Greek theater that was enlarged later by the Romans (who used brick). Alternatively, it may have been erected by Roman engineers to be used exclusively by the Greeks. The building shows some Roman structural characteristics, but has many Greek inscriptions. Surviving columns are Corinthian. Under Augustus some attempt was made to introduce the Latin language to the island, but Sicily was allowed to remain largely Greek in a cultural sense, rather than a complete cultural Romanisation.