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The French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville called Sicily "the land of gods and heroes," and if that's the case, Taormina is its Mount Olympus and the big attraction for cruise passengers visiting the Mediterranean island.
This charming cliff-top town has pretty much everything you could want -- varied shops, a lively atmosphere, beautiful churches, medieval walls, lots of restaurants featuring good quality local dishes at affordable prices and best of all, fabulous views across the Med (particularly from its spectacular Greek amphitheater, where you can get a glimpse of Sicily's other big attraction, Mount Etna).
Better still, Taormina is compact and easily explored in a short time, so first-time visitors can get a lot out of a day visit (including a chance to splash about in the Med off the town's pretty Isola Bella beach).
Meanwhile, repeat visitors will find plenty to do further afield in Sicily, a beautiful and richly historic island that has been shaped over 30 centuries by invaders from Africa, Asia, Arabia and Europe.
Down the centuries, Sicily has played host to many legendary figures including Archimedes, St. Paul and Richard the Lionheart and (more recently) Goethe, D.H. Lawrence and those twin Hollywood deities, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
So, although you might find tourists thicker on the ground nowadays than either gods or heroes, at least you'll know you're treading in some famous footsteps.
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