Taormina for a break between Best of Italy and Best of South Italy tours ??

I had a great stay at the Casa Cuseni; here's my review: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy-reviews/taormina-accommodation-casa-cuseni. Worth every euro-cent.

There is a bus from Taormina right to Catania airport; no need to go into Catania itself. And Catania airport is actually the largest in Sicily; there are something like 11 flights a day to Rome on Alitalia alone, so it's easy to get to the start of your Best of South Italy tour.

I loved my time in Taormina - great choice. The real must-see is the vibe and beauty of the city itself, but the Greco-Roman Theater is a close second. If you get bored, the travel agencies in town have all kinds of daytrip packages (although you will have seen lots of them already on your tour).

Where to stay really depends on your budget. The Casa Turrisi is a great budget choice. The Villa Ducale is an absolute treat! Villa Gaia and Casa Cuseni are great in-between choices (price-wise). I've stayed twice at Villa Gaia. The important thing is to be careful that your accommodation is right in Taormina proper - close to Corso Umberto I - and not further down (or up) more than a street or two.

If a room option offers a balcony or window view of Mt. Etna - go for it!

I'm very glad that you chose Taormina, you won't regret it!

Must-sees are the Greek Theatre, a trip up to Castlemola, just wandering and enjoying the views!

We visited Taormina in October 2010, but I can't imagine it's changed that much since then.

Stayed at Hotel Villa Schuler just off the main drag (Corso Umberto), and the beauty of it is that Taormina is full of hills and to get to and from this hotel is only a slight decline & incline. Very comfortable rooms, breakfast area/patio looks over the Ionian Sea. Just beautiful. Not cheap but worth it at around 205 Euro/night.

Besides visiting the Teatro Greco as mentioned above, a couple good restaurants would be Rosso Peperoncino, which is owned by Angelo Longo, formerly head chef/owner at Licchio's down near the gate at Porto Messina. Peperoncino is near the other end. Also Osteria Nero D'Avola, which is a trip and a half. The owner, who was featured on a couple of Anthony Bourdain episodes, is a little nutty but very passionate about his food, which is incredible. Worth a stop for the cuisine & the theater as well.

The tour company Sicily Life took us on the 'Godfather Tour' up to the medieval villages of Forza D'Agro, Castelmola & Savoca, where various scenes from the movie were filmed. Fantastic. Also, right around there, we visited some catacombs where former mayors, priests, 'heavy hitters' in town from past centuries are painted, dressed up & propped upright for people to see. About as weird as it gets, believe me, but I'm glad we went.

I loved Taormina. It's not Italy, but has Italian influences, as well as Spanish, German, Greek & Arab flavors.

We were in Taormina around that time this past spring, and enjoyed attending an "Italian Opera" performance on Saturday night. I'm not sure they do this every year ... look for posters around town, or ask your hotel about it once you arrive. It was held in a little theater just off the main square and featured a tenor, a soprano and a pianist doing arias from 10 operas. There was an intermission, with prosecco on the lovely rooftop. If they are having these performances when you are there, I would highly recommend.

Be sure to spend some time wandering through the public gardens. Also, be sure to take the funicular down to the beach and walk over to Isola Bella. Not much of a beach (very rocky) but picturesque.

And we enjoyed a restaurant that was located on the street just before the funicular, called L'Incontro. Have fun!