Odeon Romano
The street sign reads Via Teatrino Romano, which is about all the warning you get before a small Roman theatre appears behind the Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria — open to the sky, built from clay brick, and easy to walk past entirely if you're not paying attention. It holds fewer than two hundred seats, divided into five sections of cavea, with a stage that was already old when the Romans arrived: they built directly onto the stylobate and colonnade of a Greek temple, possibly dedicated to Aphrodite.
This was never a public venue. The Odeon served Taormina's elite for musical and literary performances — an intimate space, by design. It remains one of only two documented covered theatres in all of Sicily, the other being in Catania.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who stop here rather than walking straight to the Teatro Antico tend to notice the layering — Greek temple beneath Roman brick beneath a 17th-century church built on top of it all. The rear wall of Santa Caterina still shows the Odeon's fabric. That palimpsest, right there in the masonry, is the thing worth pausing for.
The story behind Odeon Romano
When Caesar Augustus made Taormina a Roman military colony in 21 B.C., the Odeon was built over an earlier Greek structure — a Hellenistic temple dating to the 4th or 3rd century B.C., its colonnade repurposed as part of the new stage. For centuries the theatre lay buried, forgotten beneath the foundations of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, which was raised over the site in the early 1600s.
On 5 June 1892, a blacksmith named Antonio Bambara was digging on his land behind the church when his pick struck red brick. The excavation that followed, led by architect Patricolo, uncovered the Odeon in 1893 — damaged in sections, but unmistakably intact in its three main divisions: scene, orchestra and cavea.
Good to know
Entry is free, open daily from 9 a.m. until one hour before sunset. It's a short visit — twenty minutes is generous. The site is not wheelchair accessible. During the Christmas season it doubles as the setting for the city's nativity scene.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons to visit; summer midday heat bears down on the open site, so aim for early morning or late afternoon in July and August. Winter brings cooler temperatures and higher rainfall, though the Christmas nativity adds its own reason to stop by.
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What travellers say about Odeon Romano
What makes the experience even more special is the café located just above the Odeon. Sitting there with a coffee, you can look down over the theatre, its curved tiers, and the surrounding historic buildings an ideal spot to relax, enjoy the ancient atmosphere, and watch the soft evening light play across the ruins. This combination of quiet history and a lovely view makes the Odeon a hidden gem for anyone who enjoys peaceful, reflective moments in Taormina. Hidden just behind the Santa Caterina Church in old town, the Odeon is a small Roman theatre that feels like a peaceful escape from the bustling streets. Unlike the larger Greek Roman theatre nearby, this intimate venue was likely used for musical performances and literary gatherings, offering a glimpse into the quieter side of Roman entertainment. The brick seating and compact stage are beautifully preserved, letting visitors imagine the performances that once took place here.
Small ruins of ancient Roman Theathre Freely accessible (there is a small gate that closes at night) Small hidden gem in the middle of the city
No ticket needed, it’s open and was completely empty when I was there today. Small site.
The Odeon is a nice little archeological site near downtown Taormina. There are remnants of both a temple from 250 BC and an Odeon from 100 BC. The site was very accessible to the public and I was able to freely walk through the ruins. It doesn’t take too much time to explore. There’s a sign giving some information about the ruins. If you’re walking around Taormina, this is a great site to quickly check out.
Worth popping down the side street to see this small theater.
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