Best Dog-Friendly Parks & Green Spaces in Taormina

A 2-hectare clifftop public garden laid out in 1922 by English aristocrat Florence Trevelyan, perched on the seaward edge of the centro storico with a 180-degree panorama over the Ionian Sea, Etna and Isola Bella 200 m below. Eclectic Victorian follies (Bizantine pavilions called victorian beehives), mature umbrella pines, palms and bougainvillea. Leashed dogs welcome year-round on all paths.

A stepped pilgrim hike of around 800 steps from Porta Catania up the Monte Tauro slope to the Madonna della Rocca rock-cut ermitage (15th century) with a panoramic terrace 150 m above the Teatro Antico. Continues 30 min further to the ruined Castello di Taormina at 398 m. Free public access; leashed dogs welcome year-round on the steps and at both viewpoints.

The 60,000-hectare Parco dell'Etna UNESCO World Heritage volcanic park, with the most accessible base at Rifugio Sapienza on the southern slope (1,923 m, 1h drive west of Taormina via Catania). Lower-altitude lava-field trails around Crateri Silvestri and the 2002 lava flow are open to leashed dogs year-round; the summit-area cable cars and the 4x4 summit excursions above 2,500 m do not accept animals.