A narrow tongue of pebbles reaches towards Isola Bella from the shore below Taormina. The tide can cover or expose this short natural isthmus, changing the outline of an island once called Isola di Santo Stefano. Between Capo Sant’Andrea and Capo Taormina, its wooded rock rises from a bay of clear water and pale stone.
Florence Trevelyan bought the island in 1890, adding a small house and rare plantings. The Bosurgi family acquired it in 1954 and fitted a retreat of pavilions and a small pool among the rocks and vegetation. The island’s built character belongs to this history of gardens and private residence, even where foliage conceals the structures.
The protected landscape extends beyond the islet. The 10.49-hectare Isola Bella Nature Reserve includes both headlands, creating a coastal refuge within a densely developed stretch of Taormina. Its plants include Limonio ionico and Fiordaliso di Taormina; the surrounding bay has rocky seabeds, Posidonia oceanica seagrass and submerged caves. Audouin’s gull and the small red-bellied lizard are among the wildlife recorded in the reserve.
The bay also has a much older history as an approdo, or landing place. Underwater finds point to its use in antiquity, while eighteenth-century maps name a northern landing scaro dei monaci. The proposed connection with a monastery remains uncertain. A visit brings these layers together: an ancient landing place, a planted island retreat and a nature reserve, with the town rising above it.
The Sicilian regional cultural-heritage authority acquired the island in 1990 after its years as a private retreat. The oriented nature reserve was established by decree on 4 November 1998. Today the University of Catania manages the reserve, while the archaeological park has a separate remit for the natural-history museum.
