The Isola Bella Natural Reserve

Author: Serena

The wonderful beach of Isola Bella placed in Taormina is a natural reserve preserved by the WWF.

You can reach this small island through a long series of steps and narrow streets placed on the Tauro hill. Following this path you will walk down from an height of 200 metres to the sea level arriving to the point where this island is connected to the dry land by a thin sandy strip.

Excursions can be done from spring until the beginning of autumn. In this Reserve there are several sea birds like the herring gull, the belted kingfisher, the peregrine falcon, the cormorant and the grey heron. Observing the Isola Bella luxuriant vegetation you will note a striking alternation of spontaneous Mediterranean scrub and rare exotic grasses brought here by the original owner of this park: the eccentric Miss Travelyan.

Also the Isola Bella sea bed is incredibly beautiful for its naturalistic value because of the presence of many organisms, of different algae types, of coloured fishes and of several shellfishes.

How to arrive to Isola Bella

Leaving from Pirandello Street you can go up by cable-car until Mazzarò. Once there, you should go on through the main road: the Reserve entry is 200 metres far from there. If you like walking, you can cross Pirandello street until you reach the overlook called “Isola Bella“: here you will find the beginning of a path made up by steps and narrow streets that will directly lead you to the entry of the Reserve.