Taormina: Sicily’s Gilded Exiles

Explore Taormina with a private guide to uncover the artists, writers and exiles who found freedom here, from Wilhelm von Gloeden's studio to the hidden frescoes of Casa Cuseni.

Taormina sits on a cliff above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna rising behind it. Visitors have come here since the days of the Grand Tour, and Goethe was among the first to write about it.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the town became a refuge for gay men from northern Europe. At a time when Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in England, Taormina offered distance, beauty, and a degree of acceptance.

With a guide, you can follow the people who made it so, and see the houses they left behind.

Wilhelm von Gloeden

The German photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden arrived in Taormina in 1878 and set up a studio in the town. He became known across Europe for photographs of local men posed as figures from ancient Greece, and he exhibited in cities including London and Berlin.

His work drew visitors from royalty to industrialists to writers. He shared the proceeds of his sales with the people he photographed, and when he died in 1931, his longtime companion, Pancrazio Buciunì, inherited the estate.

Oscar Wilde’s Visit

Oscar Wilde came to Taormina in December 1897, a few months after his release from prison. He met von Gloeden and the English painter Robert Kitson, who had made the town his home.

Your guide points out the places connected with that circle as you walk the old streets and explains why so many people in Wilde’s position looked south for a new life.

Casa Cuseni

Kitson built Casa Cuseni between 1905 and 1907, choosing Taormina to escape the hostility he faced in England. His friend, the artist Frank Brangwyn, designed much of the interior, and the house is now a museum of fine arts, visited by reservation.

Inside is a fresco that was long kept hidden, showing figures inspired by von Gloeden’s photographs in scenes connected with gay life. Outside, the terraced garden looks across to Etna. Kitson’s niece, Daphne Phelps, inherited the house in 1947 and later wrote about it in A House in Sicily.

Capote and Williams

After the war, a new generation came. Truman Capote lived in Taormina for around a year in the early 1950s, and Tennessee Williams spent time at Casa Cuseni.

For American travellers, it is a striking link. Two of the great writers of twentieth-century America found here the same freedom the earlier exiles had sought.

The Greek Theater and the Corso

No visit is complete without the ancient Greek theatre, set on a slope with the sea on one side and Etna on the other. In the evening, the pedestrian Corso Umberto fills with people walking, shopping, and stopping for a drink.

It makes a natural end to the day, with an aperitivo on a terrace and the same view that drew Goethe, Wilde, and Capote.

Planning Your Taormina Experience

Casa Cuseni is visited by reservation only, so it is worth booking ahead. The town is hilly, with many steps, and the hours around sunset are the most pleasant time to walk. Catania airport is around an hour away by car.

Out Of Office can arrange a private guide, your visit to Casa Cuseni, and a table for dinner overlooking the sea. Your LGBTQ+ travel specialist can also combine Taormina with a day on Etna or a longer journey through Sicily.