Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily: an unusual spot near Taormina

Bar Turrisi in Castelmola Sicily is for sure the first attraction to be listed in the things to do in Castelmola Sicily and one of the places to visit near Taormina.

Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily: history of the bar

Bar Turrisi in Castelmola Sicily was founded in 1947 by the producer Turrisi, skilled in the production of wine since he came from a country family. He aromatized the wine in order to let tourists know and preserve the aromas and scents of their land. His speciality is the almond wine, born from a dry white wine in fusion with almonds, aromatic herbs and citrus absences.

The ancient name of this bar in Castelmola Sicily came from the same almonds that enriched the wine: “Taverna del mandorlo in fiore” (“tavern of the blooming almond tree”). Then, the things changed, the tourists who then stopped in Castelmola Sicily were intrigued by the smell of this sweet nectar, all obviously accompanied by the particular hospitality of the great womanizer of the house, the knight Turrisi.

Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily began to make its way, so much that in 1958 a historical tourist magazine wrote: Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily “with the very recent elevation makes it graceful and jaunty, beautiful and comfortable, full of every assortment and with albums for the visitors’ signature“. Even today it is possible to immerse yourself in that enchantment, simply by leafing through the ancient books that contain the memories and images of a past that has never vanished.

The meaning of the phallus at Bar Turrisi

Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily usually shocks unprepared visitors because of its peculiar ornaments and decorations: from the shop windows to every small detail of the interior, various phallic objects will appear in front of your eyes. Doorknobs, lamps, wooden statues, glasses, floor patterns, the walls and the faucet in the toilette, the menus…everything in the here reminds a phallic shape.

The history of the phallus is a representation of the culture of the places. In this case, Taormina and Castelmola Sicily had great amateurs, great dreamers and great transgressors as protagonists. It was these places that hosted the first gay communities in the last decades of the nineteenth century and they indulged in all kinds of extravagance, wildness and freedom. The German Baron V.W. Gloeden, with his photographs of male nudes, used to represent the Hellenic world. It is here that the knight Turrisi, because of his passion for history, wanted to represent all the culture of that time, thus creating the famous bar in Castelmola Sicily.

The idea of ​​the phallus certainly initially aroused great dismay, especially for the parish priest, but actually, it is a symbol not vulgar at all, also found in the culture of the Greeks, ancient colonizers of this land. The symbol recalls the god Priapus, who represented fertility, freedom, luck, life and beauty in ancient Greece. These ideals, which have always hovered in the air of this hot and arid land, find a well-defined location in this bar, which together with the other choreographic elements, tries to synthesize part of Sicilian culture. Moreover, the phallus is a symbol that represented the antidote to the evil eye in ancient times, whose effectiveness certainly cannot be denied.

Today this place continues to carry on what history has left, without neglecting the needs of the present. As a matter of fact, at Bar Turrisi Castelmola Sicily tourists can taste many local dishes prepared with expertise, sitting in one of the beautiful little terraces overlooking the square, and of course, trying the delicious sweet almond wine!

Castelmola Sicily: one of the most beautiful Italian villages

Castelmola Sicily stands on a rock above Taormina, with a wonderful view of the towns. One of our best sellers is the Taormina and Castelmola tour, which gives the opportunity to visit Taormina including the majestic Greek Theatre, and Castelmola Sicily. This town never disappoints tourists who love walking through the tiny lanes, taking pictures, shopping for local ceramic crafts and visiting the ancient churches. So, the Turrisi bar is not the only attraction in the things to do in Castelmola.

Historically, Castelmola Sicily has always represented a place of shelter for all the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages, a natural fortress that, due to the lack of roads, became a hostile and difficult to conquer the place, as well as a strategic spot. In 1941 the Germans installed the most powerful radio station in the Mediterranean on the castle, whose ruins remain today at the very top of the town. From there, the location shows a great view of Mt. Etna and the Ionian Sea to those who do not fear a long uphill climb, as one of the things to do in Castelmola Sicily.

Castelmola Sicily was bombed over twelve times, lapped by fires, which flared up almost every night, remains unharmed, and raises a high, devoted and solemn hymn of thanksgiving to its Protector: St. George, to whom the Cathedral Church is dedicated. Castelmola Sicily is definitely a not-to-be-missed spot if you are looking for places to visit near Taormina where to enjoy spectacular views or visit an unusual location.