How to Visit Isola Bella, Sicily
Last Updated on 13th August 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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Often referred to as the Pearl of the Ionian Sea thanks to its sheer beauty, the beautiful Isola Bella is a charming tidal island just off of the main coast of Sicily, close to the equally beautiful town of Taormina on the glittering eastern coastline.
Please note that while some people refer to the entirety of Taormina as the Pearl of Sicily, others refer simply to the island of Isola Bella as the Pearl of Sicily.
The island itself is located within a small, sheltered bay (the so-called Gulf of Naxos) and is a tidal island, meaning that twice a day, the tide recedes low enough for visitors to cross between the mainland the the little islet on foot across a narrow, rocky path.
The name Isola Bella came about when a German aristocrat by the name of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden termed the Taormina island as such in the latter half of the 19th-century.
On the island today there’s a single house, which sits on the upper half of Isola Bella, while the lower half is covered in typically Mediterranean scrub.
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A brief history of Isola Bella
In 1806 the island was gifted to the town of Taormina by Ferdinand I of Bourbon, then King of Sicily. In 1890, the island was sold to Florence Trevelyan, an English landscaper and gardener who was best-known for her work creating follies, for the sum of around 14,000 Lire.
No one quite knows how Trevelyan ended up in Taormina. The usual explanation is that following a two-year Europe tour with her first cousin, Harriet Perceval, Trevelyan decided to settle in Taormina.
The other (juicier) explanation is that she was exiled to Sicily by Queen Victoria as a result of her affair with the Queen’s eldest son, Prince Edward, the future King Edward VII.
These claims were put forward in a book from 1995 called Taormina Segreta – La Belle Epoque 1876-1914, though nothing has ever been proven.
Florence Trevelyan built a house on the island and established a garden which featured plants native to Sicily, as well as those from further beyond. Soon enough the island had become a lush green paradise, home to countless birds, lizards, and rare shrubs and plants.
Following the death of Florence, the island remained privately owned until the Region of Sicily purchased the island in 1990 and transformed its status into a nature reserve. Today, the island remains open to the public and remains one of the defining natural markers of the Sicilian coastline.
How to visit Isola Bella
The easiest way to get to Isola Bella from Taormina town centre is to take the cable car (€6 return) from via Pirandello to Mazzarò.
From the bottom of the cable car, you’ll want to turn right along the coastline and you’ll come across the steps leading down to the sea in around 200 metres. Even if you only have a few days in Taormina, then the Isola Bella is still worth checking out.
Getting to the island
Isola Bella is located down some 300+ steep steps (so be sure to wear comfortable shoes) and then a path which leads directly to the island. There’s a beach club (lido), as well as resort in the same bay as the island.
Indeed, Isola Bella beach (both the lido and the free beach) is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Sicily. The island of Isola Bella is open from 9 AM every day until one hour before sunset apart from on Mondays when it’s closed.
In 2011, the island was turned into Museo Naturalistico Regionale di Isolabella and in order to visit the island you’ll have to pay an entrance fee of €4, otherwise you can only get as far as the beach of the island (the rest of the island is gated).
Unfortunately, the main house on Isola Bella (named for its last owner and known as Villa Caronia) is pretty dilapidated and can’t be visited.
Furthermore, recent reports suggest that it’s not really worth it to pay the entrance fee anymore as you can only see a few of the paths and not reach the terraces on the upper half of the island.
Admiring the island from the water
Another way to enjoy the beauty of Isola Bella without actually stepping foot on it is to actually book a boat tour of the coastline.
We did this and thoroughly enjoyed our sunset cruise of snacks and drinks while admiring the many grottos (and of course smaller islands) which populate the coastline of Sicily. Find details of the boat tour here.
