Isola Bella (Sicily)

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Isola Bella is a small island in the Ionian Sea off the east coast of Sicily. It belongs to the district of Taormina Mazzaro in the province of Messina and is connected by a sandbar to the beach of Mazzaro.

King Ferdinand III. Sicily gave the island in 1806 the municipality of Taormina. However, this they had to sell in 1900 because of financial difficulties. First, the island came into the possession of Florence Trevelyan, a member of the Anglican parish of Taormina, the exotic plants bred there, which they planted in the city founded by her park of Taormina. After several changes of ownership, the island was eventually acquired in 1954 by the brothers Bosurgi, who built a large residential buildings there. The island was now used as a venue for business meetings and meeting artists.

In 1990, when the company went bankrupt Bosurgi the brothers, the island was sold, and the Region of Sicily could acquire them. In 1998, she was declared by the WWF nature reserve, since some rare protected plant and animal species are found, among other things, some bird and lizard species.

Currently (August 2009) are four daily free guided tours offered on the island, which is otherwise closed to the public. The number of participants is limited to 15 people.

The name of the island goes back to Wilhelm von Gloeden, which came at the end of the 19th century to Taormina and made known throughout the world the place through his photographs.