Famous for the special almond wine, the location, the view and the objects (mostly penises) throughout the bar, Turrisi Bar is a must if you get to Castelmola.
Located about 3.3 km on foot or about 5.5 km by car up from Taormina, Castelmola is a small but nice place to visit.
The Turrisi Bar is located in the central piazza, Piazza Duomo, near the church, and it has a fantastic view as it vertically expands on four floors. Like a ….. Hee! Hee!
As for what makes it more famous these days, the wine or the penises… well … opinions can be subjective.
From the Turrisi Bar web site.“The almond wine is made from a dry white wine infused with almonds, citric essences and aromatic herbs. It is a family specialty and it was experimented with by Cavalier Turrisi, the original owner of the bar. Since then, his son Peppino took over. He remodeled the bar and as his life was “happy and prolific”, he decided to use the penis as a symbol in the bar.
The penis is not a vulgar symbol and finds his roots in Greek culture, where the god Priapous represented fertility, freedom, fortune, life and beauty. Greek culture has influenced our own for centuries”.
Throughout the Turrisi Bar you will find the penis in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Even the menu has its shape. At first it was a hard thing to be accepted by locals, specially by the priest, but eventually it became a known and accepted symbol. The bar is famous now for the almond wine and the penis symbol, one generation after another having a unique signature of fame and market ingenuity. Curious which attracts more customers …????
