Set in a spectacular position. this theatre is one of the most famous Sicilian monu- ments in the world. It was built in the Hellenistic age and then almost completely rebuilt in the Roman period, when it became an arena for gladiatorial combat. 
From the cavea, carved from the side of a hill, the view takes in Giardini-Naxos (see p180) and Mount Etna. The upper part of the nine- section theatre is surrounded by a double portico. The theatre originally had a dia- meter of 109 m (358 ft) and a seating capacity of 5,000. Behind the stage area stood a wall with niches and a colonnade. Some of the Corin- thian columns are still standing.