The Crossroads in Giardini-Naxos, March 2005

Giardini Naxos is a comune in Messina province on the island of Sicily in Italy. Today it is a popular seaside-resort.

Founded by Thucles the Chalcidian in 734 BCE, it was never a powerful city, but its temple of Apollo Archegetes, protecting deity of all the Greek colonies, gave it prominence in religious affairs. Leontini and Catania were both colonized from here. Hippocrates, tyrant of Gela, captured it in 494 BCE. Its opposition to Syracuse ultimately led to its capture and destruction in 403 BCE at the hands of Dionysius the tyrant, after it had supported Athens during that city's disastrous Sicilian Expedition. Though the site continued to be inhabited, most activity shifted to neighbouring Tauromenium.

Today Giardini Naxos is a successful tourist destination. It is known for it's beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters of the Ionian Sea. It has a small, but prosperous fishing port. There are many hotels and restaurants and the town is ten minutes away from another of Sicily's most important tourist destinations Taormina.

Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardini_Naxos