The Greeks came to Taormina in 735 B.C. Later, Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, seized the area around Mount Tauro in order to conquer the plain. In 392 B.C., thanks to an agreement with the Carthaginians, Dionysius gained possession of the mountain. Andromachus was chosen to govern the area and he founded the city of Tauromenium. To keep from being attacked, the city subjugated itself to the very powerful Rome in 212 B.C. and became a colony, a resort for consuls and patricians (who had luxurious villas built), and became a “cash cow” for the Empire. The taxes levied on the city grew increasingly burdensome, holding back the economic development of the territory. The fall of the Roman Empire (476 A.D.) brought the slow and difficult conversion to Byzantine Christianity, and eventually Tauromenium became the seat of the bishop (and remained so until 1082).
After the fall of the Empire, Muslims and Christians took turns ruling the city until 962, when the Arabs conquered Tauromenium and renamed it Almoezia. During Arab rule the city went through a period of grandeur: innovations were introduced in agriculture (orange and lemon production, irrigation systems), philosophy, medicine and mathematics.
In 1078, the Norman Roger de Hauteville, with the support of the Pope, conquered Almoezia, returning it to the Christians (who enjoyed some freedom even during Arab domination) and restoring the original name. Norman domination also had a positive influence on the city, both from an architectural point of view and a cultural one. After the Normans it was the Swedes’ turn. During the reign of Frederick II (l194-1250) Taormina enjoyed a brief, but intense, period of prosperity. But the (French) pope did not approve of the Swedes and crowned a fellow Frenchman, Charles d'Anjou, king of Sicily. Taormina, along with other cities on the island, refused to recognize Charles d’Anjou as the new king, and continued to support the Swedes. In 1282 hostility to the French exploded in the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers.
After almost a century of conflict, Sicily, and therefore Taormina, passed to the Spaniards, and Palazzo Corvaja became the seat of the Sicilian parliament. A centuries-long period of stability followed despite the increasingly burdensome taxes imposed by Spain. Later, from 1713 on, Sicily passed to the control of the house of Savoy, the Austrians and then again to Spain. Spain made a notable contribution to the development of Taormina, executing noteworthy works, such the stretch of road connecting Messina to Catania and one connecting the city to the sea. Spanish domination lasted until August 3, 1860, when the Thousand reached Taormina under the command of Nino Bixio.