Corso Umberto is Taormina's spine — a 1 km pedestrianised street running the full length of the hilltop town between Porta Messina and Porta Catania, lined with shops, restaurants, gelaterie, and the kind of boutiques that exist to separate tourists from their money. It is undeniably beautiful and undeniably commercialised, with views down to the sea opening at every cross-street.
The corso is best in the early morning before the day-trippers arrive from the coastal resorts, and in the evening when the light turns golden and the crowds thin. The two main piazzas — Piazza IX Aprile with its terrace looking over the bay, and Piazza del Duomo with the cathedral and baroque fountain — are the most rewarding stopping points. The Porta di Mezzo clock tower, midway along the corso, is medieval and worth pausing at.