Also known as the Clock Tower because of the clock at the top, the elegant Porta di Mezzo in Taormina closes the Piazza IX Aprile and divides the Greco-Roman part from the medieval part of the town.

Its base is thought to date back to the Greek-Byzantine period, in fact its foundations consist of large square blocks of Taormina stone; later the building had to be strengthened by Arabs and Normans, who made it a tower.

The upper part was destroyed in 1676 during a siege by the French, and was rebuilt in 1679, as reported by a plaque in the inner wall.

However this plaque is a copy of the original, tha has been lost.

On the inside there is a mosaic of Byzantine inspiration with an icon of the Madonna holding the baby Jesus, it dates to 1966.

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