Oscar Wilde arrived in Taormina in 1898, he was attracted, as was his friend Andr? Gide, by the climate Arcadian and the mythological fascination that Sicily offered to its visitors. In Taormina he stayed in the Hotel Victoria, which still exists today on the Corso Umberto at number 81.

Oscar Wilde had a deep and storied connection to Italy, staying in several notable locations during his travels. In Rome, he frequently stayed at the Hotel Cook (near Piazza di Spagna), where he famously sought a blessing from the Pope. However, his most significant Italian period was in Naples and Capri following his release from prison. In 1897, he lived with Lord Alfred Douglas at the Villa Giudice on the Posillipo hill in Naples. During a brief, scandalous trip to Capri, the "infamous duo" stayed at the prestigious Hotel Quisisana, though they were eventually asked to leave due to complaints from other guests. Wilde also spent time in Palermo, Sicily, staying at the Hotel des Palmes, where he admired the local mosaics. These Italian journeys were a bittersweet final chapter in his life; while he found immense artistic inspiration in the Mediterranean sun, he often struggled with poverty and social ostracization during his "exile" before his final move to Paris.