I will be in Taormina for 2 nights in July and will have a car. I would like to eat dinner at restaurants that locals would frequent (I'll also ask when I get there). I prefer that the menu be all in Italian (I've been studying it for years). I wouldn't mind driving for up to 20 minutes or so to get there. Any thoughts?

Topping..... I found a few listings on Gambero Rosso, but I thought that I would try again here.....

You will find absolutely nothing in Taormina itself ...I was there just recently, and looked high and low for a non-touristy restaurant, to no avail. Just getting in and out of Taormina by car will take you 15 or 20 minutes, and the neighboring towns are all very touristy too. Sorry to be discouraging, but I think you would need to drive quite a ways from Taormina to find something truly authentic.

I agree but then each of my visits has been only for a few days and I did not venture away from the town to eat. If you do stay in the town, Il Duomo was filled mostly with locals when we ate there; I think it is a SlowFood member and they did good renditions of traditional Sicilian dishes. They have a terrace with a pleasant view so request that if you want to dine outside.

I agree with the post about "non-touristy" resturants in Taormina. Menu's are usually in a number of languages. REAL Sicilian is difficult to find outside of REAL Sicilian towns. Best chance near Taormina are in the nearby hilltowns of Forza d'Agro and Savoca. They were both used in Godfather filming and fortunately are still quite Sicilian.

ttt

Good idea to explain and ask your hotel after you arrive. After all, here you are asking tourists for places they don't go to.