What to see in Catania

Cathedral of Sant'Agata

Catania Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Catania, Cattedrale di Sant'Agata) dedicated to Saint Agatha, is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, and since...

Castle Ursino

The Ursino Castle (the origin of the name is still uncertain) is located at the centre of the large square dedicated to Friederich II of Schwaben. The history of the construction is associated to the “praepositus edificiorum” Riccardo da Lentini;...

Piazza Duomo

Palazzo Biscari

Palazzo Biscari is a private palace built by will of the Paternò Castello family, the princes of Biscari, starting from the late 17th century, lasting for much of the following century, after the devastations of the 11 January 1693 earthquake....

Bellinian Civic Museum

Inaugurated on May 5th 1930, it has been created in the birth place of Vincenzo Bellini. Inside the museum there are three big halls and two small rooms: the sequence of the halls explains the life and career of the great composer. Paintings,...

Elephant Fountain

Roman Theatre

The monument, leaning against the southern side of the acropolis hill and built in volcanic materials, is some 102 metres in diameter and was able to accommodate at least 7,000 spectators. Today most of the cavea [the terraces], one edge of the...

Bellini Garden

The Giardino Bellini (also known as Villa Bellini; English translation: "Bellini Garden") is the oldest urban park of Catania. It occupies 70.942 m².

Before the construction of a public garden, the area was occupied by a botanical maze...

Church of Saint Benedict

San Benedetto is a church dedicated to St. Benedict of Nursia, it was built between 1704 and 1713. The church is part of a complex including also the Badia Maggiore and the Badia Minore, connected by a covered bridge over the road.

Its...

Elephant Palace - Town Hall

Palazzo degli Elefanti (English: "Elephants Palace") is a historical building in Catania and currently houses the city's Town Hall.

The palace, located on the northern side of the Cathedral square, was begun in 1696 after the devastating...

Theater Massimo Vincenzo Bellini

The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house. Named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer's masterwork, Norma. It seats 1,200.

The creation of what was to...

Amphitheater

The Roman anfiteatro [amphitheater] is today partially visible in the very central Piazza Stesicoro. Its external margins fall along present-day Via Penninello, Via Neve and the church of San Biagio. The visible part of the structure, built in...

Fish Market

The Pescheria (Piscarìa in Sicilian) is the ancient fish market of the city of Catania and is included in the tourist itinerary for the folklore it exudes as you walk among the fishmonger's stalls.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can you...

Odeon

Situated just to the west of the theatre and also in volcanic stone is the odéon [odeum, a small auditorium similar in plan to the theatre and designed to host musical and oratorical performances]. 

It was erected after the larger...

Basilica of the Collegiate

The Basilica della Collegiata (also known as Santa Maria dell'Elemosina) is an example of Sicilian Baroque.

The church was built in the early 18th century, after the earthquake of 1693 that had destroyed most of the city.

The design...

Porta Garibaldi

Indirizzo Baths

The thermal complex stands in Piazza Currò, south of the cathedral and partially incorporated into the Carmelite convent of Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo [Saint Mary of the Address], from which the building draws its present-day name: Terme...

Rotonda Baths

Northeast of the "forum", in Via della Rotonda, a circular building covered with a dome supported by eight arches constitutes the only remaining part of an interesting thermal complex. 

In the sixth century the structure was transformed...

Church of the Badia of Sant'Agata

Opposite the north side of the Cathedral, on the via Vittorio Emanuele, the church of St. Agatha Abbey, and its ex monastery annex (now owned by the municipality) occupy an entire block.

The soft fabric of the façade, gathered in...

Church of Sant'Agata in Prison

Monastery of San Nicolò The Arena

House of Giovanni Verga

The House and Museum are housed on the second floor of the 19th century palace where Verga spent his childhood and lived for many years surrounded by his family and friends. When the writer's last heir, Giovannino Verga Patriarca died, the House...

Via dei Crociferi

Achilles Baths

Terme Achilliane consist of several structures partially covered by the cathedral. Reached through a trap-door in front of the church, it is dominated by a wide rectangular hall with four pillars in the centre which support the vaults. The...

Civic Museum at Ursino Castle

Inaugurated in 1934 inside this superb fortress built between 1239 and 1250 by the architect Riccardo da Lentini and wanted by Frederick II of Swabia. At first it contained the private collections of the citizens of Catania, in particular the...

Church of San Placido

Amenano Fountain

The Amenano Fountain is located on the south side of Piazza del Duomo, opposite the Palazzo degli Elefanti.

Built in 1867 by the Neapolitan master Tito Angelini in Carrara marble, it represents the Amenano River as a young man holding a...

University Palace

Teatro Verga

Teatro Verga is the headquarters of the Teatro Stabile di Catania.

The theatre was built in 1969, after renovating an old cinema. The hall was given the name of Teatro delle Muse, and became the main theater company of the Teatro Stabile...

Via Etnea

Church of San Giuliano

According to some scholars, the church of San Giuliano can be attributed to Vaccarini, who is believed to have built it between 1739 and 1751. The façade, concave in the center, is animated by a crowning loggia that is positioned at the height of...

Piazza Carlo Alberto - Flea Market

Monument to Cardinal Dusmet

Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet (15 August 1818 - 4 April 1894), born Giuseppe Dusmet, was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He took the name of "Benedetto" upon his entry into the Order of Saint Benedict.
He was beatified on 25 September 1988 by...

Palazzo Tezzano

The Palazzo Tezzano is a historic building in Piazza Stesicoro. The construction of Palazzo Tezzano started in 1709 on land owned by the count and physician Nicholas Tezzano. It was later donated to the city of Catania. It was transformed into a...

Botanical Garden

A magnificent and luxurious structure of 1788, it houses collections of great importance. It covers a surface of about 16.000 square meters. 

The Hortus Generalis features many exotic plants, while the Hortus Siculus shows the spontaneous...

Church of Santa Maria di Gesù

Porta Uzeda

The Uzeda Gate, opened in 1696 within the sixteenth-century city walls, was built as a southern exit from Piazza del Duomo and to connect the former seminary of the Clerics (now Palazzo dei Chierici) to the Archbishop's Palace and the...

Diocesan Museum

The Diocesan Museum of Catania is the museum of the Cathedral and the episcopal see. The works of diocesan origin acquired by the museum mainly attest to the events and moments of the lives of certain churches, regular and secular, of the...

Church of San Francesco Borgia

The Church of San Francesco Borgia (a Spanish saint born in 1510, a relative of Charles V) is characterized by its beautiful white stone facade, the work of the architect Friar Angelo Italia. Inside, it houses works of great beauty, such as the...

Palazzo Valle