Catania

Overview

  Catania is the second largest city of Sicily after Palermo; Picturesque and noisy Catania is the city of the volcano. Dark and gloomy as an introverted God, the Etna dominates from its height the animated streets of the city symbolizing the essential characteristic of local inhabitants: activity. The symbols of the city fit perfectly with its inhabitants: the elephant, good and brave animal and Saint Agata, virgin and martyr able to stop the fury of the Etna with the supernatural power of her veil. Catania is a dark city, built with the black stones of its volcano and, at the same time, it’s solar having annually approximately 2.528 hours of sunshine - the highest average in Italy. It is an ancient city, apparently deriving from the Greek colonies but sometimes seems almost indifferent to its past. As an example, the Greek Theater is almost hidden at the end of a small street. Catania was founded on the smoking remains of a village by Greek colonists in the year 729 BC. Its name means hill, and on a hill, in effect, was built the acropolis in an area that today is the biggest Benedictines monastery.  

Landmarks

Ancient edifices:

• Greek-Roman Theatre of Catania (2nd century)
• Odeon (3rd century). It could house up to 1500 spectators
• Amphitheatre
• Greek Acropolis of Montevergine
• Roman Aqueduct
• Roman Forum
• Roman broken arcades
• Christian basilicas, hypogea, burial monuments and Catacombs
• Roman Colonnade

Roman thermal structures

• Achillean Baths
• Terme dell’Indirizzo
• Terme di Santa Maria Odigitria
• Terme della Rotonda
• Baths of the Four Quoins
• Terme di Palazzo Asmundo
• Terme del Palazzo dell’Università
• Terme di Casa Gagliano
• Terme della Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

Baroque and historical churches The Baroque city centre of Catania is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• The Cathedral (1070–1093, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake)
• Saint Agatha Abbey (1620)
• Saint Placidus (1769)
• Church of San Giuseppe al Duomo
• Church of Santissimo Sacramento al Duomo
• Church of San Martino dei Bianchi
• Church of Sant'Agata la Vetere (254)
• Saint Agatha by the Furnace or Saint Blaise (1098, rebuilt in 1700)
• Church of the Saint Jail or Saint Agatha at the Jail (Santo Carcere or Sant'Agata al Carcere) (1760). This temple includes the ancient jail where Saint Agatha was allegedly imprisoned during her martyrdom.
• Saint Francis of Assisi at the Immaculate (1329). It still houses the mortal remains of Queen Eleanor of Sicily, who decided and promoted the construction of the principal Franciscan building of Catania on the same place of the once Roman Temple of Minerva
• Saint Benedict of Nursia (1704–1713)
• Badìa Grande e Badìa Piccola del Chiostro delle Monache Benedettine
• Benedictine Nuns' Arch (Arco delle Monache Benedettine)
• Basilica della Collegiata, a notable example of Sicilian Baroque, whose façade was designed by Stefano Ittar
• Saint Mary of Ogninella
• Saint Michael the Lesser
• Saint Michael Archangel or Minorites' Church
• Saint Julian
• Saint Julian's Monastery
• Santa Teresa di Avila
• Saint Francis Borgia or Jesuits' Church
• Convent of the Jesuits
• Saint Mary of Jesus (1465, restored in 1706)
• Saint Dominic or Saint Mary the Great (1224)
• Dominicans Friary (1224)
• Saint Mary of Purity or Saint Mary of Visitation (1775)
• Madonna of Graces' Chapel
• Saint Ursula
• Saint Agatha on the Lavic Runnels
• Saint Euplius Old Church Ruins
• Church of San Gaetano alle Grotte (260)
• Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciated Mary of Carmel (1729)
• Saint Agatha by the Borough (1669, destroyed in 1693 and rebuilt in 1709). The "Borough" (il Borgo) is an inner district of Catania.
• Saint Nicholas by the Borough
• Church of the Santissimo Sacramento al Borgo
• Church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza al Borgo
• Chapel of the Blind's Housing (Ospizio dei Ciechi)
• Saint Camillus of the Crucifers
• Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena (1558)
• Basilica of San Nicola l'Arena (1687)
• Church of Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo (1730)
• Saint Clare (1563)
• Convent of the Poor Clares (1563)
• Saint Sebastian Martyr (1313)
• Saint Anne
• Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Aiuto
• Madonna of Loreto
• Church of San Giuseppe al Transito
• Church of Immacolata Concezione dei Minoritelli
• Church of Sant'Agata al Conservatorio delle Verginelle
• Church of Santa Maria dell'Itria or Odigitria).
• Saint Philip Neri
• Saint Martha
• Church of the Holy Child
• Our Lady of Providence
• Church of San Berillo in Santa Maria degli Ammalati
• Our Lady of the Poor
• Church of San Vincenzo de' Paoli
• Saint John the Baptist, in the suburb of San Giovanni di Galermo
• Saint Anthony Abbot
• Little Saviour's Byzantine Chapel
• Saint Augustine
• Church of the Most Holy Trinity
• Church of the Little Virgins
• Our Lady of the Rotunda
• Church of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato (1796).
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ognina (1308).
• Saint Mary's Tower (Torre Santa Maria)
• Temple Athena Longatis or Parthenos Longatis
• Our Lady of Montserrat (1755)
• Church of Santa Maria della Salute
• Saint Mary of La Salette
• Church of Santa Maria della Mercede
• Church of Santa Caterina al Rinazzo
• Our Lady of Concordia
• Church of Santa Maria della Guardia
• Our Lady of Consolation
• Church of Santissimo Crocifisso Maiorana
• Crucifix of Miracles
• Crucifix of Good Death
• Our Lady of La Mecca
• Saint Cajetan at the Marina
• Most Holy Redeemer
• Saint Francis of Paola
• Church of the Divina Maternità
• Chapel of Mary Auxiliatrix
• Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Church of the Sacro Cuore al Fortino (1898)
• Saints George and Denis
• Church of the Sacred Heart of the Capuchins
• Saint Christopher
• Saints Cosmas and Damian
• Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso or Santa Maria della Palma
• Saint Vitus
• Church of the Santi Angeli Custodi
• Church of the Santissimo Salvatore

Others

• Palace of the Elephants, designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini. It houses the Town Hall.
• Castello Ursino
• Palzzo delle poste
• Negozio Frigeri
• Biscari Palace
• Tezzano Palace
• Uzeda Gate
• The Medieval Gothic-Catalan Arch of Saint John of Friars (San Giovanni de' Fleres)
• Ferdinandean Gate or Garibaldi Gate (Porta Ferdinandea or Porta Garibaldi), a triumphal arch erected in 1768 to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Marie Caroline of Austria
• Porta del Fortino ("Redoubt Gate")
• Bellini Theater
• Sangiorgi Theater
• Palazzo Rosa ("Pink Palace")
• Negozio Frigeri ("Frigeri Shop", or "Frigeri Palace")
• The House of the Mutilateds of War (Casa del Mutilato) built in Fascist-style architecture
• Catania War Cemetery, a Commonwealth Graveyard located in the southern country hamlet of Bicocca
• Palazzo delle Poste ("Post Office Palace")
• Bellini Garden, or Villa Bellini
• Catania Botanical Garden
• Pacini Garden, or Villa Pacini
• Gioeni Park