What to see in Catania, one-day itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Cathedral of Sant'Agata, Ursino Castle and civic museum.
Tourist information
Among the cities of Sicily, Catania is by smaller size only in Palermo.
A very ancient Chalcidian colony, it reached such an importance that it was enriched with temples, theater, gymnasium, hippodrome, aqueducts, spas, mint and tax authorities.
Subsequently it passed under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Goths, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, Spaniards and Bourbons, until joining the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
In its history Catania has known plague epidemics, Etna eruptions, including that of 169 which caused the destruction of the western part of the city, and earthquakes.
Today in the eyes of the tourist it appears as a modern and active city, the economy is mainly focused on the considerable commercial traffic, which refers to the port, and on the industry, which has reached very high levels.
The artistic beauties that accompany the city include the Duomo, the Ursino Castle, the Cathedral of Sant'Agata and the Collegiate Church. Do not miss ancient buildings such as the Theater, the Amphitheater and the Odeon.
To complete the tourist itinerary to visit Catania, it is worth taking the central via Etna and the beautiful via dei Crociferi, flanked by wonderful eighteenth-century buildings.
The city is also a very popular seaside resort thanks to the beach equipped with numerous sports facilities and tourist premises designed to make holidaymakers' stay pleasant.
After visiting Catania, the climb to Etna is recommended, to attend one of the most evocative and capable of arousing strong emotions.
The Bellini Theater is one of the most important Italian opera houses, dedicated to the great Catania musician.
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Its construction, dating back to the end of the 19th century, is the work of Andrea Scala and Carlo Sada, who created it with a rich facade, a large hall with gallery, four tiers of boxes and a ceiling richly frescoed with a Bellini Apotheosis by Ernesto Bellandi .
What see
On the eastern side of the harmonious Piazza del Duomo, with the Elephant fountain in the center, inside a marble enclosure adorned with statues, stands the Cathedral of Sant'Agata, built in 1092 and rebuilt for the first time in 1169.
After the 1693 earthquake, the church was entirely rebuilt on a design by G. Palazzotto.
In the period between 1730 and 1736, G.B. Vaccarini erected the sumptuous facade with two rows of columns, adorned at the top by a niche with the statues of Sant'Agata and an Angel, and the left side, achieving highly scenographic but stylistically perfect effects.
The transept remains of the original building, flanked by two unfinished towers, and the three semicircular apses with simple Arabic-style arches.
Even in the interior with three naves, of truly grandiose effect, recent restoration works have brought to light many elements of the ancient structure, hidden under the eighteenth-century cladding.
Ursino Castle was built in 1239, at the behest of Frederick II of Swabia, by the architect Riccardo da Lentini, who took twelve years to build it, and served as a fortification to defend the city against possible attacks from the sea.
From the end of 1200, to the time of Alfonso of Aragon, three centuries later, it was the home of the Aragonese family and subsequently became the residence of the Viceroys.
After the splendors of the sixteenth century passed, an era of decay followed, later becoming a military district and prison.
In 1836 it was ceded by the Municipality to the Bourbons and, seriously neglected, it was reduced first to barracks, then to prison for the Austrians.
It was necessary to wait until 1932 to be able to see the restoration work completed by the great writer Federico de Roberto completed, a restoration that has restored at least the dignity of a monument, even if it has failed to bring it back to its former glory.
Inside the Castello Ursino there is now the civic museum, where you can admire numerous archaeological finds, paintings and the entire rarity heritage that make up the Biscari private collection.
