Showing 1-17 of 17 results
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Arco di San Benedetto
The Arco di San Benedetto is an arch built by the Benedictines in 1704. According to legend, it was built in one night to defy a city ordnance against its construction on the grounds that it was a seismic liability. On the left past the arch is the imposing Chiesa di San Benedetto, built between 1704 and 1713. Inside is some splendid stucco and marble work.
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Castello Ursino
If you walk south from Piazza del Duomo, through the impressive Porta Uzeda (built in 1696) and down to Piazza Federico di Svevia, you'll come across the imposing fortifications of the 13th-century Castello Ursino, built by Frederick II. The grim-looking fortress, surrounded by a moat, was once on a cliff top overlooking the sea; following the earthquake of 1693 the whole area to the south was reclaimed by the lava and the castle became landlocked.
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Chiesa di San Giuliano
The Chiesa di San Giuliano (1738-51), designed by Vaccarini, is about halfway up Via Crociferì. The convex central façade makes for an interesting effect. Further on you'll notice the excavations that have resulted in the whole street being closed off to traffic: here, at the crossroads with Via Antonino di Sangiuliano, a section of the old Roman road and a sizable floor mosaic have been uncovered. You can peer over the boarding to take a look.
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Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena
Directly opposite Chiesa di San Giuliano is the tiny Via Gesuiti, which leads west to Piazza Dante and Sicily's largest church, the Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena. Commissioned in 1687, work on the building was interrupted by the earthquake of 1693 and then by problems with its size - it is 105m long, 48m wide and its cupola is 62m high. The church was never completed. It has a terribly ugly façade, a stark contrast to the rich embellishments that adorn the city's other baroque structures.
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Fontana dell'Amenano
The Fontana dell'Amenano at the entrance of the Piazza del Duomo food market is Tito Angelini's commemoration of the River Amenano, which once ran overground and on whose banks the Greeks founded the city of Katane.
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Fontana dell'Elefante
In the centre of the piazza is the city's most memorable monument, the smiling Fontana dell'Elefante (Fountain of the Elephant; 1736). This comical statue is composed of a naive elephant, dating from the Roman period, surmounted by an improbable Egyptian obelisk. The elephant, with its upturned trunk, is known locally as Liotru and is the symbol of the city.
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Le Ciminiere
Le Ciminiere is a renovated sulphur refinery building. The renovation involved transforming the refineries into a cultural centre while preserving their original character - a bit like the Tate Modern in London. It houses a collection of modern art and a permanent exhibition of WWII memorabilia, art and photography. Enquire at the tourist office about temporary exhibitions and cultural events, or pick up the Lapis leaflet.
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Monastero di San Nicolò all'Arena
Directly behind the church and part of the same complex is the massive Benedictine Monastero di San Nicolò all'Arena, built in 1703 and now part of the city's university. It is the second largest monastery in Europe and has some lovely internal cloisters and one of the most valuable libraries on the island, complete with its original bookcases and 18th-century majolica tiled floors.
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Museo Belliniano
The city's most interesting street is probably Via Crociferì. At the southern end, on Piazza San Francesco, is the Museo Belliniano, the former home of Vincenzo Bellini, now a small museum with a good collection of the composer's memorabilia, including original scores, photographs and his death mask. Opposite the Museo Belliniano is the 18th-century Chiesa di San Francesco.
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Museo Civico
The Museo Civico is the repository of the valuable archaeological collection put together by Catania's most important aristocratic family, the Biscaris. It also houses treasures from the monastery of San Nicolò and some Roman artefacts.
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Odeon
Off Via Crociferì lie the ruinous remains of the Roman theatre and a small rehearsal theatre, the Odeon.
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Piazza del Duomo
The central square of Catania, Piazza del Duomo, is a World Heritage site. Surrounded by magnificent, sinuous buildings, the piazza is a sumptuous example of Catania's own style of baroque with its contrasting lava and limestone.
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Piazza dell'Università
Via Etnea runs from Piazza del Duomo right up through the city and into the foothills of Mt Etna. It is a bright street with lots of shops and cafés, and at its heart is Piazza dell'Università. Facing each other on the square are two buildings designed by Vaccarini - the Palazzo dell'Università to the west and the Palazzo Sangiuliano to the east. The former is the city's university.
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Roman Amphitheatre
The western side of the large and modern Piazza Stesicoro is dominated by the sunken remains of the Roman amphitheatre. It doesn't look like much today, but in around the 2nd century BC it could seat up to 16,000 spectators and was second in size only to the Colosseum in Rome. What you see from the street is only a part of the once-massive structure, which extended as far south as Via Penninello. You can explore part of the vaults and get an idea of the true size of the theatre from a diagram.
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Sant'Agata al Carcere
A small walk away from Piazza Stesicoro you will find the church of Sant'Agata al Carcere, built above the dungeons where the saint was imprisoned and tortured. You can ask the custodian for permission to take a peak at the gloomy prison cell below the church.
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St Agata's Cathedral
Facing the elephant fountain in Piazza del Duomo is Catania's other defence against the volcano, St Agata's Cathedral, with its impressive marble façade sporting two orders of columns taken from the Roman amphitheatre. Inside the huge vaulted interior lie the remains of the city's patron saint, the young virgin, Agata, who resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and was horribly mutilated (her breasts were hacked off and her body was rolled in hot coals).
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Teatro Massimo Bellini
A few blocks northeast of Piazza del Duomo, you'll stumble onto the lovely Piazza Bellini, dominated by Teatro Massimo Bellini. It is named after Vincenzo Bellini, Catania's most famous export and the father of a vibrant modern musical scene, and is one of the largest theatres in Europe, with a sumptuous, gilt-encrusted interior.
Showing 1-17 of 17 results
