Guide of Catania

Catania, a Sicilian town at the foot of Mt Etna, the highest volcano Europe is a great city. It offers crystal clear sea to snowy peaks that UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site.

History

The name Catania takes into account its geographical location, katà meaning near, and Etna. The citiy's foundations date back to the ancient Greeks, but many many invasions have occurred here over the centuries and these civilisations have brought with them varied cultural, artistic and architectural heritage. After the Greeks, who subjugated Catania for three centuries, the Romans arrived, developing the city and building amphitheatres and other buildings that still in exist today. In the second half of 500 a.c. the Barbarian invasions besieged the whole of Sicily, including Catania, which lead to that decay of the city, followed by the Saracens, Normans, Aragonese, Swabians.

What to see

There is the Roman amphitheatre, the Roman theatre, the Odeon, the Terme dell'Indirizzo, the rotunda, the Achilliane, the Mausoleo del Carmine and a Roman Domus with mosaics. The Bonajuto Chapel dates back to the Byzantine period, while the Norman period saw the construction of the Arci castle and the apses of the Sant'Agata Cathedral. The portal of the church of Sant'Agata al Carcere and the Castello Ursino date back to the Swabian period. The church of Santa Maria di Gesù dates back to the late Aragonese period and the Walls of Charles V date back to the 16th century. The Fountain of the Seven Canals dates back to 1612 and the Palazzo delle Poste centrale is by Francesco Fichera, while the Fountain of Proserpina in piazza Giovanni XXIII was the penultimate work of Giulio Moschetti.

Beaches

There is a pristine beach called San Marco di Calatabiano, surrounded by acacia and eucalyptus trees. It is a long stretch of sand and pebbles near two rivers. The Playa of Catania is the most famous beach in Catania and is full of facilities of all kinds and from lying on the beach you can admire Mount Etna. Santa Tecla beach is small and rocky and the sea here is an intense blue and is certainly not to be missed.