Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Catania (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Catania Cathedral, San Nicolò l'Arena, and Castello Ursino. Also, be sure to include Castello Normanno in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Catania (Sicily).
Table of Contents
Catania Cathedral
Also known as: Cattedrale di Sant'Agata
Massive cathedral with a baroque facade. Catania Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Agatha, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, and since then has been the seat of the Archbishops of Catania.[1]
Address: Piazza Duomo, 1, 95124 Catania (Catania)
San Nicolò l'Arena
San Nicolò l'Arena is the title of both the Roman Catholic church and its adjacent and enormous Benedictine monastery in the city of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The facade of the church faces Piazza Dante.[2]
Address: Piazza Dante, Catania (Catania)
Castello Ursino
Castle in Catania, Italy. Castello Ursino, also known as Castello Svevo di Catania, is a castle in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily, and is mostly known for its role in the Sicilian Vespers, when it became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. The castle is in good condition today, and it is open to the public as a museum.[3]
Address: Piazza Federico di Svevia, 95121 Catania (Catania)
Castello Normanno
Also known as: Castello di Aci
Museum in Aci Castello, Italy. The Castello Normanno, or alternatively the Castello di Aci, is a castle in Aci Castello in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy. The castle is situated on a rocky outcrop jutting out into the sea. Its precise date of construction is uncertain, but it was important to the development of its region during the Middle Ages. During the War of the Sicilian Vespers, it was subject to Roger of Lauria. It was besieged more than once, and was briefly controlled by the Spanish. It is currently a museum.[4]
Address: Piazza Castello, 25, 95021 Aci Castello (Aci Castello)
Terme della Rotonda
The Baths of the Rotonda are the remains of one of several Roman public baths in the city of Catania, Sicily. Built between the 1st and 2nd century CE, they are not far from the Roman theatre and the odeon. In the Byzantine era, the church of Santa Maria della Rotonda with its characteristic dome was built upon the remains of the Roman baths. Its walls are still covered in medieval and baroque frescoes.[5]
Address: Via della Rotonda, Piazza Mecca, 95124 Catania (Catania)
Museo Civico Belliniano
The Palazzo Gravina-Cruyllas is a palace located on the corner of Piazza San Francesco and Via Vittorio Emanuele, in the center of the city of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Vincenzo Bellini was born here, and the site now houses a museum dedicated to the opera composer: the Museo Civico Belliniano. The entrance stands across the piazza from the Monument to Blessed Giuseppe Dusmet and the church of San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata.[6]
Address: Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, 3, Catania (Catania)
San Gaetano alle Grotte
San Gaetano alle Grotte is a church in Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. The flank of this small church faces Piazza Carlo Alberto where the minor basilica church of the Santuario della Madonna del Carmine is located.
The substructure of the church is ancient, putatively built circa 260-300 as a chapel, perhaps a burial chapel, in a lava cave in use as a cistern, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the seventh century, a church was built atop, once called Santa Maria La Grotta. In the 8th century, the Muslims either demolished or abandoned that structure. The Norman rulers, restores a church and added the large columns of the upper presbytery. The church was razed by the 1693 Sicily earthquake, and reconstruction was pursued for nearly the entire 18th century, completed only in 1801. The remaining access for the crypt was a steep narrow staircase. In 1958, the church and crypt were restored by the Carmelite friars.[7]
Sant'Agata al Carcere
Santa Agata al Carcere, sometimes called Santo Carcere or the Carcere church is a Roman Catholic church located on Piazza Santo Carcere #7, in the city of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is one of three nearly adjacent churches venerating St Agatha of Sicily in this neighborhood, the other two being Sant'Agata alla Fornace and Sant'Agata la Vetere.[8]
Address: Piazza Santo Carcere 7, 95124 Catania (Catania)
Palazzo Biscari
Tourist attraction in Catania, Italy. The Palazzo Biscari is a monumental private palace located on Via Museo Biscari in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The highly decorative interiors are open for guided tours, and used for social and cultural events.[9]
Address: Via Museo Biscari, 8, 95131 Catania (Catania)
San Francesco Borgia
San Francesco Borgia is a Roman Catholic church located on Via Crociferi #7, adjacent to the former Collegio Gesuita, and parallel to San Benedetto, and about a block south on Crociferi of the church and convent of San Giuliano, in the city of Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. The church is mainly used for exhibits, but still holds much of the original Jesuit artwork.[10]
Address: Via Crociferi, Catania (Catania)
Piazza del Duomo
Plaza in Catania, Italy. Piazza del Duomo is the main city square in Catania, Italy, flanked by both the centers of civic and religious power.[11]
Address: Piazza Duomo, Catania (Catania)
Sant'Agata la Vetere
Catholic church in Catania, Italy. Sant’Agata la Vetere is a Roman Catholic church located in the piazza of the same name in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. East of church and nearby, but facing in the other direction, are two other churches venerating St Agatha of Sicily: the church of Sant'Agata al Carcere and two blocks east on Piazza Stesicoro is Sant'Agata alla Fornace, now known San Biagio.[12]
Address: Piazza Sant'Agata la Vetere 5, 95124 Catania (Catania)
Conservatorio delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata
The Conservatorio delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata is a former orphanage-hostel and church located on via Teatro Greco #82, with the northern facade paralleling Piazza Dante and the Monastery of San Nicolo l'Arena in the center of the city of Catania, region of Sicily, Italy. Presently it houses the facilities of the Faculty of the Scienza della Formazione of the University of Catania, educating future science teachers.[13]
Giardino Bellini
Park in Catania, Italy. The Giardino Bellini is the oldest urban park of Catania.
It occupies 70.942 m².[14]
Address: Via Etnea, 95124 Catania (Catania)
Santuario della Madonna del Carmine
The Santuario della Madonna del Carmine also called Basilica di Maria Santissima Annunziata al Carmine, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica church and Marian sanctuary located on Piazza Carlo Alberto, in the town of Catania, Sicily.[15]
San Biagio
Parish church in Catania, Italy. San Biagio, previously called Sant'Agata alla Fornace or La Fornace or Carcara is a Neoclassical architecture, Roman Catholic parish church located at the western edge of the Piazza Stesicoro in the quartiere San Biagio della Calcarella, of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The church overlooks a portion of the ruins of the former Ancient Roman amphitheater, while behind the apse in succession are two other churches venerating St Agatha of Sicily: the church of Sant'Agata al Carcere and two blocks west facing the opposite direction is Sant'Agata la Vetere.[16]
Address: Piazza Stesicoro, 95100 Catania (Catania)
Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena
Also known as: Monastero di San Nicolò l'Arena
Monastery in Catania, Italy. The Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania, Sicily is a former Benedictine monastery, located on Piazza Dante 30 in the city of Catania, region of Sicily, Italy. After the Mafra, this abbey is the second largest Benedictine monastery in Europe. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and houses the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania.[17]
Address: Piazza Dante, 95124 Catania (Catania)
Palazzo Tezzano
Tourist attraction in Catania, Italy. The Palazzo Tezzano is a monumental palace in Piazza Stesicoro, in the center of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The via Etnea, with prominent shops, bisects the Piazza; this palazzo rises at the northwest intersection with this via, across from the white stone, neoclassical Palazzo Paterno del Toscano.[18]
San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata
Church in Catania, Italy. San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy.[19]
Address: Piazza San Francesco D'Assisi, 95124 Catania (Catania)
San Placido
Church in Catania, Italy. San Placido is a Roman Catholic church and former-Benedictine monastery located on the piazza of the same name in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The complex, two blocks east of the Catania Cathedral, spans a polygonal block encompassed by the Via Vittorio Emanuele II on the north, the via Landolina to the east, the via Museo Biscari on a south diagonal, and to the west the piazza San Placido and Via Porticello. Part of the convent is occupied by the Palazzo della Cultura, used for cultural activities and exhibitions. The Monastero di San Placido also serves presently as the Archivio di Stato di Catania.[20]