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Catania is a city of 310,000 people (2019) on the eastern coast of Sicily at the foot of Mount Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe. It is the second largest city in Sicily with the metropolitan area reaching one million inhabitants, a major transport hub, economic centre and a university city where you will enjoy a busy downtown and an active nightlife. Catania is also well known for its particular baroque architecture and urban design (the downtown area is a World Heritage Site, along with all the Val di Noto area), consequences of the great earthquake of 1693 after which the city had to be rebuilt, like most of eastern Sicily.
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An attractive, lively baroque square. Here you can find the Fontana dell'Elefante (Elephant Fountain) or U Liotru - the symbol of the city. There are three buildings here that are World Heritage Sites. The square is also an entrance to the elegant via Etnea, the main shopping street.
Duomo
An imposing cathedral, well worth visiting. Also see for Terme Achilliane and Museo Diocesano which are located there.
Diocesan Museum
The collection of the museum contains various religious artefacts from the Cathedral and some other churches around. Its ticket office also sells tickets to the Terme Achilliane.
Palazzo Municipale
Construction begin in 1696. In 1736 a statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk was erected in front of the palazzo.
Palace of Clerks
Castello Svevo di Catania
It was built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily, and ilater became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. It hosts the Museo Civico (civic museum), which displays Greek and Roman artifacts from the city; art from the 17th-19th centuries; 2000 bronze figurines from the Archaic, Siceliot, Greek, Etruscan-Italic and Hellenistic eras; and temporary exhibitions.
The Benedictine Monastery
It is the oldest one in Sicily and it is one of the biggest monasteries in Europe. It hosts now the Faculty of Literature of the University of Catania.
It is an unachieved church which was supposed to be the biggest one in Sicily.
It's a centre of an ecclesiastical architecture in Catania: in no more than 200 m there are 4 churches, 3 monasteries and a college.
A splendid baroque monument.
Today the church used for various cultural events. Next to the church is a former Jesuit college.
A Baroque villa. It hosts Faculty of Law of the University.
Basilica della Collegiata
It is one of the most interesting baroque palaces in Catania. The palace is privately owned. Check with the tourist office to arrange a visit.
Roman Theatre and Odeon
The theatre dates back to the 1st century CE when it was built on the remains of the Greek theatre it used to hold up to 7000 spectators. Odeon, a smaller theatrical building, was built next to it in the 2nd century CE.
Rotonda Thermal Baths
The remains of ancient Roman baths.
Roman Amphitheatre
Some modest remains amidst the square.
Achillean Baths
The remains of a small part of a large ancient baths located underground is open for the public. It's under the Catania's Cathedral square. Some parts of mosaics and marble floor as well as some remains of decorated walls. The remains are still quite impressive.
A 19th-century opera theatre named after the Catania-born composer Vincenzo Bellini. The square before the theatre is a popular meeting place among the local young people, so its neighbourhood is very lively and busy by night.
ex Convento S.Placido, aka Palazzo Platamone
A former monastery, it's now a venue for various exhibitions. It also hosts the access point, an information office of the municipal museums (M-Sa 09:00-13:00).
It is the birthplace of Vincenzo Bellini. Thete are two museums here.
Bellini Museum
A museum devoted to Vincenzo Bellini, a famous Italian composer.
Emilio Greco Museum
A museum devoted to Italian artist Emilio Greco.
Four Corners
Porta Ferdinandea
The gates erected in 1768 in honor of King Ferdinand IV and his family.
Villa Bellini
Charming 19th-century park. The oldest part of it, the Prince of Biscari's Maze or Laberinto Biscari, dates back to the 18th century.
Botanical garden
Small botanical garden of the University of Catania.
Walk the main shopping avenue, running north from the Piazza del Duomo has most of the city's imposing building and is busy throughout the day and evening. Lots of churches. This road is the equivalent of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, so in the evenings the local people put on their Sunday clothes and walk at a relaxed pace along this avenue.
Guided excursions on mount Etna, with transfer from Catania, Giarre or Taormina by jeep and 4x4. Visit of summit craters and most beautiful places of the volcano.
School of Italian language and culture
The school is hosted in a Baroque building downtown. The school offers year-round intensive language courses, full immersion classes for all levels, while the afternoon provides a program of cultural activities to learn the culture and practice the language. The cultural themes of the lectures are: cinema, art history, songs and music, traditions and mythology, visits to museums and monuments, food and wine tasting. During the summer the school offers the Summer School program, which includes language classes in the morning, and in the afternoon a cooking class, a visit to a monument, and three sports or recreational activities, taking place in beach clubs having an agreement with the school.
Castello Normanno
A medieval castle perched on a giant rock, right over the sea. Contains a small civic museum.
Okay for the meat lover, fish is from frozen.
Humble home cooking joint. Traditional Sicilian dishes from caponata to polli alla brace.
A Sicilian restaurant.
Italian cuisine
Seafood
Panineria with tables. Known for grilled meats.
Pizza
Typical Sicilian food and pizza. There's another restaurant in town with this name: it's on Piazza Pietro Lupo but it's not recommended. And there's yet another 10 km north up the mountain.
Delicious seafood. Casual atmosphere.
Sicilian cakes, cannolis, arancini, espresso. Outdoor seating.
Classic Sicilian food in a small family trattoria.
Reasonably priced fresh seafood.
Sicilian cuisine.
Antipasto buffet, grilled meats.
Bohemian bar with wine, beer, cocktails. Has live music performances most nights, LGBTQ+ friendly. Also has an associated bookshop next door with children's toys and local art prints.
Very lively bar with a huge selection of Vermouths (as the name would imply) among other drinks. Lots of young folks in the evenings, so can be hard to find a table.
Fancy-ish cocktail bar, with menu of original drinks inspired by famous paintings. Owners happy to talk shop about their craft.
In a backstreet under the Duomo, it's lively and can fill up even out of season.
B&B in the centre, walking distance from the Bellini Gardens, Via Etnea and the Market.
BMoDe
Clean & central b&b.
Central b&b, rooms have balconies, bathroom, hairdryer, TV, air conditioning, minibar. Free Wi-Fi.
Bright and airy 3-star guest house ideal for young travellers.
Central 3-star hotel with friendly staff and a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere.
Simple hostel, striving to be funky.
Clean and comfortable 3-star hotel very near bus station.
Clean, comfortable 3-star hotel very near the railway & bus stations.
An antique building that has been renovated. B&B (also rents independent apartments) with fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning, TV, DVD, HiFi, internet Wi-Fi and hairdryer.
Rustic farmhouse off highway close to Etna, Taormina and the beach resorts of Riposto and Acireale.
Farm accommodation on flanks of Etna.
Farmhouse on flanks of Etna.
Villa with sea view and swimming pool.
3-star accommodation
Clean, AC, bathroom, balcony, high arched ceilings with paintings.
Boutique hotel in a restored aristocratic building, very central near Cathedral.
One of the oldest hotels in Catania, it's a large 3-star family run establishment. Self catering apartments also available.
Modern 4-star beach hotel with open air swimming pool, restaurants, health spa and meeting facilities. For families and corporate travellers.
Beach resort, very close to airport, with Jacuzzi, private beach and restaurant.
Hotel & conference centre with 162 rooms and 7 suites. With sea-water pool and beach access.
The hotel is in an elegant early 19th-century building edge of town. Clean & quiet, good if you're touring with your own car.
A modern hostel.
A bustling food and clothes market. The main historic market of Catania.
A large fish, fruit & veg market just off Piazza Duomo.
Cute shop run by local artist selling artisanal prints, drawings, and jewellery.
Stained-glass store with all the products made by the proprietor. Has many suitcase size appropriate pieces, on a variety of local themes.
By bus
The transport hub of Catania is the big roundabout Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII (that's "Pope John 23rd" for non-Latins).
By train
Trains run roughly hourly along the east coast via Taormina-Giardini to Messina (90 min to 2 hr).
By ferry
Most travellers from mainland Italy use the 20-minute shuttle between Villa San Giovanni and Messina; there are also frequent ferries from Reggio to Messina.
By bus
To reach outlying accommodation or the university, you'll need the bus, run by
By train
Ferrovia Circumetnea (FCE) is a narrow-gauge railway that loops around the west flanks of Etna then back to the coast and mainline at Giarre-Riposto, 28 km north of Catania.
By Metro
Visitors to Catania can use the metro to reach the Circumetnea railway. It's one of the shortest metro systems in the world, just under 9 km long, and it's run by the same company.
By car
Driving in the centre is difficult because of congestion, one-way systems and pedestrianised areas.
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