Day 2: Discovering Catania

Our trip will start from the real heart of the city: the Duomo square! Have a look around it! It's incredible in beauty, with its typical contrast black&white! Note that this is one of the most important site of the city, the real core for civic and religious reasons. Here, 5 meters underground, an ancient Roman baths lies... Here you can admire the very famous Elephant fountain, with its incredible story, the symbol of our city. You can listen to its story listening to the point of interest into the suggested izi.TRAVEL audiotour!

Here the Amenano river is flowing. Please, go behind the fountain, through some stairs, you will arrive in the fish market which is one of the most characteristic Sicilian markets! You can discover the story of this river listening to the point of interest in the suggested audiotour!

The Diocesan Museum is is a very raccomanded place to see. I recommend you to by an integrated ticket here (for Museum, the underground Achillenian Baths and the Benedictine Monastery, which costs € 13). Here you can see the very famous Fercolo, used during Saint Agatha Feast and some important artworks from our churches. Go up to the terrace of the Museum and you will see an incredible view between the sea and the Mountain, on Etnea Street. Do not forget to have a wonderful visit 5 meters underground: the Roman Achillenian Baths (I excavated there!). You can enter the Baths from the outside of the Cathedral, after paying ticket at the Diocesan museum ticket office.

The Cathedral of Catania is dedicated to Saint Agatha, patron of the city.
It was built in the Norman period between 1078 and 1093, almost a thousand years ago, at the behest of Count Ruggero the Norman, over the remains of the Roman Achillian Baths, underground.
The Cathedral was almost totally destroyed by the earthquake of 1693. Have a look at the fresco by Giacinto Platania, preserved in the sacristy: it shows the city during the eruption of 1669, preceding the earthquake: the Cathedral looked like a fortress on the sea, with a high tower at the crossing with the transept; the tower itself fell ruinously The Cathedral was rebuilt in a magnificent and austere Baroque style which makes it, like the whole historic center, a UNESCO heritage.
Beyond the gate, you can closely observe the facade which, built between 1733 and 1761 by harmonizing the pre-existing Norman buildings with the new Baroque body, was the work of the abbot-architect from Palermo Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, protagonist of the reconstruction of Catania.
After passing the entrance portal, decorated with tiles depicting scenes from the martyrdom of Saint Agatha, you will be welcomed by a monumental and solemn space, in the soft light that penetrates from the windows. The naves are separated by large pillars, among which the ancient foundations on which the building was rebuilt are still visible.
On the right aisle at the second pillar you will find the sepulcher of the famous Catania musician Vincenzo Bellini.
In the right arm of the transept is the Chapel of the Madonna, where the sarcophagi containing the bodies of some members of the Aragonese royal family are kept as well as, according to tradition, the remains of the two Christian soldiers Gisliberto and Goselmo, who brought the relics from Constantinople of Sant'Agata; and, finally, the Chapel of Sant'Agata, separated by a richly decorated wrought iron gate, in which there is the small room that houses the venerated relics, kept inside a precious reliquary bust studded with enamels and stones and a casket in silver.

Leaving the side door of the Cathedral, you have enter in the Abbey of Saint Agatha, another splendid symbol of baroque Catania. Here there was a monastery, built in 1620 for the nuns who followed the rule of San Francesco di Paola, which was razed to the ground by the earthquake of 1693.
The reconstruction on the same site was the work of the great architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini, between 1735 and 1767: the Abbey can be considered his most significant achievement. Be sure to be accompanied up to the terrace: from here you will enjoy a beautiful view! A wonderful audioguide will be useful for you to discover every story of this Church!

Looking at Mount Etna, on your left is the University Building, now home to the Rectorate, the "Giambattista Caruso" regional library and some administrative offices of the University of Catania. Did you know that the Catania university institution was the first in Sicily? It was founded on a concession from King Alfonso V of Aragon in 1434 and authorized by Pope Eugene IV in 1444. Unfortunately the original building was destroyed by the devastating earthquake that hit the city in 1693. Three years after the destruction it was decided to rebuild the Palace; the architect-abbot Giovanni Battista Vaccarini was commissioned to design the courtyard and the architect Francesco Battaglia and his son Antonino for the construction of the facade. You will be fascinated by the elegance of the central courtyard, designed by Vaccarini: decorated with an original flooring in which decorative motifs in white limestone and lava stone alternate, it is surrounded by an elegant two-storey portico.
You can enter the San Giuliano palace, in front of the University one: you will remain fascinated by it! Now it is the prestigious seat of the administrative offices of the University of Catania.
Work of the genius of the architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini, it was built starting from 1738 on commission of the noble Paternò family, marquises of San Giuliano.
If you want to discover the stories described by the bronze sculptures decorating the square lamps, you can listen to their point of interests into the suggested audiotour.

Here you are in Stesicoro Square, named from the ancient Greek poet, born in Catania. Here you can have a look at the Vincenzo Bellini's monument, and at the Amphitheater, one of the most significant monuments of the Roman city of Catania. Its mighty ruins have been clearly visible from the central square since the early 20th century. The grandiose monument, one of the largest in the Roman world, is almost entirely hidden under the modern buildings.
What does amphitheater mean in the meantime? It means "double theater", although in reality the shape of this building is an ellipse. Here, as was the case in other famous Roman amphitheaters, such as the Colosseum in Rome or the Arena in Verona, impressive public shows based on fights between gladiators and terrible ferocious animals were staged.
As you can see in this 3D virtual reconstruction, the amphitheater was externally formed by two overlapping orders of arches and was crowned by a high loggia; the cavea, that is the staircase, was divided by two annular corridors into three orders of steps, connected to each other by internal stairs that opened along the corridors.
Archaeologists were able to calculate its size: it was truly immense! Being an ellipse, it was 125 meters long x 105 meters wide, while the arena had a maximum diameter of 70 meters and a minimum of 50. It has been calculated that it could hold 15,000 seated spectators and almost double with the addition of scaffolding. for standing places.
The dating of its construction derives from the analysis of the construction technique and was built in two moments. The first building was perhaps built perhaps in the 1st century AD, it was smaller, with only one ambulatory and the corresponding part of the cavea above. In the second century AD, it was significantly enlarged with the construction of the external ambulatory, a new facade, the system of flying buttresses that connected it to the hill and a larger cavea that tripled the number of seats. You can enter and visit it!

Pasticceria Savia is a MUST stop! the vary famous ARANCINI made by Savia are something you need to eat, here in Catania! Here you can also taste many other things: for example the GRANITA CON BRIOCHE, which means a very typical sort of ice cream, made without milk, in many different flavors, such as almond, chocolate, pistachio, coffee, some kind of fruits and so on. Have a rest here for a while and enjoy the very beautiful entrance of the Villa Bellini.

The Villa Bellini is the largest and most beautiful park in the centre of Catania. The park, entitled to the well-known musician Vincenzo Bellini, was completed in 1883 and is located north of the city. In its long streets, between beautiful trees, you can find many statues of famous people of Catania. The lovely city park includes several green areas, an entrance staircase and two hills. At the entrance there is the Botanical Clock - a date display of flowers, which is updated and replanted daily.

I suggest to have a rest for a while, than to pick up the car and go...

The little black beach named San Giovanni Li cuti it's a great place where you can have something to drink, in all the little pubs around. It's great to stay there at the sunset and for a beautiful rest just near the sea.

Cutilisci is one of the most famous restaurant in this location, set just in the little harbor, which was an ancient fisherman harbor. Here you can eat typical food, a great pizza and specific vegan food too. Its name comes from the lava rocks (cuti) smoothed by the sea.