Catania
Introduction
Catania sits on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. It is the island's second city after Palermo, and the centre of the most densely populated conurbation in Sicily — one of the largest in Italy. As the capital of the Metropolitan City of Catania, it anchors a wide provincial area, and its road and rail links, together with the main airport of Sicily, make it a natural gateway for exploring the eastern part of the island.
Before you go
Catania sits between the sea and Mount Etna, the most major active volcano in Europe, and the city has been destroyed many times in the past. Its long history under Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman and Spanish rule left a predominantly baroque cityscape, with a 17th-century downtown that remains the centre of day-to-day life. The local baroque is distinctive for its use of dark lava stone, bells set into the façades themselves, and grotesque masks and putti. Because the city is a World Heritage Site, many renovations have been carried out, though you will still see plenty of dirty buildings and abandoned houses, especially in the mountains.
Expect a hot summer-mediterranean climate: long, hot, dry and reliably sunny summers, and short, mild winters with more changeable weather. Springs and autumns are warm by day. Sicilian has been the common language here for centuries and you will notice it, along with a local dialect, in some neighbourhoods, especially inner areas, while most people speak mainly Italian in the city centre. Catania is the safest major city in Sicily, even at night, thanks to the many students and people around the centre, but avoid looking conspicuously touristy with jewellery, large bags or photo gear, and use common sense. Skip the station area, especially at night, and do not wander San Cristoforo, near the end of Via Plebiscito, alone at night; Librino is also dangerous but of no interest to a tourist. If someone asks you for money, ignore them and say "Non ho niente, mi dispiace".
Getting there
Most visitors arrive at Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, on the coast a short distance south of the centre. Note that eruptions of Mount Etna and Stromboli can disrupt flights. The simplest way into town is the AMTS Alibus, which runs daily every 25 minutes from the airport via the sea-port to the railway station, taking about 25 minutes; coming back, allow 30 minutes, as the bus loops through the city centre before returning to the station roundabout. A regional train also links the airport's own station, Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa, with Catania Centrale, with a slightly shorter travel time than the bus, and a shuttle bus connects the terminal with the airport train station. Because the airport is so close, many inter-city buses call there too, though buses to nearby towns and villages mostly do not, so you'll have to change downtown; buy bus tickets from the kiosks by the east exit of the Arrivals hall.
The transport hub is the big roundabout Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, where the metro station, the main railway station and, just north, the bus station all sit together. From Catania Centrale, trains run roughly hourly along the east coast via Taormina-Giardini to Messina, with a few direct services onward to Naples and Rome via the Straits ferry, and inland services via Enna to Palermo. Long-distance night trains with sleeper and couchette carriages also run to Rome and Milan, crossing the Strait of Messina loaded on a ferry. The main bus operators from the city and airport include A.S.T. for nearby towns such as Acireale, Caltagirone and Siracusa, Interbus (Etna Trasporti) for Taormina, Giardini Naxos, Ragusa and Siracusa, SAIS Trasporti for overnight runs to Bari, Naples and Rome and across Sicily to Agrigento, and SAIS Autolinee for Enna, Messina and Palermo. By sea, a car ferry runs every night between Naples and Catania, and a car ferry links Pozzallo, south of the city, with Valletta, Malta.
Getting around
Catania's historic centre is compact, and the most convenient way to explore it is simply on foot. Catania Centrale, the main railway station, is only a short walk east of the centre, so arriving by train and continuing on foot is straightforward.
For outlying accommodation, the university, or the airport, you'll rely on public transport. Urban buses are run by AMTS, which publishes an interactive map for finding the relevant lines; tickets include a single valid 90 minutes, a Bus + Alibus ticket, a Bus + Metro ticket valid 120 minutes, and a bus-only day pass. The metro, run by the same company as the Ferrovia Circumetnea, is one of the shortest systems in the world: it starts at Stesicoro in midtown, runs east to the transport hub of Giovanni XXIII, then turns west to end at Nesima, where there is Park & Ride. Its most useful feature for visitors is the connection at Borgo to the Circumetnea railway. The metro runs Monday to Saturday, every 10–15 minutes, with no service on Sundays or public holidays; tickets mirror the bus options, with a metro-only day pass. The Ferrovia Circumetnea is a narrow-gauge railway looping around Etna's western flanks before returning to the coast and mainline at Giarre-Riposto; from Catania Borgo trains run Monday to Saturday, hourly, most as far as Adrano and a few on to Bronte and Randazzo, where you change to the north-side train for Linguaglossa and Giarre-Riposto. There is no Sunday or public holiday service on the Circumetnea line.
Driving in the centre is difficult because of congestion, one-way systems and pedestrianised areas, and a small limited traffic zone bars most vehicles at any time. There are ten main parking lots around the city plus others at the airport, and Park & Ride is available at the airport and at Nesima metro station.
Where to stay
Catania's sleeping options cluster in the centre, within walking distance of the Duomo, Via Etnea and the market. For budget stays, hostels and B&Bs include Agora Hostel, tucked in a backstreet under the Duomo and known to fill up even out of season, and Eco Hostel near Ursino Castle. B&Bs in the centre include Ananda B&B near Piazza Roma, Suite Inn Catania on Via Vittorio Emanuele II, B&B Opera on Via Antonio di Sangiuliano with balconies and air conditioning, BAD: Bed and Breakfast and Design near the Duomo, and B&B Globetrotter Catania, set in a renovated antique building a short walk from the Duomo. Small guest houses and hotels such as Hotel Etnea 316, Hotel Valentino on Piazza Turi Ferro and Hotel Rigel on Viale della Liberta, near the bus station, offer simple, central rooms.
Mid-range and higher-end choices range from the central Hotel Agathae on Via Etnea and the Gresi Hotel off Via Etnea, with high arched ceilings, to the boutique Hotel il Principe in a restored aristocratic building near the Cathedral, and Hotel La Ville, a large family-run establishment near the railway station that also offers self-catering apartments. The NH chain has two properties: Parco degli Aragonesi on the beach and Catania Centro downtown. On the coast you'll find the modern Hotel Nettuno with a pool and spa, the beachfront Luxury Hotel Romano Palace close to the airport, and the Four Points by Sheraton in Cannizzaro with a sea-water pool and beach access. Villa Cibele, in an elegant 19th-century building on the edge of town, suits those touring with their own car. If you'd rather base yourself outside the city, the flanks of Etna and the villages to the north offer farm stays such as Agriturismo San Leonardello, La Pietra Antica O Munti above Giarre and Agriturismo Arrigo at Linguaglossa, plus Villa Etelka in Valverde with a sea view and pool, and the Grande Albergo Maugeri in Acireale.
Food & drink
Catania takes pride in its own specialities, and pasta alla Norma is the one to know: macaroni dressed with tomato sauce and topped with fried eggplant slices, grated ricotta salata and fresh basil. Because the city is a large port, the fish is good too, and horse meat is another local hallmark, particularly in the area around the Benedictine Monastery. For something sweet, look for cannolo alla Ricotta, cassatella di Sant'Agata (a small cassata) and pasta di Mandorla, made from almond meal.
For a quick bite, a salumeria will make you a cold panini to order, with prosciutto cotto or crudo and cheese among the most popular fillings; note that most are closed on Sunday afternoon. A tavola calda offers hot bites, usually built around cheese and meat, fried or baked, while arancino — deep-fried rice balls filled with meat, eggplant or spinach — makes a good lunch snack. In the evening, big kiosks sell hot, filling panini, some with horse meat, and most people add fries inside; they are cheap and popular with teenagers, so expect a crowd. In summer, a typical breakfast is granita, an almond or black mulberry sorbet, served with a brioscia, a sweet round loaf — a nourishing, refreshing combination found in almost any bar in the city.
To drink, kiosks around the city sell coffee, limoncello and local refreshers such as seltz al limone (soda water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice) or mandarino al limone (soda water with tangerine syrup and fresh-squeezed lemon). In the bar district around Via Gemmellaro you'll find Vermut, a lively spot with a huge selection of vermouths that draws young crowds in the evening. Near Castello Ursino, Grammazita is a bohemian bar with wine, beer and cocktails, live music most nights, and an associated bookshop next door. Retrò, on a cross street from the one with hanging fairy lights, is a dressier cocktail bar with original drinks inspired by famous paintings, and the owners are happy to talk about their craft.
What to see and do
Start at Piazza del Duomo, the lively baroque square that holds the Fontana dell'Elefante, known as U Liotru and the symbol of the city. Three of the buildings on the square are World Heritage Sites, and it also serves as an entrance to the elegant via Etnea. From there you can visit the imposing Cattedrale di Sant'Agata, which also gives access to the Terme Achilliane and the Museo Diocesano, whose collection of religious artefacts comes from the cathedral and other churches around. Nearby stand the Palazzo degli Elefanti, begun in the late 17th century with its elephant-and-obelisk statue, and the Palazzo dei Chierici. Elsewhere in the city, the 13th-century Castello Ursino, once a royal castle and later the seat of the Sicilian Parliament, now houses the Museo Civico with Greek and Roman artefacts, art from the 17th to 19th centuries, and bronze figurines from the Archaic to Hellenistic eras. The Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l'Arena, among the largest monasteries in Europe, now hosts the university's Faculty of Literature, and the adjacent Chiesa di San Nicolò l'Arena is an unfinished church intended to be the biggest in Sicily.
For ancient remains, see the Teatro Romano e Odeon, built on the site of a Greek theatre, along with the Terme della Rotonda, the Anfiteatro Romano in Piazza Stesicoro, and the underground Terme Achilliane beneath the cathedral square, where mosaics and marble floors survive. Via Crociferi packs four churches, three monasteries and a college into a short stretch, including the Monastero di San Benedetto, the Chiesa di San Francesco Borgia and the Chiesa di San Giuliano. Other sights include the baroque Palazzo Biscari, the Basilica Maria Santissima dell'Elemosina on via Etnea, and the Teatro Massimo Bellini, named after the Catania-born composer, whose square is a popular evening meeting place. Palazzo Gravina-Cruyllas, Bellini's birthplace, holds the Museo Belliniano and the Museo Emilio Greco. Walk via Etnea itself, the main shopping avenue, busy throughout the day and evening, where locals stroll in the evenings. Relax in the 19th-century Giardino Bellini or the small Orto Botanico, and head out of town for the sandy beaches of La Plaja to the south or the rocky Riviera dei Ciclopi to the north. Guided excursions run on Mount Etna, and you can also visit a minor religious festival, though the crowds for Sant'Agata are excessive.
When to go
Catania has a hot summer-mediterranean climate, which shapes the best time to plan your visit. Summers are long, hot and dry, with pronounced aridity and stable, sunny conditions; the heat is intense enough that days are best spent around water or in the shade. Rain is scarce in summer and the weather is reliably clear. Winters are short and mild, with daytime temperatures that rarely feel cold, though the weather is more interchangeable than in summer, so spells of sun alternate with unsettled days. Spring brings warm days that build from March toward early-summer heat, making it a pleasant time for sightseeing before the summer aridity sets in. Autumn stays warm, with September reaching near summer levels before gradually cooling, and the stable summer weather giving way to the more changeable conditions of winter.
If you want reliable sunshine and don't mind the heat, summer delivers clear, dry days. If you prefer milder conditions for exploring, spring and autumn offer warm days with more comfortable temperatures, while winter suits those who don't mind occasional unsettled weather and want the coolest, though rarely cold, time of year.
Festivals & events
Catania's festival calendar is anchored by the feast of Sant'Agata, held each February in honour of the city's patron saint. If you're in town for it, expect the celebrations to take over the streets rather than stay confined to a single square.
Three days in Catania
Day one: Start in Catania itself, a city on Sicily's Ionian Sea coast beneath Mount Etna. Its layers of Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman and Spanish rule are part of what makes it a World Heritage Site, so give your first day to the centre. Expect a compact, walkable core where you can move between churches, squares and markets without much planning. Because the city sits close to Etna, the mountain is never far from view.
Day two: Take the day for Mount Etna, the volcano that dominates the skyline above Catania. It is one of the most active in Europe, and the landscape around it is its own attraction. Note that conditions on the mountain change quickly, so dress for cold and wind even when Catania is warm. If you prefer to stay lower, spend the afternoon back in the city rather than pushing further.
Day three: Use Catania as a base for the wider east of Sicily. From Catania Centrale you can reach Taormina, and Palermo is another Sicilian city within the same island. If you are flying out, Fontanarossa Airport is served by the AMTS Alibus, which connects the airport with Catania Centrale and Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII. Skip the temptation to cram in too much; three days is enough for the city, the volcano and one excursion.