SICILY | Catania – Trip By Trip

March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina. After visiting Syracuse, Catania and Palermo, we return to Rome, and home. With 25,832 km², Sicily is only 20% smaller than Belgium (30,689 km²). Quite a lot in four days.

Originally, we were going to stay over in Catania, but decided to spend an extra night at our Caportigia Boutique Hotel and just go to Catania (Catánia) on a day trip. So we took a Trenitalia ETR 103/104 ‘Pop’ (an Alstom Coradia Stream known to us as the NS ICNG or CFL 24XX) to Catania.

Catania?

Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily after Palermo, both in terms of area and population. Despite being considered the island’s second city, Catania forms the largest Sicilian conurbation and is among the largest in Italy. It serves as an important hub for road and rail transport and is home to Sicily’s main airport, Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, the fifth-largest in Italy.

The city lies on Sicily’s eastern coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. It is the capital of the Metropolitan City of Catania, which comprises 58 municipalities and ranks as the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The city proper has a population of 311,584, while the broader metropolitan area has 1,107,702 inhabitants.

Founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks in Magna Graecia, Catania has endured numerous geological catastrophes. It was almost entirely destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1169. In 1669, a major eruption and lava flow from Mount Etna nearly overwhelmed the city, and in 1693, the region suffered further devastation from another powerful earthquake.

During the 14th century and the Renaissance, Catania emerged as one of Italy’s most significant cultural, artistic, and political centres. It was the site of Sicily’s first university, founded in 1434. The city has been home to or closely associated with prominent Italian artists and writers, including composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini, and authors Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Federico De Roberto, and Nino Martoglio.

Today, Catania is Sicily’s primary industrial, logistical, and commercial centre. The central historical area, characterised by its exuberant late Baroque architecture, rebuilt following the 1693 earthquake, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Etymology

The indigenous Sicels named their settlements after geographical features. The Siculian word katane translates to ‘grater, flaying knife, or skinning place,’ or generally a ‘crude tool for paring.’ Alternative meanings include ‘harsh lands,’ ‘uneven ground,’ ‘sharp stones,’ or ‘rugged soil.’ These interpretations are fitting, as the city has frequently been rebuilt atop its black-lava landscape following volcanic eruptions.

By around 263 BC, the city was referred to as Catĭna and Catāna in Latin and Κατάνη (Katánē) in Ancient Greek. The Latin name Catĭna was associated with catina, meaning ‘gulf, basin, or bay,’ as well as ‘bowl, vessel, or trough,’ reflecting the city’s distinctive topography.

Under Arab rule around 900 AD, Catania was known as Balad al-fīl and Madīnat al-fīl, meaning ‘the Village (or Country) of the Elephant’ and ‘the City of the Elephant,’ likely referencing the ancient lava sculpture in Piazza Duomo, which was regarded as a protective talisman. Another Arabic toponym, Qaṭāniyyah, may derive from the Arabic word for ‘leguminous plants,’ referring to the region’s cultivation of lentils, beans, peas, broad beans, and lupins. The name Wādī Mūsá (‘Valley of Moses’) was rarely used and referred to the Simeto River.

Geography

Strabo observed that Catania’s position at the foot of Mount Etna has been both a curse and a blessing. While the city has suffered destruction from volcanic eruptions, the volcanic ash enriches the soil, making it highly fertile, particularly for viticulture.

Two subterranean rivers run beneath Catania: the Amenano, which surfaces near Piazza Duomo, and the Longane (or Lognina).

Demographics

In January 2015, Catania’s population stood at 315,601, with 47.2% male and 52.8% female. Minors (under 18) comprised 20.50% of the population, while pensioners made up 18.87%, compared to the Italian averages of 18.06% and 19.94%, respectively.

Catania’s population has fluctuated historically. In 1861, it was 70,608; by 1971, it peaked at 400,048, then declined to 293,902 by 2011. As of 2021, it stood at 301,104. The population decrease in the city proper is attributed to migration to suburban areas within the Metropolitan City, which has led to an overall increase in the region’s population.

The birth rate in Catania is 10.07 births per 1,000 inhabitants, higher than the Italian average of 9.45. In 2006, 98.03% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant groups originate from Sub-Saharan Africa (0.69%), South Asia (0.46%), and Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Poland (0.33%). A small community of Samaritans from Israel also resides in the city.

History

Around 729 BC, the ancient settlement of Katánē was colonised by Chalcidian Greek settlers from nearby Naxos. It became the Chalcidian colony of Katánē under the leader Euarchos. Thucydides records that its establishment was slightly later than Leontini (modern Lentini), which itself was founded five years after Syracuse, around 730 BC.

The acropolis of ancient Catania was located on Monte Vergine, a defensible hill west of the modern city centre. Its port was a key hub for exporting grain from the fertile surrounding plains.

Greek Catania

Catania features in the legend of Amphinomus and Anapias, who, during an eruption of Mount Etna, carried their elderly parents to safety, prompting the lava to part and spare them. Statues were erected in their honour, and their burial site was named Campus Piorum. This story was a popular theme among Latin poets, including Lucilius and Claudian.

Catania was a centre of learning in antiquity. The legislator Charondas (late 6th century BC), philosopher Xenophanes, and poets Ibycus and Stesichorus all lived there. The city’s introduction of dance to flute music is attributed to Andron, a Catanian citizen.

In 476 BC, the tyrant Hieron I of Syracuse expelled the native inhabitants and repopulated the city with 10,000 settlers from Leontini, renaming it Aítnē (Aetna). After his death, the Syracusans and Sicels expelled the new settlers, and the original Chalcidian population returned in 461 BC.

During the Sicilian Expedition of the Peloponnesian War (415–413 BC), Catania allied with Athens and became the Athenians’ base of operations. Following the defeat of Athens, Catania was threatened by Syracuse, and in 403 BC, Dionysius I of Syracuse sacked the city, enslaved its inhabitants, and resettled it with Campanian mercenaries. It later fell to Carthaginian forces before being recaptured by Syracuse.

Roman Rule

During the First Punic War (264–241 BC), Catania was among the first Sicilian cities to submit to Rome in 263 BC. The Romans took a sundial from Catania and placed it in the Roman Forum. Under Roman rule, Catania flourished as a civitas decumana, contributing a tenth of its agricultural yield in tax. In 121 BC, a major eruption of Mount Etna destroyed much of the city, leading to a ten-year tax exemption.

Cicero described Catania as a wealthy and significant port city during his time. The city maintained its municipal institutions, and its chief magistrate bore the title Proagorus. It remained a key centre for the export of grain from Sicily.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Catania was sacked by the Vandals under Gaiseric in 440–441. After a period of rule by the Ostrogoths, it was reconquered in 535 by the Eastern Roman Empire, under which it remained, except for a brief period between 550 and 555, until the 9th century. It served as the seat of the Byzantine governor of the island.

For two centuries, Catania was part of an Islamic emirate before being conquered by the Normans under Roger I of Sicily. By 1072, the city was ruled by a bishop-count. Between 1194 and 1197, Catania was sacked by German soldiers following the conquest of Sicily by Emperor Henry VI. In 1232, it rebelled against Henry’s son, Frederick II, who later constructed the formidable Castello Ursino and elevated Catania to the status of a royal city, thereby ending the dominance of the bishops.

Catania played a central role in the Sicilian Vespers revolt of 1282 against the Angevin rulers and became the site of the coronation of the new Aragonese king of Sicily, Peter I. The city remained a key Sicilian port during the ensuing war. Following a civil uprising in 1299, an Angevin army captured Catania, occupying it until their forces withdrew from Sicily in 1302.

In the 14th century, the Aragonese selected Catania as the seat of both the Parliament and the Royal Court. In 1347, the city hosted the treaty that concluded the long-running War of the Vespers between the Aragonese and the Angevins.

However, Catania lost its status as a capital when Sicily became part of the Crown of Aragon in the early 15th century. Despite this, it retained its autonomy and privileges, particularly between 1282 and 1410. In 1434, King Alfonso V established the Siciliae Studium Generale, the island’s oldest university.

Modern period

In the early modern period, following the unification of Castile and Aragon in the early 16th century, Sicily became part of the Spanish Empire. The city rebelled against Spanish rule in 1516 and again in 1647.

Catania endured significant devastation in the late 17th century. The eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 caused widespread damage to the surrounding area, though the city’s fortifications diverted most of the lava towards the port, sparing much of its core.

However, in 1693, a powerful earthquake and its aftershocks almost completely destroyed Catania. The city was subsequently rebuilt in the Baroque architectural style that continues to define its historic character.

In the 19th century, Catania became a centre of the movement for Sicilian autonomy. During Giuseppe Garibaldi‘s Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, Sicily was wrested from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and annexed by Piedmont. From 1861 onwards, Catania was part of the newly unified Italy and followed its national trajectory.

The early 20th century saw cycles of destruction and reconstruction in Catania. The city endured two significant eruptions of Mount Etna in 1923 and 1928. The latter caused a substantial lava flow, the first in over two centuries to destroy a populated area.

During World War I, Italy initially adhered to the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary but joined the Allied forces in 1915. The post-war period saw political instability, contributing to the rise of fascism. In World War II, the Italian regime aligned itself with Nazi Germany, leading to widespread destruction in Sicily, including Catania, due to Allied bombing campaigns.

Owing to the presence of two key Axis airfields, Gerbini and Fontanarossa, as well as its strategic port and railway hub, Catania suffered 87 air raids during the war. The most intense bombardments occurred in the spring and summer of 1943, during the Allied invasion of Sicily.

These raids caused severe damage, destroying or significantly harming 28 churches and many historic buildings, while also killing 750 inhabitants. A majority of the population fled to the countryside for safety. After intense fighting in eastern Sicily, Catania was captured by the British 8th Army on 5 August 1943.

Following the war and the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1946, Catania struggled to bridge the economic and industrial gap between southern and northern Italy. Issues such as underdeveloped infrastructure and mafia influence hindered its progress.

However, the city experienced a period of economic, social, and cultural development in the 1960s, with a brief resurgence in the 1990s. In the early 21st century, Catania faced renewed economic stagnation, exacerbated by the financial crisis linked to the Forza Italia administration of Mayor Scapagnini in 2008.

Main sights

The symbol of Catania is u Liotru, or the Fontana dell’Elefante, assembled in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. It features an ancient lavic stone elephant topped by an Egyptian obelisk from Syene. According to legend, Vaccarini’s original elephant was neuter, which the men of Catania found offensive. To placate them, Vaccarini modified the statue by adding elephantine testicles.

The Sicilian name u Liotru is a phonetic variation of Heliodorus, a nobleman who, after failing to become bishop of the city, turned to sorcery and was condemned to be burned at the stake. According to legend, Heliodorus sculpted the lava elephant himself and used it to magically travel between Catania and Constantinople. Another version of the legend claims that he could transform himself into an elephant.

The presence of an elephant in Catania’s history is linked to both zooarchaeology and popular beliefs. Sicily’s prehistoric fauna during the Upper Palaeolithic included dwarf elephants. Paleontologist Othenio Abel suggested that the legend of the Cyclops may have originated from the discovery of dwarf elephant skulls. These skulls, approximately twice the size of a human skull and featuring a large central nasal cavity (mistaken for a single eye socket), may have been interpreted as belonging to one-eyed giants.

The Catanian Museum of Mineralogy, Palaeontology, and Volcanology houses a well-preserved, unburied skeleton of an Elephas falconeri. The earliest inhabitants of the Mount Etna region are believed to have crafted lava sculptures to venerate this mythical proboscidean.

Classical buildings

Catania has been buried by lava seventeen times in recorded history. Beneath the modern city lie the remains of the earlier Roman and Greek settlements. Many ancient monuments of the Roman city were destroyed by successive eruptions. However, various ruins can still be seen in the city centre, now part of the Parco Archeologico Greco-Romano di Catania.

Food and cuisine

Food plays a vital role in Catanian culture and daily life. The local cuisine, while sharing characteristics with Sicilian gastronomy, has developed its own distinct identity.

Street food is an essential aspect of Catanian culinary tradition. Arancini, among the city’s most iconic foods, are stuffed rice balls coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried; in Catania, they are conically shaped to resemble Mount Etna.

Other popular street foods include cipollina (a puff pastry filled with onion, tomato, and prosciutto), bolognese (a small pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, and boiled egg, covered in puff pastry), and crispelle (deep-fried dough balls filled with ricotta or anchovies).

During street fairs and religious festivals, vendors sell calia e simenza (toasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds). Traditional market foods include sangeli (cooked pork blood), quarumi (pork tripe), zuzzu (pork jelly), mauru (edible seaweed), and raw seafood. Horse meat is particularly popular and is grilled in shops known as arrusti e mancia (‘roast it and eat it’), where it is cooked over open-air barbecues.

Beyond street food, Catanian cuisine includes pasta alla Norma (pasta with fried aubergine, tomato sauce, and ricotta salata cheese), named after the opera by Vincenzo Bellini. Other typical dishes are pasta cco niuru (pasta with cuttlefish ink), maccu (fava bean purée), bastaddi affucati or brocculi affucati (stewed cauliflower or broccoli), caponata (a sautéed vegetable dish), and scacciata (a Christmas pie filled with tuma cheese).

Catania is also renowned for its pastries. Seasonal treats vary throughout the year: during the Festival of Saint Agatha, the city’s patron saint, cassatelle (small cassatas) and olivette (olive-shaped almond paste) are traditional. At Easter, aceddi ccu l’ovu (boiled eggs in biscuit dough) are popular. In summer, granita is a staple, while All Souls’ Day celebrations feature ossa di mortu, rame di Napoli, and nsuddi biscuits.

Drink kiosks are found throughout the city, offering a variety of soft drinks. Traditional Catanian beverages are made by blending fruit syrups with soda and flavours such as anisette.

Local agricultural products include blood oranges, pistachios from Bronte, extra-virgin olive oil, cactus fruit, cherries, grapes from Mazzarrone, strawberries from Maletto, mushrooms, honey, and wine.

Roman Theatre of Catania

The Roman Theatre of Catania (Teatro Romano di Catania) comprises the ruins of two open-air semicircular ancient Roman theatres, situated between Piazza San Francesco, Via Vittorio Emanuele, Via Timeo, and Via Teatro Greco in the centre of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The site includes a larger theatre and a smaller semicircular theatre, known as the Odeon. The structure is part of the Parco Archeologico Greco-Romano di Catania.

This theatre was likely constructed in the second century AD and was only fully excavated in the 19th century. Its design follows the typical layout of many ancient Roman theatres, with seats rising along the hillside, providing spectators with a view facing south towards the sea.

The scaenae frons was probably adorned with marble columns, adding depth and complexity to the structure. The orchestra, or stage section, had a diameter of nearly 22 metres. The auditorium (cavea) originally measured 98 metres in depth and featured 21 rows of seats divided into wedges, or cunei, with a maximum seating capacity of approximately 7,000 spectators. This capacity was smaller than that of the theatres in Taormina and Syracuse by 1,000 to 3,000 seats. Beneath the seating area were the vomitoria, or exit passageways.

The theatre fell out of use between the 5th and 6th centuries. Archaeological work on the site began in the 18th century under Ignazio Paternò Castello, Prince of Biscari, but the houses that had been built into the structure were not removed until 1959. Some of the marble and artefacts recovered during excavations and restorations are now displayed in the adjacent Casa Pandolfo and Casa Liberti.

Baths of the Rotonda

The Baths of the Rotonda or Terme della Rotonda are the remains of one of several Roman public baths. Built between the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, they are located near the Roman theatre and the Odeon. During the Byzantine era, the church of Santa Maria della Rotonda, characterised by its distinctive dome, was constructed atop the remains of the Roman baths. The church’s walls still bear medieval and Baroque frescoes.

Studies conducted between 2004 and 2008, and again in 2015, suggest that the Terme della Rotonda date back to the 1st–2nd century CE. The complex was expanded during the 3rd century CE, a period of significant growth for Catania, before falling into disuse. By the late 6th century CE, during the Byzantine era, a church was erected on the Roman ruins. Alongside the Bonajuto Chapel, La Rotonda is one of the few surviving Byzantine structures in Catania.

The church was likely dedicated to St Mary the Virgin from its inception and was originally oriented to the north. Between the 9th and 16th centuries, the grounds surrounding the church served as a cemetery, and several tombs remain visible among the ruins of the Roman baths.

The 1169 Sicily earthquake caused significant damage, partially destroying the Byzantine chancel. Subsequently, the church was reoriented to the east, with a new ogival portal added to the western wall. In the 16th century, another entrance was created on the southern wall, prompting a return to the church’s original northward orientation.

For centuries, the building was believed to be the oldest church in Catania. An inscription once placed above the entrance claimed that St Peter himself had consecrated it to St Mary in 44 AD.

Early modern historians assumed the dome to be of Roman origin, with some suggesting it may have inspired the Pantheon in Rome. This theory persisted until the 18th century, when excavations uncovered the Roman baths, revealing the dome to be a later addition.

The 18th-century archaeologist and Sicilian aristocrat Ignazio Paternò Castello proposed that the baths formed part of a larger spa complex extending westward to Piazza Dante.

The church sustained damage during the 1943 bombing, which completely destroyed the nearby church of Santa Maria della Cava. Restoration efforts were undertaken between the 1940s and 1950s to stabilise the structure. During this period, under the direction of Guido Libertini, many frescoes covering the walls of Santa Maria della Rotonda were removed.

Excavations carried out between 2004 and 2008 uncovered nine rooms and several tombs. In 2015, the entire block north of the church was expropriated, leading to further excavations. Archaeologists uncovered a large Castellum aquae connected to a branch of Catania’s Roman aqueduct, as well as a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by exedras, interpreted as the original entrance to the baths.

The bath complex included multiple rooms and pools. The central chamber, likely a frigidarium, contained a cold bath. To the east, the calidarium housed a hot-water bath, heated by a hypocaust system beneath the floor, with remnants of the supporting pilae stacks still visible. To the west of the frigidarium, a large room was paved with marble slabs. South of this area, dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, were two small circular rooms, possibly saunas, featuring hypocaust floors, along with a tepidarium for warm baths. Additional quadrangular rooms were located north of the frigidarium, beneath the present-day church. Remains of the Castellum aquae and the courtyard entrance are still visible near the church.

The building has a square plan with two entrances. The south wall features a 16th-century limestone portal, while the west wall contains a 13th-century Gothic portal. The main chancel is located opposite the southern portal, with remnants of a second chancel visible to the right of the main entrance. The dome has a diameter of 11 metres.

The restoration work conducted by Guido Libertini in the 1950s resulted in the loss of many frescoes that once adorned the interior walls of Santa Maria della Rotonda. However, the chancel still preserves notable medieval frescoes.

In the western apse, two saintly figures are depicted: the first, believed to be St Nicholas and dating from the 12th century, and the second, from the 13th century, representing St Leo of Catania, also known as the Wonderworker, with a Greek inscription reading “Ο ΑΓΙΟΣ ΛΕΟΝ”.

Fragments of a 13th-century Annunciation and remnants of Byzantine decorative elements can be seen on the eastern wall of the chancel. The Baroque frescoes at the base of the dome depict St Peter, St Paul, St Agatha, and St Lucy, alongside the Evangelists Luke, Matthew, Mark, and John. Above these figures, a Latin inscription references the church’s supposed consecration by St Peter in 44 AD.

Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena

The Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena is a former Benedictine monastery situated at Piazza Dante 30. It is one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in Europe, comparable in size to the Mafra National Palace in Portugal. The monastery is part of the Val di Noto UNESCO World Heritage Site and currently houses the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania.

Founded in 1558, the monastery was dedicated to San Nicola di Bari. The suffix ‘Arena’ refers to the volcanic sand that was abundant in the area. It is situated in the historic centre of Catania, adjacent to the church of San Nicolò l’Arena, and showcases architectural styles from different periods due to its extensive history of reconstruction and adaptation.

The monastery endured significant damage due to two major natural disasters in the 17th century. The 1669 eruption of Mount Etna caused lava to surround the city of Catania, extending the coastline by more than one kilometre. While the monastery itself was not destroyed, the surrounding land was buried under a 12-metre layer of lava stone. Further devastation occurred in 1693 when the Val di Noto earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the eastern coast of Sicily, nearly demolishing the entire city of Catania. The monastery was almost completely destroyed, with only the basement floors remaining intact.

Reconstruction began in 1702 and continued until 1866 when the newly established Kingdom of Italy confiscated the monastery. The rebuilding process was carried out atop the original foundations, incorporating a new cloister on the eastern side and an additional section, largely designed by the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, which was constructed on the solidified lava bed.

In 1977, the monastery was donated to the University of Catania. Extensive restoration work commenced in 1984, overseen by architect Giancarlo De Carlo, leading to the preservation and adaptation of the historic structure for academic use.

Via Etnea

Via Etnea extends in a straight line from Piazza del Duomo to the foothills beneath Mount Etna. The street is lined with shops, bars, and pavement cafés, and remains busy throughout the day. It becomes particularly crowded on Saturday afternoons when shoppers from the suburbs arrive to socialise and update their wardrobes.

At the southern end of Via Etnea, Piazza dell’Università provides a picturesque setting for a coffee and cake break. The square is home to Palazzo dell’Università, a building designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, which serves as part of the University of Catania. On the eastern side of the square stands another Vaccarini-designed structure, Palazzo Sangiuliano.

For those seeking respite from the bustling crowds, continuing further up the street leads to the Giardino Bellini. This garden offers shaded benches and a tranquil atmosphere, with views extending towards Mount Etna.

A day trip to Catania

At first sight we thought “okay, good we didn’t allocate that much time to Catania”. But going deeper into exploring the city, we discovered Catania is nicer than at that first sight and has more to offer than we first thought.

If or when we return to Sicily, I can see myself giving Catania another go.

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