Couples, families and surprise proposals photographed among the baroque piazzas of Sicily's second city and gateway to Etna. I am based in Syracuse (Siracusa) and travel up the coast for every session here.
Autumn offer · FromWhy Catania
Almost everyone who visits eastern Sicily lands here. Fontanarossa airport sits at the edge of the city, and most people only ever see Catania through a rental-car window on the way to Taormina or the coast.
That's worth changing. After the earthquake of 1693 flattened the city along with Noto, Catania rebuilt itself in a Baroque unlike anywhere else in Sicily: black lava stone from Etna set against pale limestone, in the same piazzas and church facades that define Noto and Ortigia. Nowhere else pairs the two colours quite like this.
Etna itself is rarely out of sight. On a clear day it shows up above the rooftops from more than one piazza in the historic centre, still smoking, a backdrop no other Sicilian city can borrow.
Because of the distance from my base in Syracuse, roughly fifty minutes down the coast, sessions in Catania start from €330 for one hour and €420 for two, travel included.
Where we shoot
Everything starts here: black lava columns, the Cathedral of Saint Agatha, and Vaccarini's little lava-stone elephant carrying an obelisk on its back in the centre of the square. Early morning, before the market stalls and tour groups fill it in, is the easiest window.
Four Baroque churches packed into two hundred quiet metres, worn steps and some of the best-preserved palazzi facades in the city. It's a two-minute walk from the Duomo but feels like a different, much quieter Catania.
The fish market spills out just below the Duomo every morning: swordfish laid out on ice, stallholders calling out prices, the real working city rather than a postcard of it. It's an early session only, the market winds down by midday.
The city's grand public garden, wrought-iron gates, palm-lined paths and a bandstand. A shaded, unhurried spot for families once the piazzas get hot.
The university quarter's lava-stone palazzi and the long straight run of Via Etna toward the volcano itself. Elegant rather than crowded, and a good late-afternoon alternative to the Duomo.
A lot of people pass through Catania right before a flight, or land here on the way to Taormina or Syracuse. If a few hours is all you have, I can meet you near the airport or your hotel and build a short session around whatever window you've got.
Sessions in Catania
Piazza del Duomo and Via Crociferi at golden hour are the two spots I use most for this. We agree the exact place and a signal beforehand, and I photograph from a distance so it stays a complete surprise.
An hour through the lava-stone streets and piazzas as the light drops, no posing, just the two of you against a city most visitors never slow down to look at.
Villa Bellini's shade and open lawns work well with children, especially once the piazzas heat up. An early morning at the Duomo before the crowds arrive is the other option.
If Catania is a stop on the way somewhere else, a flight to catch or a rental car to collect, I build the session around whatever time you actually have, even a single hour near the airport.
Practical
Piazza del Duomo is the essential shot, black lava columns, the cathedral, and Vaccarini's elephant fountain in the middle of the square. Via Crociferi, just around the corner, packs four Baroque churches into two hundred quiet metres. La Pescheria, the fish market behind the Duomo, is the most authentic scene in the city, but it's a morning-only window. Villa Bellini's gardens and the lava-stone streets around Via Etna round out the rest.
Early morning has the fish market at its liveliest and the Duomo before the tour buses and market stalls arrive. The last hour before sunset works well too, when the black lava stone in Via Crociferi and around the piazza turns almost warm in the low light. The middle of the day gets busy and hot, so we plan around both ends of it.
About fifty minutes by car, roughly 66 kilometres down the coast. Because of the distance, sessions in Catania start from €330 for one hour, which includes the travel.
Yes. Piazza del Duomo and Via Crociferi are the two spots I use most for this. We agree the exact place and a signal beforehand, and I photograph from a distance so it stays a complete surprise until it's over.
Yes, and Villa Bellini's shaded paths are usually the easiest spot with children, especially once the piazzas heat up. An early session at the Duomo before the crowds, followed by the gardens, is a combination that works well for most families.
Yes, this comes up often. Fontanarossa airport is about fifteen to twenty minutes from Piazza del Duomo, so if you have a layover, an early arrival or a late flight out, we can still fit in a short session in the historic centre. Tell me your flight times when you book and I will plan around them.
Small civil ceremonies do happen at Palazzo degli Elefanti, the town hall right on Piazza del Duomo, and I'm happy to photograph one. It's a different service from the one-hour and two-hour vacation sessions on this page, so message me with your date and what you have in mind and I will send you the details.
Keep reading
Photoshoot Prices in Sicily → Things to Do in Catania, Sicily → Photographer in Noto, Sicily → Photographer in Taormina, Sicily → Family Photoshoots in Ortigia, Noto & at Your Villa → Full-Day Photographer in Sicily → Surprise Proposal Photographer in Ortigia → How a Vacation Photoshoot Works (Prices & FAQ) →Fifty minutes from Syracuse, gateway to the rest of Sicily
Tell me your dates, or your flight times if this is a layover. I reply within 24 hours, and I will tell you the exact hour to be there.
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