Travel guide · Catania, Sicily
Things to do in Catania,
the city built from a volcano.
Almost everyone who visits eastern Sicily lands at Catania's airport, and almost everyone drives straight past the city on the way to somewhere else. That's a shame, because Catania rebuilt itself after the earthquake of 1693 in a way no other Sicilian town did: black lava stone from Etna, set against pale limestone, in the same baroque piazzas and churches that define Noto and Ortigia. Nowhere else pairs the two colours quite like this, and the volcano that produced the stone is rarely out of view.
I work here often, so this guide follows the order I actually plan a day in: what to see, and the hour each place is worth showing up for.
Piazza del Duomo, where the city starts
Black lava columns, the Cathedral of Saint Agatha, and at the centre of the square, Vaccarini's little lava-stone elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk on its back, the symbol of the city. Facing the square, Palazzo degli Elefanti, the town hall, is where small civil ceremonies still take place.
Early morning, before the market stalls and tour groups fill the square, or the last hour before sunset, when the black stone in the columns and facades stops looking cold and turns almost warm in the low light.
Via Crociferi, four churches in one street
Just off the Duomo, a short baroque street that packs four churches into two hundred metres: San Benedetto, San Francesco Borgia, San Giuliano and the Collegiata. Worn steps, elaborate facades, and a fraction of the foot traffic of the piazza it branches off.
La Pescheria, the morning market
Catania's fish market spills through the streets just below the Duomo every morning: swordfish laid out on ice, live shellfish, stallholders shouting prices over each other. It is loud, wet underfoot and completely genuine, the working city rather than a postcard of it.
Before eleven. The market winds down by midday, and the light in the narrow streets around it is best in the first couple of hours after it opens.
Via Etnea and Villa Bellini
Catania's main street runs arrow-straight toward Etna, lined with shops and, on a clear day, the volcano itself framed at the far end. A short walk off it, Villa Bellini is the city's grand public garden: wrought-iron gates, palm-lined paths and a bandstand, shaded and calm once the piazzas get hot.
Castello Ursino and the Roman theatre
Castello Ursino, a squat thirteenth-century castle built for Frederick II, now houses the city's civic museum, with archaeological finds and paintings across several centuries. Less expected: hidden among ordinary streets a few minutes away, the ruins of a Roman theatre, excavated straight out of the buildings around it, easy to miss and worth the detour.
Mount Etna, if you have a day
Europe's largest active volcano rises directly behind the city, and it is closer than it looks: about an hour's drive to the Rifugio Sapienza base station, where most visits start. From there you can walk among the lower craters on your own, or take the cable car and a guided jeep further up toward the summit craters, weather and conditions allowing. Either way, bring a jacket: it is cold at altitude even in summer.
Late afternoon back in the city, looking up Via Etnea: on a clear day the volcano catches the last light while the street below is already in shade.
A day, planned by the light
If Catania is a stop on the way somewhere else, this is the order that makes the most of a few hours.
How long to stay
A few hours: Piazza del Duomo, Via Crociferi and La Pescheria, all within a ten-minute walk of each other. Enough for a layover or a stop on the way to Taormina or Syracuse (Siracusa).
A full day: add Castello Ursino, Via Etnea and Villa Bellini.
Two days: give Etna its own half day, ideally with an early start.
Common questions
How many days do you need in Catania?
One full day covers the historic centre on foot: Piazza del Duomo, Via Crociferi, La Pescheria and Via Etnea. Add a second day if you want Mount Etna, which is roughly an hour each way and easily fills half a day on its own.
What time of day is best for Piazza del Duomo?
Early morning, before the market stalls and tour groups fill the square, or the last hour before sunset, when the black lava stone in the columns and facades turns almost warm in the low light. The middle of the day gets hot and crowded fast.
Is Catania worth visiting, or just an airport?
It is worth visiting. Most people fly into Fontanarossa airport and drive straight past the city on the way to Taormina or Syracuse, but Catania has its own baroque centre, rebuilt in black lava stone after the 1693 earthquake, and it looks like nowhere else in Sicily.
Can you visit Mount Etna from Catania in a day?
Yes, easily. The Rifugio Sapienza base station, where most day trips start, is about an hour's drive from the city. From there you can walk the lower craters yourself or take the cable car and a guided jeep tour further up, depending on how much time and energy you have.
What is La Pescheria?
Catania's fish market, spilling out through the streets just behind Piazza del Duomo every morning. Swordfish laid out on ice, stallholders calling out prices, the most authentic scene in the city. It is a morning-only market and winds down by around midday.
Is Catania a good base for exploring Sicily?
It can be, mainly because of the airport and its position between Taormina, Syracuse and Etna, all under an hour and a half away. Syracuse and Ortigia are a quieter, more compact base if photography and a slower pace matter more to you than being centrally located.
Want the photographs to be yours?
I photograph travelling couples and families in Catania, near Piazza del Duomo and Via Crociferi. An hour together, and you go home with the trip as it actually looked. Sessions from €330, photos in 24 to 48 hours.
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