 Introduction
Arrival Plane
Catania Fontanarossa Airport is situated 5 kms southwest of Catania. The airport offers extensive domestic connections within Italy as well as scheduled flights to major European cities including Amsterdam, Munich and Paris. The airport lies just off the A19 motorway, which runs west towards Palermo and through central Sicily. To reach Catania, take the 417 roadway which leads directly into the city. The E45 motorway runs south to Syracuse, about 50 kms distant. Alibus shuttles depart every 20 minutes, from 5:00 until midnight, to and from the city. Regular bus service is also offered to other area cities and towns; current timetables can be obtained at the airport's information booth.
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Train
Catania is connected by trains to all the major destination in Sicily, such as Taormina, Palermo and Siracusa. For some destinations it is necessary to change trains. From Rome there are some direct trains to Catania (via Naples), the trip lasts about 10 hours. For times consult the Trenitalia site.
Catania's central train station is Catania Centrale with the main lines Messina-Syracuse, Catania-Gela and Catania-Palermo. From Catania Borgo station leaves privately-owned small-gauge Circumetnea railway which runs for 110 km from Catania round the base of Mount Etna, attaining the height of 976 m above sea level before descending to rejoin the coast at Giarre-Riposto to the North.
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Sea
Passenger-only aliscafi (hydrofoils) cross the strait from Reggio di Calabria to Messina in about 15 minutes. Overnight car ferries operated by Tirrenia, run daily all year between Naples and Palermo. In the summer (April-October), SNAV, has a daytime service by faster catamarans, which also carry vehicles.
Car
From Palermo take highway A19 Palermo-Catania up to destination (209 Km). From Agrigento take state highway 640 for Caltanisetta and then continue on highway A19 up to Catania (165 Km). From Siracusa follow state highway 114 up to Catania (62 Km). Those coming from the mainland should take highway A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and exit on Villa San Giovanni to get to the ferries that go to Messina. From Messina, highway A18 takes you to Catania.
Transport
History and Culture
After the fall of the Empire, the ex-Roman colony was conquered by Belisarius (535 A.D.) and was ruled by the Byzantine Empire for about three centuries. After the decadence caused by the invasions of the Barbarians and the Byzantine conquest, the town was occupied by the Arabs, who redistributed the land and promoted agriculture and commerce. later the Normans took over from them in 1071 and entered the city of Catania guided by Count Ruggero. In 1071, after the Norman conquest, construction began on the cathedral, and numerous country villages were founded, each under the jurisdiction of a monastery.
Under the Swabians, Frederick II built the Castello Ursino here, in order to complete his fortifications in this part of Sicily. The arrival of the Aragonese in Catania, which the Court often chose as a centre for its activity, led to the foundation of the Siculorum Gymnasium, the first prestigious Sicilian university. In 1169, the city was destroyed by a terrible earthquake that struck the whole of Eastern Sicily and the terrible earthquake in 1693, which affected all E Sicily and destroyed most of the city, annihilated an economy that was already in a critical state. Catania was eventually rebuilt, and it spread considerably; it then suffered the effect of a new agricultural crisis, before recovering yet again. It was elected provincial capital in the 19th c. and again began to expand towards new zones, until it achieved in our own days its present-day image of a modem city.
Churches and Museums
This basilica was built around the 10th century in honor of Saint Anthony, patron saint of navigators, and in c.1300 it became the home of the "Confraternita dei Battenti", an heretical confraternity originating from Naples. It was splendidly restored in the C17th by the Theatine Fathers. The crypt holds the tomb of Saint Anthony, where thousands of votive offerings have been made by sailors.
Saint Francis Cloisters
The Saint Francis Cloisters have been restored on numerous occasions over the centuries and hence display a distinctive array of architectural styles that range from late gothic to renaissance, while the refectory retains its original fourteenth century structure.
Museo Correale
Within the 18th–century Palazzo Correale, which has some interesting murals, is the Museo Correale, containing a small collection of 17th– and 18th-century Neapolitan art and an assortment of Greek and Roman artefacts. Steps lead down to the shore while the gardens offer views of the bay.
Chiesa di San Nicolo (The Church of San Nicolo)
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Museo Civico Castello Ursino (Castello Ursino Museum)
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Piazza Duomo (Duomo Square)
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Historical buildings and monuments
The gleaming white facade of the cathedral gives no hint of the exuberance housed within. There's a particularly striking Crucifixion above the main altar. The triple-tiered bell tower rests on an archway into which three classical columns and a number of other fragments have been set.
Sedil Dominova
A unique testimony to the ancient "sedile", which was the building in which the city fathers gathered to make laws and decide on economic and administrative matters. A magnificent majolica-tiled dome covers the arcaded loggia of the Sedil Dominova.
Anfiteatro (Amphitheatre)
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Place of Interest
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Vulcano Etna
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Events
Feast of St Agata - February
In early February, Catania turns its attention towards its patron saint, as it has done for the last five centuries, with a series of unchanging celebrations. Today, as in the past, the city remembers its patron saint with three days of intensive festivities and worship that culminate when a majestic silver cart with a statue of the saint is pulled through the immense crowd.
Another key ritual is the wax offering, which involves important civil, religious and military figures. The procession ends with the offering of giant candles by the various guilds and corporations.
The religious and traditional aspects of the feast of St Agatha climax in a grand fireworks display.
Etnafest - January-September
Catania and other towns in the Etna area host some of the most famous and interesting names linked to culture, art and all forms of music, from jazz to swing and from rock to popular Arab and French music, as well as the greatest composers and singers of the century. There are also interesting events involving poetry, painting, sculpture, meetings with famous authors and cinema.
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Catania Travel Guide
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