CATANIA

Catania - In homage to one of its most illustrious citizens, Vincenzo Bellini, a visit to Catania can commence from the zone of the theatre (1890) named after him and designed by Carlo Sada in elegant Second Empire style.

Moving south, you come to Piazza San Placido, named after the fine baroque church with a facade dating from 1769.

This is the work of Stefano Ittar who, along with Giovan Battista Vaccarini, was the main artifice of 18th-century Catania, resurrected after the eruption of Mt Etna im669 and the earthquake of 1693.

Ittar also collaborated on the construction of the nearby Palazzo Biscari, a splendid baroque building commenced in 1702; the majestic dual flight of steps in the main courtyard lead to the interior, where visitors are struck by the magnificent party hall.

Via Vittorio Emanuele, dominated by the great dome of the Badia di Sant'Agata, a masterpiece by Giovan Battista Vaccarini built between 1735 and 1767, will take you to the hub of the city centre: Piazza Duomo, adorned in the centre with the fountain of the Elefante, the "Liotru" in lava stone that is the symbol of Catania.

The Duomo, dedicated to Sant'Agata, was rebuilt in the early 18th century in baroque style, although the apses and the transept of the original Norman structure were preserved.

Follow the route of the so-called "archi della marina", the railway line arches -beneath one of which, near the square, they hold the picturesque Pescheria market.

You will come to the Ursino castle, built for Frederick II of Swabia and completed in 1250. This is the home of the Civic Museum created using private local collections, in particular the archaeological ones of Prince Biscari, admired by Goethe, and those of the Benedictines. Return towards the centre along Via Crociferi, particularly charming by night in the lamplight.

On this short street stand churches highly representative of Catania's baroque style, such as San Giuliano. You then come to the lovely Via Di Sangiuliano, on which stand fine noble residences such as Palazzo Manganelli.

The street climbs to Piazza Dante, dominated by the complex of San Nicolo, comprising the unfinished church - the largest in Sicily - and the Benedictine monastery, which today houses university lecture rooms and institutions.

From here, it is but a stone's throw to the bustling and vast Piazza Stesicoro, and the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. On the square and in the immediate vicinity stand three churches named after St Agatha and liked to the martyrdom of the city's virgin patron saint: Sant'Agata alla Fornace, Sant'Agata al Carcere and Sant'Agata la Vetere. In nearby Piazza Carlo Alberto, visit the Fiera, the largest market in the city.

Piazza Stesicoro breaks into Via Etnea, the rendezvous of the city's inhabitants; to the north of it is Villa Bellini and to the south you return to Piazza del Duomo. On this last stretch there are two necessary stops: the Collegiate, with a spectacular facade (1758) that is a masterpiece by Ittar; and the fine University courtyard, another work by Vaccarini, surrounded by a double loggia and paved with a refined mosaic of lava stone and white cobbles.