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Piazza del Duomo is the main city square in Catania, Italy, flanked by both the centers of civic (city hall at Palazzo degli Elefanti) and religious power (Duomo or Cathedral of Saint Agatha).
The Duomo di Catania or Cattedrale di Sant'Agata stands on the east side of the square. Originally constructed in 1078–1093, on the ruins of an ancient Roman Thermae (Achillean Baths), like nearly all of Catania, the devastating 1693 earthquake, leveled most of the structure, and Giovanni Battista Vaccarini designed a Baroque structure and façade in 1711.
Three streets enter the square: via Etnea, the historical Cardo maximus or north–south artery of the Ancient Roman City; the via Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the via Vittorio Emanuele II that crosses it from east to west.
On the north side is the Palazzo degli Elefanti or the Town Hall. In front of this building stands a fountain designed by Vaccarini, consisting of an obelisk on the back of the elephant u Liotru, the (symbol of Catania). [1]
On the other side of the square, there is the Amenano fountain [ it ], in front of the Palazzo dei Chierici. Between the Chierici palace and the cathedral is the Porta Uzeda. From the terraces you can admire two splendid panoramas: to the north, the Piazza del Duomo in Catania with the Elephant fountain and Via Etnea with Mount Etna in the background; towards the port, the walls of Charles V, with the arches of the Marina up to the Ursino castle. The portal of the Gate of Charles V is part of the only remaining part of the medieval city walls.
Access to the baths by accessing the Diocesan Museum of Catania: a barrel-vaulted corridor built into the gap between the Roman structures and the foundations of the cathedral (whose access consists of a short flight of steps at different times to the left of the façade) allows to take a trip into the bowels of the city, where the Amenano river flows, whose waters rise to the surface in the nearby Amenano fountain in the square in front. The name of the plant is deduced from an inscription on a marble slab of the Lunense area reduced to six very fragmented main fragments, probably dating back to the first half of the 5th century, now exhibited in the Civic Museum at Castello Ursino.
The Piazza del Duomo is a focal point for the annual Festival of Saint Agatha, a three-day event that begins on February 3 with a procession known as “della luminaria”, from the church of Sant'Agata alla Fornace to the Cathedral here. This is followed by an evening outdoor concert and fireworks. [2]
Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, and among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts the main airport in Sicily. The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702.
Giovanni Battista Vaccarini was a Sicilian architect, notable for his work in the Sicilian Baroque style in his homeland during the period of massive rebuilding following the earthquake of 1693. Many of his principal works can be found in the area in and around Catania.
Piazza della Signoria is a w-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo, and gateway to the Uffizi Gallery.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Agatha, usually known as the Catania Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, and since then has been the seat of the Archbishops of Catania.
Palazzo degli Elefanti is a historical building in Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. It currently houses the city's Town Hall. In the past, the prior building was also known as the Palazzo Senatorio or Loggia Senatoria.
The Palazzo Tezzano is a monumental palace in Piazza Stesicoro, in the center of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The via Etnea, with prominent shops, bisects the Piazza; this palazzo rises at the northwest intersection with this via, across from the white stone, neoclassical Palazzo Paterno del Toscano.
Elephant and Obelisk is a statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk, designed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was unveiled in 1667 in the Piazza della Minerva in Rome, adjacent to the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where it stands today.
Giuseppe Sciuti was an Italian painter.
Piazza Stesicoro is a rectangular city square in the historic center of the city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Catania in the Sicily region of Italy.
Sant’Agata al Borgo is a Roman Catholic church in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The church rises alongside via Etna. In front of the church is the tree-lined Piazza Cavour with its fountain of Cerere, while south across the piazza rises the church of the Consolazione. The Borgo is one of the original four districts (quartieri) of Catania.
Sant’Agata la Vetere is a Roman Catholic church located in the piazza of the same name in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. East of church and nearby, but facing in the other direction, are two other churches dedicated in honor of St Agatha of Sicily: the church of Sant'Agata al Carcere and two blocks east on Piazza Stesicoro is Sant'Agata alla Fornace, now known San Biagio.
Santa Agata al Carcere, sometimes called Santo Carcere or the Carcere church is a Roman Catholic church located on Piazza Santo Carcere #7, in the city of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is one of three nearly adjacent churches dedicated in honor of St Agatha of Sicily in this neighborhood, the other two being Sant'Agata alla Fornace and Sant'Agata la Vetere.
The Monument to Vincenzo Bellini is an outdoor monument located on Piazza Stesicoro, in the city of Catania, Sicily, Italy. Grandbeggers place
The Conservatorio delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata is a former orphanage-hostel and church located on via Teatro Greco #82, with the northern facade paralleling Piazza Dante and the Monastery of San Nicolo l'Arena in the center of the city of Catania, region of Sicily, Italy. Presently it houses the facilities of the Faculty of the Scienza della Formazione of the University of Catania, educating future science teachers.
The Palazzo dell'Università or Palazzo Centrale dell'Università di Catania is a monumental palace located in Piazza Universitaria, in the center of the city of Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. Since its construction, it has housed the main offices of the University of Catania, and stands across the piazza from the Palazzo San Giuliano, also housing offices of the university. It presently houses the offices of the rector, university offices, the "Giambattista Caruso" Regional Library, and a small museum of geology and archeology.
Piazza dell'Università is a city square in the historic center of the city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy. It is bisected by Via Etnea.
The Palazzo del Seminario dei Chierici, also known as the Palazzo dei Chierici is a monumental building located facing the piazza Duomo in Catania, region of Sicily, Italy. It stands aside from the Cathedral of Sant'Agata, and across the piazza from the Palazzo degli Elefanti, which houses city hall. Between these two palaces, the Monument of the Elephant with obelisk is located.
The Elephant Fountain is a monument located in the center of Piazza del Duomo in the Sicilian city of Catania, designed by architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini between 1735 and 1737. Its main element is a black basalt statue of an elephant, commonly called u Liotru, which has become the emblem of the city of Catania.
