Black lava paving, white limestone baroque and a smiling lava elephant carrying an obelisk. Catania's living room is best at 8am, before the heat and the crowds.
The earthquake of 1693 flattened Catania. It was rebuilt in baroque style from the black lava of Etna and pale limestone, and the cathedral square was its showpiece.
The cathedral of Sant'Agata, behind Vaccarini's façade, holds the relics of the city's patron saint and the tomb of the composer Bellini.
In the centre stands u Liotru, the lava-stone elephant that has carried an Egyptian obelisk since 1736 and is the city's emblem.
In the corner, the Amenano fountain spills water from an underground river over its rim like a sheet. Through Porta Uzeda the city opens to the sea, and the steps down lead to the fish market.
Coffee, cathedral and the walk down to the market.
Breakfast Catanese style, with the square still cool.
Walk round the elephant and its obelisk, carved with Egyptian-style symbols.
Sant'Agata's chapel and Bellini's tomb inside.
The "water sheet" fountain where an underground river surfaces.
Pass under the gate, then down the steps into the Pescheria.
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The square is the hub of the centre; the Metro stops at Stesicoro and Giovanni XXIII, and the airport bus stops nearby.
Free to enter outside services; dress modestly.
From 3 to 5 February the feast of Sant'Agata fills the square; book rooms early.
Catania practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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