Catania's main street runs dead straight for three kilometres towards Etna. One block west, the Via dei Crociferi packs four baroque churches and a convent into 200 metres.
After the 1693 earthquake, Catania was rebuilt on wide straight streets. The late-baroque towns of the Val di Noto, Catania among them, are a World Heritage site.
Via Etnea runs north from the Duomo past Piazza Università and the Collegiata to the gardens of Villa Bellini, with the volcano filling the end of the view. It is the city's shopping street and evening stroll.
One block west, Via dei Crociferi is the most beautiful street in town. San Benedetto has its Angels' Staircase and the Badia Piccola arch over the road. Then come San Francesco Borgia and San Giuliano, whose rooftop loggia gives a view over the domes.
On the way up Via Etnea, the half-buried Roman amphitheatre lies below the level of Piazza Stesicoro.
A loop of about four kilometres.
Walk north past the university square and the Collegiata's curved façade.
Look down into the arena, half-buried below the modern square.
Climb into the garden for the volcano rising beyond the palms.
The Angels' Staircase and the arch that joins the two halves of the convent.
Climb to the loggia for the domes of Catania and Etna behind.
Start at Piazza del Duomo; the Metro runs under Via Etnea's northern half if you want to ride back.
San Benedetto charges a small fee for the monastery; San Giuliano's loggia is open on set days.
Via Etnea fills with the passeggiata after 7pm; the cafés stay open late.
Catania practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
