Piazza del Duomo is the main city square in

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, flanked by both the centers of civic (city hall at

Palazzo degli Elefanti Palazzo degli Elefanti (English: "Elephants Palace") is a historical building in Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe ...

) and religious power ( Duomo or Cathedral of Saint Agatha).

The square

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 Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (3 February 1702 – 11 March 1768) 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 p ...

designed a Baroque structure and façade in 1711. Three streets enter the square: via Etnea, the historical

Cardo maximus A ''cardo'' (: ''cardines'') was a north–south street in ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The ''cardo maximus'', or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented str ...

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

or the Town Hall. In front of this building stands a fountain designed by Vaccarini, consisting of an obelisk on the back of an elephant (''u Liotru''), now the symbol of Catania. On the other side of the square, there is the , 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 Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...

in the background; towards the port, the walls of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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 Castello Ursino (), also known as Castello Svevo di Catania, is a castle in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily, and is mostly known for its role in the Sicilian Vespers, wh ...

Festival celebrations

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 San Biagio, previously called Sant'Agata alla Fornace or ''La Fornace'' or ''Carcara'' is a Neoclassical architecture, Roman Catholic parish church located at the western edge of the Piazza Stesicoro in the quartiere San Biagio della Calcarella, ...

to the Cathedral here. This is followed by an evening outdoor concert and fireworks.Papa, Vincenzo Denaro. "Catania's Most Beloved Religious Festival: Feast of St. Agatha", ''Italy Magazine''
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References

{{Coord, 37.5025, N, 15.0871, E, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title