{"id":68105,"date":"2015-09-16T12:06:35","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T11:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=68105"},"modified":"2026-10-13T09:06:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:06:35","slug":"piazza-del-duomo-and-catania-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/piazza-del-duomo-and-catania-cathedral","title":{"rendered":"Piazza del Duomo and Catania Cathedral"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the heart of Catania, the Piazza Duomo<\/strong> is the starting point for a tour of the city. The present square is the result of the reconstruction that followed the disastrous earthquake of 1693. It was redesigned by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini around 1730 and is considered a model of Sicilian Baroque urban composition, with a stylistic unity between the fa\u00e7ades and the volumes; the main buildings are: the cathedral<\/strong>, the town hall and the Baroque palaces. Its architectural qualities earned it inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with other Baroque sites of the Val di Noto<\/strong>.
A place of gathering and events, it hosts in particular the great annual festival dedicated to Saint Agatha<\/em>, the patron saint of the city.<\/p>\n

Overview of Piazza Duomo<\/h2>\n

At the centre of the square stands the Elephant Fountain<\/strong><\/a>, the symbol of Catania. On the north side, the Palazzo degli Elefanti<\/strong><\/a> (Palace of the Elephants<\/em>) houses the town hall, a 17th-century work by Vaccarini. Opposite, the Palazzo dei Chierici<\/strong><\/a> (Palace of the Clerics<\/em>) dates from the early 18th century. One side of the square is closed by the Porta Uzeda<\/strong>, erected in 1695, close to the Amenano Fountain<\/strong><\/a>. A few steps to the south is the fish market, the Pescheria<\/strong><\/a>, a typical and ancient spot in the city. It is attested since the Middle Ages, occupying part of the route of the ancient Roman road that linked the port to the ancient forum of Catania.<\/p>\n

One would not suspect that beneath the square lie the ancient Terme Achilliane<\/strong><\/a>, accessible from the Diocesan Museum of Catania<\/strong><\/a> located in the Palazzo dei Chierici. These baths, dating from the 1st or 2nd century AD, were part of a vast Roman complex.<\/p>\n

adsensefeed<\/span>
\r\n <\/ins>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n