Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square), Catania

Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square), Catania (must see)

In the Cathedral Square there is a black lava elephant with an obelisk on his back. It is thought of as the symbol of Catania even if the inference is obscure. The elephant was brought here with his obelisk by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. Giovanni was the architect charged with restoring the Square after the earthquake of 1693.

The Cathedral Square is the busy center of Catania. The Baroque square and the buildings around it are the restorations of architect Vaccarini, They are Uzeda Gate, from 1696, The great Cathedral, 1739, the Church of Saint Agatha, 1767, the Town Hall Building, 1741 and our friend, the Elephant, 1736. Altogether a stunning achievement.

Three streets connect to the square. First is Etnea Street. This is the cardo maximus, the north-south axis of the Ancient Roman City. Next is the Giuseppe Garibaldi Street, named for the great Italian patriot. Lastly we have the Vittorio Emanuele II Street, crossing the city from east to west.

The Town Hall Building, is on the north side of the square, facing the lava elephant of Vaccarini. On the opposite side the the Palace of the Clerics faces the Amenano fountain. The fountain is fed by the underground Amenano River.

The Festival of Saint Agatha is a three day celebration that starts on February 3 of each year. It involves a procession called "della luminaria", followed by a concert and fireworks.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Catania. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square) on Map

Sight Name: Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square)
Sight Location: Catania, Italy (See walking tours in Catania)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Catania, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Catania

Create Your Own Walk in Catania

Creating your own self-guided walk in Catania is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Catania Introduction Walking Tour

Catania Introduction Walking Tour

The old Sicilian word "katane" is often translated as "harsh ground" or "sharp stones." Black lava from Mount Etna has swamped the area many times. Other disasters include earthquakes, invasions and wars.

The original village of Katane was occupied by Greek settlers in the eighth century BC. During the first Punic War, Catania became a Roman city. The Vandals...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour

Historical Churches Walking Tour

Just as many other Italian destinations, the Sicilian city of Catania is full of churches, especially in the historic center, where the presence of religious sites is particularly high! A good number of local churches date back centuries, and as such represent marvelous pieces of architecture, adding much character to the area. It is also commonplace to find inside most of them, be it a duomo,...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles