Catania / Augusta

The Port of Catania is located right in the middle of the Mediterranean basin and it boasts nearly 600 years of history. At present, quays for cruise ships (piers 10-11-12-13) are located at the “Sporgente Centrale”, where you can find a cruise terminal, a guest information service, a wide area for buses for shore excursions, taxis, sightseeing buses and a parking for embarking people arriving by car.

The cruise terminal is just a ten minute walking from the city center, with its monuments, churches, shops, coffee shops and restaurants. The flaming red of the Etna lava, the brilliant white of the snow covering the volcano in the winter season, the impenetrable black of the lava stone, the dazzling yellow of the countryside in summer and the luxuriant green of woods and fields in spring, are all colors identifying Catania. This city has a very rich and long history, it was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidians, its old town, besides being one of the biggest examples of baroque architecture in Italy, is a World Heritage Site, protected by UNESCO.

Catania has been a native or adoptive homeland of some of Italy’s most famous artists and writers, including composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini, and writers Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana and others. The city is the main industrial, logistical and commercial center in Sicily, but it is also a major tourist destination and it has the largest airport in Southern Italy.

Among the most popular tourist attraction you can find the Cathedral, which has been destroyed and rebuilt several times because of earthquakes and eruptions of the nearby Mount Etna; the fish market, where a smelly and colorful atmosphere greets people, the Ursino Castle which stands like a stronghold made of lava stone; the Roman Theater built in late antiquity, around 300 B.C. which was rebuilt on an older theatre from the 500 B.C.; the Achillian Thermal Baths dating back to the IV-V century.

Catania is dominated by the majestic Mount Etna, known and loved by tourists from all over the world, which is just 40 minutes away and is the largest and most active volcano in Europe. Last but not least from Catania you can visit the worldwide known Taormina, a charming village perched on a rocky promontory high above the sea.