In which quarter house in Catania?

Looking for Sicily charms for the holidays? After Palermo, discover the best areas to stay in Catania!

The eastern coasts of Sicily , sumptuous beaches of the Ionian Sea, an ascent of the Etna, sparkles of nature, popular markets and tasty seafood fishery, architectural wonders of the civilizations of history, festive tumult of the streets endiablées : this is all that Catania has to offer in its walls. And no, Catania and Sicily, it is not only Cosa Nostra and the mafia. Catania had 315,576 inhabitants in 2014, and is the tenth most populous city in Italy. Catania is a city of effervescent baroque style and bouillonnant. But renting an apartment can be expensive: better to have the wallet well-stocked to stay in Catania.

The interesting areas where to stay in Catania are in itself few, despite the fact that there are almost 60 neighbourhoods: the majority of the accommodation offers – hotels, rooms at the inhabitant or youth hostel – are massacred in the hyper-centre. Here is a presentation of the places to stay in Catania.

Via Etnea

Via Etnea is the main pedestrian street in the historic centre of Catania. A small merchant vein and very frequented, it splits the city centre in two on a rectilineal three-kilometre track. Clothing shops and souvenir shops keep the customer busy day, glaciers, bars and restaurants feed and drink catanesi and tourists. At night, the neighbourhood loses its commercial soul to drape in a festive atmosphere where young people invade the terraces to drink until drunk: there are many breweries, pubs, trendy bars and pizzerias.

Just say there is little respite and you will not be bored if you choose this area where to sleep in Catania. The area houses many hotels, but also the botanical garden and historic buildings: baroque and cathedral churches, elephant fountain, the cathedral square. Make a detour in the Bellini garden near Piazza Roma, which is next to Etnea Street. To stay in Catania, be on the via Etnea and near Piazza Duomo offers an ideal location to try in the streets of the centre.

Via Crociferi

After your walks and shopping in the north of the city centre, continue the visit to Via Crociferi further south, to visit baroque palaces and churches. Don’t miss the ancient monuments of the Roman Empire – Odeon, Roman amphitheatre (as great as the Colosseum of Rome), theatre – and frescoes and the magnificent baroque decor of the San Benedetto church. In the enclosed alleys of the city centre, you will walk in the footsteps of time, where the invasions and dominations of the carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Norman and Spanish followed. Where to sleep in Catania? On the side of the via Crociferi if you are amateur of places loaded in history.

Main photo credit: Flickr – Ivan Komarov