Acireale: Baroque Squares, Library and La Timpa

Acireale between Baroque and Lava Rock

Acireale combines baroque cityscapes with natural and cultural attractions that you can prioritise according to your interests. In the historic centre of Acireale, a baroque setting unfolds between the cathedral, the Duomo and Corso Umberto. Piazza del Duomo is an authentic open-air museum thanks to the monuments surrounding it. The Basilica Collegiata di San Sebastiano is designated as a national monument and contains frescoes by Pietro Paolo Vasta, created between 1732 and 1736.

Library and Art Collection

The Biblioteca Comunale Zelantea was founded in 1671. Access is made easier by ramps and lifts. The library houses around 100,000 books, including an old collection of 56,000 volumes and more than 1,000 manuscripts. A picture gallery is attached to the Zelantea Library. It displays works attributed to the schools of Rubens, Titian and Pietro Novelli. For cultural travellers, Acireale thus offers various ways to explore the city’s history, books and visual art.

La Timpa and the Chiazzette Trail

La Timpa creates a scenic contrast to the baroque city centre. The nature reserve covers 265 hectares and lies entirely within the municipality of Acireale. La Timpa is a natural escarpment formed by movements along the Acireale fault, exposing lava layers around 200,000 years old. The Chiazzette trail leads from the Acireale plateau down to the coast through seven hairpin bends, overcoming an elevation difference of 150 metres. When planning your days, you can specifically take this area into account based on the desired balance of cityscape, landscape and walking distance.

Church, Cave and Nativity Scene

The Church of Santa Maria della Neve houses Acireale’s 18th-century nativity scene in a natural lava-flow cave. It comprises 34 life-size figures made of wax and wood.

Granita and Carnival

Nivarata was created in Acireale in 2012 as a territorial marketing project. The Nivarata Experience includes excursions to Mount Etna’s snow pits, as well as demonstrations and the traditional artisanal preparation of granita. During the Carnival of Acireale, allegorical-grotesque floats, flower floats and masked groups parade through the streets of the city centre. Alongside architecture and nature, local production and festive urban culture can therefore also find a place in your travel plans.

Acireale Tailored to Your Travel Plans

Those interested in regional production can include Nivarata in their plans, while the carnival offers a special focus on events. The ramps and lifts at the Biblioteca Comunale Zelantea are also a specific aspect that you can consider when finding your way around locally.

Further destinations for your travel plans: Linera, Monterosso, Paternò, Presa, Petrosino, Bronte, Misterbianco and Santo Pietro.

For the overview of the wider area: Catania.