Belpasso between Santa Lucia, lava stone and sculptures

Belpasso between festival culture and lava stone

Belpasso combines religious festival culture with distinctive architectural and sculptural details made of lava stone. The Campanone di Santa Lucia was made in 1815 and weighs more than 8,000 kilograms. Santa Lucia is the patron saint of Belpasso and is honored there every year on December 13 with religious celebrations and municipal events. December 13 therefore marks a fixed date in Belpasso’s festival calendar, when both types of events come together.

Palazzi and Teatro Comunale

The Palazzo Scrofani is characterized by a wrought-iron balcony and a lava-stone portal. The Palazzo dei Baroni Bufali di Santa Lucia features stone mascarons, carved details and a corner balcony. The Teatro Comunale is a late-19th-century building in the neoclassical style, with a façade made of white stone and lava stone. An architectural tour of Belpasso allows visitors to compare the wrought iron, lava stone, mascarons and balconies of the palazzi with the façade of the Teatro Comunale.

Sculptures in public spaces

The “Città delle 100 Sculture” project brings lava stone into view in public spaces. The visitor route runs from Piazza S. Antonio along Via Roma to Giardino Martoglio and onward to Piazza Stella Aragona. Several dozen lava-stone sculptures were installed along the streets of Belpasso in 2016, forming a sculpture trail. The project regularly includes organized public sculpture symposia, which are also internationally oriented and open to artists who create their works from lava stone on site.

Santa Lucia and the “spaccata”

During the so-called “spaccata,” the “Carri di Santa Lucia,” large mechanical structures, are opened in Piazza Duomo and Piazza Umberto. Santa Lucia’s float usually reaches a height of more than twelve meters during the “spaccata.” The “spaccata” thus connects the religious figure with an event in the urban space.

Sentiero 786

The anthropological and nature trail leads from Belpasso to the Rifugio Monte Manfrè mountain hut, crossing parts of Belpasso’s northern municipal area. It is 15 km long, has an elevation difference of 800 m between the starting and ending points, and includes 10 stations. Along the route, information boards provide information about places of interest. For planning purposes, it is advisable to allow for the entire 15-kilometer route to the Rifugio Monte Manfrè, including the 800-meter elevation difference. The ten stations and the information boards each serve as specific reference points for hikers along the route.

Prickly pears, festival and harvest

The Sagra del Ficodindia dell’Etna DOP reached its tenth edition and originated as a community initiative marking the end of the harvest. Over time, it developed into an event that combines celebration, culture and agricultural promotion.

More destinations

More destinations: Santa Maria Di Licodia, Fondachello, Aci Trezza, Riposto, Bronte, Calatabiano, Canalicchio, Pedara

To the higher-level travel overview: Catania.