Castiglione Di Sicilia: Churches, Museums and Mount Etna Landscape

Castiglione di Sicilia is situated on a hill on the northern side of Mount Etna, in the centre of the valley carved out by the Alcantara River between Randazzo and Taormina. Churches, museums and historic buildings shape the town, as does its connection to wine. For those interested in culture, sacred spaces, ethnographic exhibitions, historic individual buildings and the landscape between the Alcantara Valley and the Mount Etna area come together here.

Landscape between the Alcantara and Mount Etna: hillside location and municipal territory extending to the central craters

The territory of Castiglione di Sicilia extends between the Alcantara Valley and the Mount Etna area, reaching the central craters of the volcano. The geographical divisions between the Alcantara Valley and the Mount Etna area give daily planning two clearly distinct landscape settings.

Churches and museum spaces: sundial and museum collections

The Chiesa Madre San Pietro e Paolo contains a functioning sundial made of white carved marble. Temistocle Zona designed it in 1882; it indicates astronomical noon. The sundial connects the church interior with an astronomical instrument.

The former Chiesa San Giuseppe now houses the Museo Santi Pietro e Paolo. The museum displays valuable objects as well as old books from the 16th century and liturgical books.

Cuba di Santa Domenica

The Cuba di Santa Domenica has a distinctive form. The chapel has a square floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross; its apse faces east, while the central door faces west.

It is located in the rural surroundings of Castiglione di Sicilia, is associated with Basilian monks and is dated to the 7th to 9th centuries. The crypt probably dates from the 10th or 11th century and preserves a still-visible fresco of San Leonardo. On 31 August 1909, the Cuba di Santa Domenica was declared a national monument. The dating of the building and the probable dating of the crypt represent two different periods within the same complex.

Further historic buildings and exhibitions: Torre Normanna and Masseria Savoca

The ancient Torre Normanna also makes its own architectural statement: it comprises two rooms and the level of the bell tower. The Masseria Savoca, built at the end of the 19th century, houses the Museo della Vendemmia.

The ethnographic exhibition Museo Valle Alcantara is located in Verzella, Castiglione di Sicilia. Alongside sacred museums and historic buildings, this adds an ethnographic exhibition venue within the municipal territory.

Wine heritage and enoteca

Castiglione di Sicilia is a stop on the Strada del vino dell’Etna. The Enoteca Regionale per la Sicilia Orientale is located in Castello di Lauria in Castiglione di Sicilia.

Further destinations in the surrounding area

For more travel ideas, also discover Randazzo, Grammichele, San Giorgio, Vaccarizzo-Delfino, San Gregorio Di Catania, Calatabiano, Petrosino and Aci Catena.

For the higher-level travel overview: Catania.