Pasteria-Lapide: Culture, Festivals and Trails

Pasteria-Lapide offers visitors a combination of local history, religious tradition, activity and landscape along the Alcantara. The castle, churches, festivals and a clearly defined landscape open up different perspectives on a stay. If you would like to discover Italy not only through well-known cities but also through specific buildings and local themes, the area offers several points of reference for this.

Historic Places Between Castle and Church

The Castello di Calatabiano is an Arab-Norman castle at Via Alcantara 142 in Pasteria. The castle stands on a 220-metre-high hill, offering views of the mouth of the Alcantara.

The Chiesa della Madonna dell’Imperio at Via Pasteria No. 40 in Calatabiano was built in 1092. After being closed for decades, it was reopened for worship in 2004. Under D.D.G. No. 332 of 10 February 2020, it is protected as particularly significant historical, artistic and architectural cultural heritage. The old Chiesa della Madonna dell’Imperio is also located near the bridge over the Alcantara in the Pasteria area.

The parish church of San Giuseppe was built in the 19th century on land donated by the Vasta family. After being severely damaged and demolished as a result of wartime events in August 1943, it was rebuilt in the post-war period.

Festivals and Trails for Different Interests

The religious festivals also give Pasteria its own distinct character. The annual festival of the Chiesa della Madonna dell’Imperio takes place on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Pasteria also celebrates a solemn festival in honour of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the locality and the parish church. The programme for the highlight of the San Giuseppe festival on Sunday, 28 July, included processions and fireworks.

For hiking enthusiasts, the easy Sentiero Castello di Calatabiano begins in Calatabiano and ends at the Castello di Calatabiano.

The local sporting calendar included the seventh edition of the Stra Pasteria – Trofeo San Giuseppe, a road race for all FIDAL categories in Pasteria. A 1,400-metre circuit with a shared start and finish at Piazza Sacerdote Dominici was used for the event. Festivals, the hiking trail and the race therefore appeal to different ways of planning a stay around a particular theme.

Understanding the Location and Stay in Context

Piazza Sacerdote Carmelo Dominici in Pasteria-Lapide is accessible to people with disabilities. The parish area of San Giuseppe in Pasteria is also important for understanding the area spatially: it lies between the Ionian Sea, the Alcantara and Fiumefreddo rivers, as well as the railway line, and is therefore, among other things, located along a railway line.

When choosing a hotel in Pasteria-Lapide, you can take these different points of reference into account. Churches and festivals bring the religious and historical side to the fore, while the Sentiero Castello di Calatabiano and the castle hill offer an easier combination of trail and landscape.

Other Places

Viagrande, San Michele Di Ganzaria, Aci Castello, Militello In Val Di Catania, Calcerana-Marina, Mineo, Santa Maria Di Licodia, San Cono

For the higher-level travel overview: Catania.