Via Etnea

Via Etnea is the main street of the historical center of Catania, which runs in the south-north direction for about 2.8 kilometers, from Piazza del Duomo to Tondo Gioeni.

Via Etnea is the shopping street of Catania, and one of the busiest streets in the city, both during the day and at night.

SHORT HISTORY

Via Etnea was built at the end of the 17th century, following the disastrous earthquake of January 11, 1693, which almost destroyed the city of Catania.

The Duke of Camastra, sent by the Viceroy of Sicily to oversee the reconstruction of the city, decided to trace new roads according to orthogonal directions, and started right from the Cathedral of Sant’Agata.

A road was thus created that led from the Cathedral towards Etna. The street was initially called Via Duke of Uzeda, in honor of the viceroy of the time. Later, the street changed its name to Via Stesicorea, and finally to the current Via Etnea.

The road was about 700 meters long, and ended in the current Piazza Stesicoro, where one of the gates of Catania was located.

During the 20th century, the street developed further north, to Piazza Cavour, and then to Tondo Gioeni, where the ring road of Catania was built in the 1950s.

Via Etnea was recently repaved with Etna lava stone, and is now a pedestrian street in the stretch that goes from Piazza del Duomo to Quattro Canti. In the stretch that goes from Quattro Canti to the Bellini Garden, on the other hand, it is covered only by public transport and taxis.

ARCHITECTURE

Along the street, important palaces in the Sicilian Baroque style were built by the architects Giovanni Battista Vaccarini and Francesco Battaglia. Of these, we can mention Palazzo degli Elefanti, Palazzo Gioeni, Palazzo San Demetrio ai Quattro Canti, Palazzo del Toscano, Palazzo Tezzano, and Palazzo delle Poste.

Beside these palaces, several churches were built: Basilica della Collegiata, the Church of the Minorites, the Church of San Biagio, the Church of the Santissimo Sacramento al Borgo, and the Church of Sant’Agata al Borgo.

HOW TO GET THERE

In a straight line, Via Etnea is located about 1.3 kilometers away from the Catania Centrale railway station. There are many bus stations along the street, and most of the city’s buses cross it.