Nothing has been preserved of the ancient Catania above the ground, because this town suffered several times the same fate of Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Joseph Herman von Riedesel, Sizilien und Reise duch Grossgriechenland
The words of the German traveler J.H. von Riedesel, who visited Sicily in 1767 and observed the appearance of the city of Catania and its surroundings were denied by modern excavations that made it possible to recognize the traces of the past in the present town, which mainly reflect the Baroque style of the 18th century.
Through this day walking tour of Catania, you will uncover the traces of the Greek city, the monumental ruins of the Roman buildings, and to imagine the appearance of the city in the Middle Ages through the visit of the monuments that were set in that period.
We will admire the remains of mighty public buildings (such as the Roman theater, the Odeon, and Amphitheater), imagining also the long restoring breaks at the thermal baths as the complex of the Rotonda, the "Terme dell’Indirizzo" and the "Terme Achilliane". Our private guided tour will continue with a stop at the Cathedral, where we will observe the remains of the ecclesia munita built in the 11th century. We will then visit the impressive Castle Ursino, built as a fortress of the city by Frederick II. Walking through the city streets, we will also admire the urban centre with the beautiful façades of the baroque palaces and churches, in which the gray volcanic stone is alternated with white limestone, with a very striking color effect.
