| Acireale | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Sicily | |
| Territory | Catanese | |
| Altitude | 161 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 40.43 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 51.899 (2019) | |
| Name inhabitants | Acesi (Jacitans in Sicilian) | |
| Prefix tel | 39 095 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 95024 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Santa Venera | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Acireale is a city of Sicily.
To know
Acireale was formerly known as a spa, today it is also known for its carnival (together with Sciacca).
Geographical notes
The city of Acireale is located on the plateau called La Timpa, which is of volcanic origin. The area is fertile, vegetables and citrus fruits are grown on the slopes of Etna, the various communities with the name of Aci today they belong to the basin of the provincial capital Catania.
Background
The original settlement is located in the so-called Greek area Akis, which was also inhabited in Roman and Byzantine times, while under the Arab domination the settlement was called Al Yag. In the fourteenth century, the historic center developed around the fortress of Aci Castello, which was also called Aci d'Aquila or Aquilia Vetere in relation to the local family. The youngest settlement on the plateau ofAquilia nova was called Aci Reale in 1642 by King Ferdinand IV of Spain.
Acireale was also severely affected by the 1693 earthquake in the Val di Noto and some buildings had to be rebuilt in Baroque style.
How to orient yourself
Acireale: full screen map.The city center is 1 Piazza del Duomo with the striking circular floor mosaic in black and white from which Corso Savoia branches off to the north-west, Corso Umberto I to the north-east with a pedestrian area and numerous buildings, Via R. Settimo and Via Vittorio Emanuele II to the south and Via Cavour to the west.
Neighborhoods
- Capuchins
- Deer ('U Cevvu)
- City of the Child ('U fanciullu)
- Fishmonger ('Spot or piss)
- Piazza del Carmine ('O Carmunu)
- Dante Square (Chianu Pizzuni)
- Piazza Europa (Fabio district)
- San Biagio (San Biaggiu)
- Saint John (San Giuvanni)
- St. Joseph
- Saint martin
- San Michele (District de 'Gambini)
- San Salvatore ('U Sabbaturs)
- Santa Maria del Suffragio ('The Mottos)
- San Cosmo (San Cocimu)
- Triangle (or Triangulu)
- Tupparello ('U Tuppareddu)
- Via Loreto (Lithu)
- Via Mandorle (Vanedda 'and mennuli
- Guzmana Square (Chianu a Porta)
- Old Station
- Capuchins
Fractions
| Myths and legends of Acireale |
_120,6x190,5_inv.1074.jpg/300px-Bemberg_Fondation_Toulouse_-_Acis_et_Galatée_-_Luca_Giordano_(ca1685)_120,6x190,5_inv.1074.jpg) Aci and Galatea by Luca Giordano (1685) In Acireale there are several legends related to Greek and non-Greek myths. The legend that gave rise to the name of the city was the love between Aci is Galatea and is introduced by Ovid in Metamorphosis and other ancient authors. The beautiful nymph Galatea was in love with the shepherd boy Aci. Their love was opposed by Polyphemus, the terrible Cyclops who, enraged by jealousy, threw a stone at the shepherd, causing his death. The nymph, desperate for the loss of Aci, begged the gods to restore him to life and they, accepting the prayers, transformed the shepherd into an eternal river, called Aci (Akis). Another reference cited in theOdyssey is that of Ulysses and the Polyphemus identified in the stretch of coast between Capo Mulini and Aci Trezza. According to the myth, the stacks of Acitrezza are the boulders thrown at Ulysses by a blinded Polyphemus. Lachea Island was identified with the island where the fleet of twelve Achaean ships of which Homer mentions stopped. In Gigantomachy of Claudian it refers to the clash that ravaged the world of myths, between the Titans of Olympus and the Giants. The latter were punished by falling into Lucus Jovis identified with Bosco d'Aci (nowadays disappeared due to urban expansion), in which wood it would have been possible to see both the skins and the severed heads of these unfortunates. According to tradition, the eruption of Etna in 396 BC. - which historically invested and upset the Acese territory - would also have put to flight the Carthaginian fleet commanded by Imilcone which was preparing for a landing during the second Punic war. |
- 1 Aci Platani (Jaci Platani, also known locally as the Patanè) - It is the most populous fraction of the municipality and is about 2 kilometers from the city center.
- 2 Balatelle
- 3 Capo Mulini - maritime faction which is about 5 kilometers away, near the homonymous cape that marks the northern limit of the Gulf of Catania.
- 4 Fiandaca
- 5 Guard (Go away) - the hamlet is served by the Guardia-Mangano-Santa Venerina station on the Messina-Syracuse railway.
- 6 Mangano - It is located on the northern border of the municipal territory, along the State Road 114.
- 7 Pennisi - It is located west of the municipal capital, about 6 kilometers away.
- 8 Plan of bees
- 9 Pozzillo (Pizziddu) - It is located in the extreme northern part of the municipal territory, surrounded by citrus gardens, on the shore of the Ionian sea. It is about 6 km from Acireale. The village is famous for the presence of a spring of mineral waters.
- 10 San Cosmo
- 11 St. John Bosco (Acchianata or Sorbu) - Residential district with typically modern architecture.
- 12 Saint Catherine - Separated from the State Road 114 and the railway from the city center, it develops in a panoramic position overlooking the sea.
- 13 Santa Maria degli Ammalati (The Sick) - Located north of Acireale, it is an expanding residential center.
- 14 Santa Maria delle Grazie (Madonna to Razia) - It is located in the immediate southern outskirts of the city, on the road to Catania.
- 15 Santa Maria la Scala ('At Scala) - The village is located on the Ionian coast at the foot of the Timpa. It is a nice place for walking and swimming in the summer.
- 16 Santa Maria la Stella (shared with the municipality of Aci Sant'Antonio)
- 17 Santa Tecla
- 18 Scillichenti - Located north of the municipal capital, from which it is about 5 kilometers away.
- 19 Stazzo (Stazzu) - It is located between Santa Tecla and Pozzillo, on the coast north of the municipal capital from which it is about 8 kilometers away.
Santa Maria la Scala
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Capo Mulini
Pozzillo
Santa Tecla
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How to get
By plane
- Catania-Fontanarossa Airport - Airport for national and international flights.
By car
Acireale can be reached by toll motorway 
from Messina to the north and Catania to the south with exit at the junction for Acireale. An alternative, particularly with neighboring cities, is the 
Oriental Sicula that runs east between the city and the Strait of Messina.
The city does not have its own port, the closest sea and ferry ports are those of Catania is Messina to the north, 80 km away. A fishing port is located in Via Scalo grande.
- 1 Port of Santa Tecla, Via Scalo Pennisi. Tourist port
- 2 Port of Santa Maria La Scala, Via Scalo Grande, Santa Maria La Scala. Port for small boats and fishing boats.
- 3 Port of Pozzillo.
- 4 Port of Stazzo, Via Ragogna, 33.
On the train
- 5 Acireale station (The station is located some distance south of the city). Acireale is located on the railway line Messina - Catania.
By bus
Regional connections to and from Catania, Zafferana Etnea is Giarre is Riposto north are from the operated by Zappalà & Torrisi. Another company is theAST is Interbus .
How to get around
In the city center it can be visited on foot.
By car
Getting around by car can be particularly tricky on weekends. The city is affected by paid parking lots with blue stripes but despite this it is difficult to find free spaces, it may be necessary to park a long way from the center.
- 6 Via Roma Cappuccini parking, Via Galatea.
What see
Churches
- 1 Acireale Cathedral (Cathedral of Maria Santissima Annunziata), P.za Duomo, 23, ☎ 39 095 601797.
Mon-Sun 8: 00-12: 00 and 16: 00-20: 00. The Cathedral dates back to the 15th century, the cathedral was renovated after the earthquake of 1693, the rose window, the left bell tower and the gallery connecting the two towers date back to the 19th century when the façade designed by Sebastiano Ittar was built. Inside there are numerous frescoes, including that of Pietro Paolo Vasta of Acireale in the eighteenth century. There is also the statue and the relics of the patron saint of the city S. Venera in the right aisle which dates back to 1655. - 2 Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, P.za Duomo (next to the Cathedral), ☎ 39 095 601968. 18th century church designed by Pietro Paolo Vasta. The interior was rebuilt after the earthquake in the 19th century.
- 3 [link not working]Collegiate Basilica of San Sebastiano, Piazza Leonardo Vigo. Built in a splendid Baroque style, it was under construction at the time of the earthquake and could be completed despite the damage suffered. It is the most important church in Acireale, declared a national monument. It has a facade with several orders, preceded by a balustrade. The interior is rich in frescoes by Pietro Paolo Vasta. On January 20, the procession of San Sebastiano starts from this church through the city.
- 4 Church of San Benedetto, Via Davì, 29. Church with a classical facade, like the nearby former Benedictine convent, dates back to the 17th century.
Mon-Sun 8: 00-12: 00 and 16: 00-20: 00. The Cathedral dates back to the 15th century, the cathedral was renovated after the earthquake of 1693, the rose window, the left bell tower and the gallery connecting the two towers date back to the 19th century when the façade designed by Sebastiano Ittar was built. Inside there are numerous frescoes, including that of Pietro Paolo Vasta of Acireale in the eighteenth century. There is also the statue and the relics of the patron saint of the city S. Venera in the right aisle which dates back to 1655.
Basilica of San Sebastiano
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Church of San Benedetto
Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova
Santa Maria dell'Odigitria
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- 5 Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 148. This simple neo-Gothic church built after the earthquake in the 18th century, retains a beautiful Gothic-style portal. The church was initially dedicated to St. Sebastian and the seat of the ancient brotherhood dedicated to the saint. Only after the construction of the new church of San Sebastiano was it dedicated to the cult of Sant'Antonio. Inside you can admire frescoes and paintings by Alessandro and Pietro Paolo Vasta. Paolo Vasta himself, while working inside, fell ill from a scaffold and suffered the accident that cost him paralysis.
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- 6 Church of Santa Maria dell'Odigitria, Odigitria square, ☎ 39 095 607722. This church is characterized by a suggestive dome with colored majolica.
- 7 Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 55, ☎ 39 349 683 4777. Erected after the 18th century earthquake. The Carmelite convent was used as a barracks and the school is currently undergoing renovations.
- 8 Church of San Francesco di Paola, Via Sfilio, 7. This simple building was built after the 1693 earthquake.
- 9 Church of San Giuseppe, Via S. Giuseppe, 21, ☎ 39 095 601550. Baroque church rebuilt after the earthquake.
- 10 Church of San Domenico, Piazza S. Domenico, 6. This 18th century church replaced an earlier building after the earthquake.
- 11 Church of San Biagio, Piazza S. Biagio, 17. It was built in 1550 and is next to the Franciscan convent with a beautiful cloister.
- 12 Church of San Michele, Piazza San Michele, 18, ☎ 39 095 604576. Built after the earthquake of 1693 according to the plans of Stephen Ittar, was rebuilt in the classicist style, the façade, which recalls an ancient temple, and the dome with the missing lantern gives it an imposing appearance.
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Church of San Domenico
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Church of San Biagio
Santa Maria del Suffragio
Church of Santa Maria la Scala
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- 13 Church of San Camillo, Via Galatea, 184. An architecturally inconspicuous church was completely frescoed by Pietro Paolo Vasta around 1750 with the Stories of the Old Testament with a female subject and, for this reason, defined by some as "the Church of women".
- 14 Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, Suffragio Square, 1. It appears almost asymmetrical with respect to the road and has the facade facing the sea. It was built in 1638 and had to be renovated after the earthquake, the construction is attributed to the fishermen's wives, who were not very well off in the rich and sumptuous churches frequented by the city's nobility. The interior is full of frescoes, including The Mystery of the Eucharist by Pietro Paolo Vasta on the vault.
- 15 Church of San Rocco, Corso Umberto I, 82. With the concave façade this church takes the place in the 19th century of a previous building from 1526. The interior was only completed in 1958/61.
- 16 Church of Santa Maria della Neve, Provincial road for Riposto, 3, ☎ 39 095 764 7359. The church was built in 1752 in front of a lava rock cave. Inside there is a nativity scene with partially life-size figures from the 18th century.
- 17 Church of Santa Maria la Scala, Piazza Santa Maria la Scala, a hamlet of Santa Maria la Scala. Little church not far from the marina.
Other
- 18 Municipal building (Juratory Lodge), Piazza del Duomo. The building was designed in 1640, dates back to the years following the earthquake of 1693, in Baroque style, further earthquakes repeatedly caused damage.
- 19 Musmeci Palace, Piazza S. Domenico, 5 (Next to the Church of San Domenico). A building with a simple Baroque facade, King Ferdinand IV slept there in 1806.
- 20 Zelantea library and art gallery (Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of the Zealots and Daphnics), via Marchese di Sangiuliano, 17, @[email protected]. Founded at the end of the 17th century. The Zelantea library holds over one hundred and six thousand volumes, plus 1,650 publications of discontinued and in progress magazines, for a total of over 143,000 magazine issues. The bibliographic heritage now exceeds 250,000 units. The Zelantea Library preserves an ancient collection of over 56,000 volumes, consisting of incunabula, Cinquencentine, rare and valuable editions, manuscripts.
- The Pinacoteca collects paintings from the 17th-19th centuries, prints by Guido Reni, etchings by Van Dyck, works by Domenichino, Guercino, the school of Pietro Novelli, Albrecht Dürer, Luca Giordano, Giuseppe Sciuti.
- 21 Palazzo Modò (former Eldorado Theater), Via Davì, 49. Baroque building with a splendid balcony decorated with grotesque figures.
- 22 Fortress of the Touch. It is a fort built at the end of the 16th century to defend Acireale from barbarian raids.
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- 23 Pupi Opera Museum, Via Nazionale for Catania, 195, ☎ 39 329 118 9522.
Free. Wed, Sat, Sun, summer: 9: 00-12: 00 and 18: 00-21: 00, winter: 9: 00-12: 00 and 15: 00-18: 00. - 24 Puppet Opera Museum, Via Alessi.
- 25 Villa Belvedere, Square Address. A city park with a terrace, from which they can be seen Taormina, the Calabrian coast and the hills around Augusta South.
- 26 Torre Saracena Santa Tecla (Sentry box), Fraction of Santa Tecla.
- 27 Bellini Theater. Built in a neoclassical style by the Catania engineer Carmelo Sciuto Patti and inaugurated in 1870. In 1952 a devastating arson destroyed the interior; sixty years later, its restoration and reopening is still awaited.
- 28 Sarpa Stone Sentry, Port of Santa Maria la Scala. Lookout point in lava stone.
Free. Events and parties
- Feast of San Sebastiano. 20 th January. The religious festival consists of a procession that starts in the morning from the Basilica dedicated to the Saint with the Fercolo di San Sebastiano in the head and moves around the city touching the historic and more modern districts.
- Carnival of Acireale. Among the most important in Sicily and Italy, it is considered a natural continuation of the religious festival. The first known edition is that of 1594 and the tradition has continued every year, except in the war periods and after the earthquake of the Val di Noto. Today it is accompanied by a competition for the most beautiful allegorical, flowered and miniature floats.
- Flower Festival. spring. Dedicated to flowered floats.
- Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. June.
- Feast of Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo, Fraction of Pennisi. July 16.
- Santa Venera. July 26. Patronal feast.
- Feast of Sant'Emidio, Fraction of Pennisi. 11 August.
- Lemon Festival, Fraction of Scillichenti. August. It takes place in Piazza Chiesa and offers visitors the opportunity to savor lemon-based dishes and desserts, with the setting up of food stands and historical exhibitions on tools for the cultivation of this citrus fruit.
- Feast of Santa Tecla, Fraction of Santa Tecla. August. Feast of the Patron Saint with a spectacular procession of illuminated boats on the sea and fireworks.
- Summer Carnival. first weekend of August.
- Feast of St. John of Nepomuk, Fraction of Stazzo. second Sunday of August.
- Nivarata. summer. International summer festival of Sicilian granita
- Ionian Fair. September. An exhibition of typical Sicilian crafts and traditions.
- Feast of Maria SS. of the Rosary, Fraction of Scillichenti. October.
What to do
- La Timpa oriented nature reserve - Follow one of the paths of the reserve. A 6 km long cliff of volcanic origin located between Acireale and the sea.
- 1 PalaTupparello, Street of the Stadium. Sports hall famous throughout eastern Sicily for the many concerts held there.
- 2 Tupparello Stadium.
- 3 Acireale thermal baths, Via delle Terme, 47. The thermal baths are currently in liquidation and closed.
- 4 Solarium La Colata, Via Spiaggia, 112/126, Stazzo.
Shopping
- 1 Open-air market, Marconi Square. Mon-Sun in the morning. Where fish, vegetables and fruit are sold
- 2 PENNY Market, Via Guido Gozzano, 19, ☎800 901 290.
How to have fun
Shows
- 1 Multiplex Margherita Cinema, Via Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, 26, ☎ 39 095 601265. Commercial films and cineforums offered in 2 cinemas
- 2 Turi Ferro Theater (Acireale building), Via Galatea, 92, ☎ 39 095 989 2093.
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 Costarelli pastry shop, P.za Duomo, 21, ☎ 39 095 286 4023.
- 2 Cipriani coffee, Piazza Leonardo Vigo, 3, ☎ 39 095 605696. Thu-Mar 4: 00-24: 00. An unmissable pastry bar for the high quality of its products. Here you can probably try one of the best slushes in eastern Sicily.
Average prices
- 3 Wheat, Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, ☎ 39 095 601496.
Where stay
Average prices
- 1 Savoia Residence, Corso Savoia, 19.
- 2 Casa Rossi - Bed & Breakfast, Via Romeo, 45.
Safety
- 7 S. Marta and S. Venera Hospital, Via Caronia, ☎ 39 095 767 7111.
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 8 Italian post, Via Paolo Vasta, 25, ☎ 39 095 768 3218.
Around
- 9 Archaeological area of Santa Venera al Pozzo. Closed for adaptation works.
- Catania
- Aci Castello - With the coastal castle.
- Aci Trezza - with the Isole dei Ciclopi or Faraglioni dei Ciclopi are rocky islands arranged in a semicircle, the area is protected as Protected marine area of the Cyclops Islands.
- Integral nature reserve Immacolatelle and Micio Conti complex - in the area between Acireale and San Gregorio di Catania with several volcanic caves.
