Augusta (Italy) - Augusta (Italia)

Augusta is a city of Sicily.

To know

Geographical notes

The city is nestled in the northern part of the gulf that constitutes the port of Augusta, closed by the extension of the city in the form of an island.

Background

The mermaid by Tomasi di Lampedusa

Few people know that one of the tales of Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa it is set in Augusta, even if the territory described compared to the 50s of the last century is now totally unrecognizable: "Have you ever been to Augusta, Corbera?" I had been there for three months as a recruit; during the hours of free exit in two or three people took a boat and went around in the transparent waters of the gulfs. After my answer he was silent; then, in an irritated voice: "And in that little inner sweater, further up from Punta Izzo, behind the hill overlooking the salt pans, have you hats ever gone?" "Sure; it is the most beautiful place in the Sicily, fortunately not yet discovered by dopolavoristi. The coast is wild, is it true, Senator? Completely deserted, not even a house can be seen; the sea is the color of peacocks; and right in front, beyond these changing waves, rises theEtna; nowhere else is it as beautiful as from there, calm, mighty, truly divine. It is one of those places where one sees an eternal aspect of that island that has so foolishly turned its back on its vocation which was to serve as a pasture for the herds of the sun. "

The city was founded in 1232 under Frederick II of Swabia with a fort in its defense on the peninsula where the initial settlement was present. After the death of the last, the government passed to the Angevins and after the battles of the Sicilian Vespers for primacy over Sicily, the flag of the Aragona family was hoisted on the fort. Augusta passed from the Moncada family as a fief; in the fight against an attempted Turkish invasion, the buildings of the fortress were reinforced in the second half of the 16th century. Many of the buildings in the city center were severely damaged in the 1693 earthquake and were rebuilt.

In addition to its importance as a port city, a hangar for airships and a landing site for seaplanes were established in 1918, and in 1943 the city was subject to bombing and Allied landing operations. A huge change took place in the area historically characterized by fishing and agriculture, through the establishment of the first oil refinery in 1949, causing an inevitable change in the territory with serious effects of pollution in the area.

The city was hit by the 1990 earthquake with a lot of damage to its real estate and artistic heritage. Many buildings in the historic center were closed and shored up, returning to new life only after late restorations.

How to orient yourself

The main access to the historic center of the island, which was separated from the mainland in the 16th century, is joined by a bridge that passes the Spanish Gate in via Giovanni Lavaggi and passes by the fort and turns east on 37.23095615.2200581 Garibaldi Street. The central 37.22916215.2203242 via Principe Umberto it passes from the Mother Church longitudinally through the historic center to the south. On leaving the island there is the new bridge (Federico II viaduct) on Corso Sicilia.

Neighborhoods

• 37.22600715.2212491 Old Town - Corresponds to the island, the Augustans simply call it Augusta, as if the rest of the city wasn't.
• 37.243715.22222 Township - A relatively new area of ​​the city, located on the mainland.
• 37.25342515.235693 Monte Tauro - The Augustans simply call it the Monte, here there is a recent building expansion area.

Fractions

• 37.28248915.1881194 Brucoli - seaside village, famous for its nightlife and numerous clubs.
• 37.32415.0965 Agnone bathrooms - bathing area administratively linked to Augusta.

How to get

By plane

The nearest airports are:

• 37.46666715.0638891 Catania airport (Catania Fontanarossa Airport "Vincenzo Bellini". IATA: CTA), Via Fontanarossa, 20, Fontanarossa, ☎ 39 0957239111. 00:00-24:00. Airport for national and international flights.  
• 36.99166714.6069442 Comiso Airport (Pio La Torre Airport), ☎ 39 0932 961467, @[email protected]. Airport opened in 2007. Mainly operates seasonal and charter flights.  

By car

From the Siracusa-Catania highway take the exit for Augusta .

On boat

• 37.23712215.1986713 Commercial Port of Augusta. Port used exclusively for the transport of goods. 
• 37.22976115.2174344 Augusta Maritime Military Arsenal. Military port and NATO base.  
• 37.23084715.2241765 Porto Xifonio, Via Marina Levante, 17. Tourist port, for pleasure boats. 
• 37.24141815.2349156 Augusta Nautical Club, Lungomare Granatello, ☎ 39 0931 983544. Tourist port, for pleasure boats. 

On the train

• 37.243215.21857 Augusta Station. The station is located along the Syracuse-Catania line.  

By bus

There are bus connections through the Scionti bus lines for Catania or passing by Lentini and with theAST to Syracuse.

How to get around

By public transport

The AST maintains a network of urban buses in the city, although the service is not very reliable.

What see

Churches

• 37.23008215.2194831 Church of Santa Maria Assunta (Mother Church of Augusta), Piazza Duomo. Built between 1680 and 1690, but rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. It suffered further damage in the earthquakes of 1848 and 1990, the church was reopened after the last restoration in December 2000.  
• 37.23067415.2185352 Church of San Domenico, Via XIV October, 72. It is dedicated to San Domenico di Guzman, patron saint of the city. The church and the convent (from a later period) had to be rebuilt after the destruction by the Turks during the siege in 1551 and after the earthquake of 1693. Due to the earthquake of 1990 the church was again damaged. The feast in honor of the patron saint of the city starts from this church where the statue of the saint is kept.  
• 37.23091115.219283 Church of Maria SS. Annunziata, Via Garibaldi, 19. It was built on the ruins of a 14th century building. Rebuilt in the Baroque style after 1693, after further damage due to the 1990 earthquake, the church has been restored since 2009. 
• 37.23095815.2197364 Church of San Giuseppe, Via Garibaldi, 38. Single-nave church rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. It was damaged again by the earthquake of 1990 and reopened in 2009 after long restoration works. The polychrome marble altar from the 18th century is worth seeing. 

• 37.23111615.2219895 Church of the Carmine, Piazza Carmine. Erected in 1565 after the Turkish siege, it had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. After further damage in the 1990 earthquake, the church was reopened in 2008 thanks to a careful restoration. When the religious orders were closed, the Carmelite convent was handed over to the state, which still uses the building as a barracks for the Carabinieri. 
• 37.23086715.220356 Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory, Via Principe Umberto, 60. Church of the fifteenth century rebuilt in Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693. It had to be restored after the earthquake of 1990. Inside there are numerous sculptures and paintings of the eighteenth century.  
• 37.22946615.2238227 Church of the Madonna delle Grazie. It was built in 1630/53 and had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. Inside there is a 17th century crucifix and a painting of the "Madonna and Child". 
• 37.22664915.2230548 Church of San Francesco di Paola, Via Xifonia, ☎ 39 0931 521866. Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 together with the adjacent Franciscan convent. The structure was taken over by the state after 1861 and still serves as a barracks for the Guardia di Finanza. 
• 37.22789815.2212069 Church of San Sebastiano, Via Limpetra, 36, ☎ 39 0931 521860. It was built in 1719 on the ruins of an older church and was renovated after being damaged in the 1990 earthquake. 
• 37.22347115.22145310 Church of the Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso. It was built in 1700, the church is today cared for by the Capuchins. 

Palaces, castles and military installations

• 37.23026815.22006911 city ​​Hall, Piazza Duomo. There is a splendid sundial in the facade which was built following an astronomical expedition in 1870 when there was a total eclipse of the sun in the area and which attracted several astronomers including Angelo Secchi. A plaque commemorates this event and the construction of the sundial. 

• 37.23576715.22011312 Spanish door (At the entrance to the island). This gate of the ancient ramparts testifies to the dominion of the Bourbons in Sicily and was inaugurated in 1681, at that time the narrow strip of land that connected it to the Augusta peninsula was broken by a canal that made the city an island. After being damaged by the 1990 earthquake, the gate was restored and today you can admire it in all its might.  

• 37.234415.220913 Swabian Castle. Castle from the Swabian era 1231/42, it suffered several damages when the northeastern tower exploded after an oil lamp caused a fire and in 1693 the earthquake left several damages. The largely unadorned building was used as a prison from 1886 to 1978; then, after the 1990 earthquake, new damage made it unused pending future restorations.  

• 37.21183615.22400114 Avalos Tower. Circular fortress-island with a diameter of 280 m, located on the southern tip of the island in the historic center. It was built in 1570 after the Turkish attacks and has protected the port entrance for centuries. The fortress was severely damaged by the earthquake of 1693, the lighthouse was replaced by a higher one. The Italian navy and then the Port Authority used the building until it was abandoned: the future is still uncertain, it is hoped to use it for tourist use but it is not currently open to the public. 

• 37.23579115.20421715 Forts Garcia and Vittoria. Not open to visitors. The two fortresses were built in 1557 after further feared attacks by the Turks from Malta in the north-west part of the port on two rocky outcrops. In 1743 the fortresses served as isolation hospitals in the plague and in 1836 for cholera epidemics, around 1850 as a maritime hospital and later as a prison. After being returned to the Navy, the buildings were handed over to the city for which restoration work began to preserve them as historical monuments. 

• 37.24416615.19965716 Airship hangar, Contrada Costa Pisone, 1. Erected on the mainland in 1918 in an area used as a seaplane base, this huge shed for airships was made of reinforced concrete. Currently it is one of the very few examples of its kind precisely because the structure was generally made of metal. The hangar has been restored, with a nice park all around that overlooks the harbor. Various bureaucratic and organizational problems prevent it from being opened and used by the public.  
• 37.2855115.1865917 Brucoli Castle, Brucoli. Castle of the fifteenth century wanted by John II of Aragon, defended the mouth of the port-canal of Brucoli.  

Museums

• Augusta Fortress Museum, Piazza Duomo (At the city palace). From the third Sat of Sep to 30 Jun: Sat 9: 30-12: 30, from Jul to the first two Sat of Sep: Sat 18: 00-20: 00. 

Events and parties

• Holy Week. Easter. The brotherhoods pay homage to the S.S. Sacrament exposed in the Mother Church for the forty hours. Each brotherhood goes to the Matrix wearing the penitential habit (called Babbalucco) and carrying the insignia with them. The first brotherhood to visit the Sacrament is the Confraternity of Maria Santissima Odigitria (called in jargon Itria), on Palm Sunday. Holy Monday is the turn of the brotherhood of San Giuseppe called "of the carpenters"; on Tuesdays instead the brotherhoods of the Annunziata and San Andrea go in procession, that is, that of the "fuluari" those who owned the small boats feluccas and that of the fishermen; the last day of adoration is Holy Wednesday, when the Confraternity of the Sacrament which is based in the Matrix, preserves a statue of the moment of the sacred supper.

In Augusta there is the custom of dressing children as saints for pleasure or by vote.

Mass is celebrated on Holy Thursday In coena Domini in memory of the institution of the Eucharist. During the mass, the washing of the feet takes place. Then at the end of the Mass, those who have played the role of apostle will be given a sweet bread covered with gassa and sugars called in Sicilian cavaddu d'apostuli. Immediately after the mass, the Sacred Species are placed inside a decorated urn. This is the Sepulcher. It is customary to go and visit the churches where the tombs are set up. In only one church, however, the sepulcher is not prepared; in the church of San Giuseppe, on the other hand, the coffin with the Dead Christ is exhibited, and the Stabat Mater is sung to music by an anonymous Augustan. During the night, between Thursday and Friday, the beating of a drum accompanying the sound of a trumpet can be heard in the streets. For the people it is the Mother who seeks the Son.

At dawn on Friday from the church of San Giuseppe begins the long procession of Christ in the morning which is guarded by the brotherhood of carpenters. This enters each church to visit the Sacrament exposed as a Sepulcher. At around 19:00 from the square in front of the church of the Madonna delle Grazie takes place a scisa 'to Cruci which consists in lowering Jesus from the cross. And so another procession begins with the particular articulated simulacrum of the Christ of the evening. At the corner of via Xiphonia and via Xchette, the statue of the Addolorata awaits Christ; the statue of the Madonna is dressed in a wonderful black mantle, the statue is kept by the church of San Francesco di Paola. They will then separate at the end of the procession at the intersection of via Xiphonia and via Roma. During the two processions on Friday an instrument made up of a piece of wood and two iron hooks is played "trocula".

On Easter Sunday, a procession dedicated to the Risen Christ has been established recently, which takes a tour of the Piazza Duomo. 

• Feast of San Giuseppe A 'Spiga. third Sunday after Easter. 
• Auction of St. Joseph. March 19. 
• Feast of San Domenico. May 24. The festival is characterized by two processions (on 23 and 24 May) and by the fair held in the public gardens. 
• Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. last Sunday of June. 

What to do

• 37.24465615.2308541 Salt pans of Augusta. The salt pans are the residue of the ancient salt extraction plants present on the island together with those of Syracuse and to the still active of Trapani. The tanks are still full of brackish water but are the object of attention of many species of birds that nest and stop there. For this reason they are a great place for bird watching.  

Beach life

Augusta offers several places to swim although many of them are rocky:

• 37.24354615.2559672 Santa Croce lighthouse. 
• 37.24684315.2468613 Balata Smooth. 
• 37.25291115.2447264 Lander of the Turks. Point of exceptional beauty. 
• 37.29395515.2042835 Capo Campolato. 
• 37.32431315.0969096 Agnone Bagni beach. The only beach in the area 

Shopping

How to have fun

The center of nightlife is Brucoli, where most of the clubs and restaurants are concentrated.

Night clubs

• 37.28500315.1874431 Sud Cafe, Via Libertà, 1, ☎ 39 392 080 7594. 

Where to eat

Moderate prices

• 37.24771515.2195681 Premier coffee, Viale Italia, 191, ☎ 39 0931 512696. At lunch they also serve first and second courses. 

Average prices

• 37.28206615.1883652 The Tigella, Via Libertà, 118, ☎ 39 328 219 4494. Certainly the best place in Brucoli. They prepare salads and tigelle or stuffed wraps. 
• 37.23792115.2210563 Red Lion'S Pizzeria, Lungomare Gioacchino Rossini, 1-2-3, ☎ 39 0931 994086. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 37.22954115.2217821 Casepicarmo Guest House, Via Epicarmo, 133, ☎ 39 0931 971257, fax: 39 0931 523688. Double € 85, triple € 105. Cozy guesthouse with 10 bedrooms divided into 9 standard doubles and one suite, all with private bathroom, shower and a small kitchen. Breakfast included. It also has a spa. 
• 37.27092915.2117282 Villa Lucia - Holiday Home, Via Musco, 7. 
• 37.26486815.2228493 Bed and Breakfast Villa Nella, Via delle Magnolie, 7, ☎ 39 0931 998489. 
• 37.26238815.221194 La Cavalera Hotel, Via delle Palme, 26, ☎ 39 0931 997414. 

Safety

• 37.24586815.2347178 E. Muscatello Hospital, ☎ 39 0931 989111. 

How to keep in touch

Around

• Syracuse
• Megara Hyblaea
• Thapsos
• Lentini

Useful information

• Public Relations and Info-Tourism Office, Town Hall, Via P. Umberto, 89, ☎ 39 0931 980 861, @[email protected]. 

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