Giudecca is a district of the city of Catania.
To know
Ancient Jewish quarter of Catania.
Geographical notes
The Jewish quarter was actually split in two. The first quarter was said Judeca Suprana. The neighborhood stretched between the current via della Cipriana (which is a small side street of via Quartarone, the road that connects piazza Dante Alighieri to via Vittorio Emanuele II), via Maura (which in Hebrew means Moro), piazza Dante Alighieri and the monastery Benedictine. In via Sant'Anna it was the mezkita of this district, a Jewish-medieval term that indicated the synagogue.
The second was instead the Judeca Suttana where the Pescheria is today. The area was rather marshy and sometimes unhealthy due to the presence of the Amenano river. It was included between the current church of Sant'Agata alle Sciare, the Pescheria (more precisely at the Pozzo di Gammazita) and via Marano. The synagogue of this district was located where via Recupero is today, near the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano.
Background
The presence of a Giudecca in Catania can be hypothesized as early as the 3rd-4th century, when the first gravestones relating to dead Jews appear. One of the most important found in the eastern area of the old town near the church of Santa Teresa. While in an unspecified period the Jewish community of Catania settles in the neighborhood known as the Cipriana, where it is present in 1235, while during the fourteenth century it is distributed in the southern area, in an urban space between the Piana and the Port , reaching the gates of the Piazza Duomo area.
The Giudecca had two synagogues, a hospital, a slaughterhouse and even a cemetery just outside the walls. The Jewish community of Catania was mainly in business with the fish market and overlooked the Amenano river, also used for the ritual baths of women. The Giudecca was therefore depopulated starting from 18 June 1492 due to the Alhambra decree wanted by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile who expelled the Jews not converted from the territories of Spain and therefore of Sicily; thus the formerly occupied area fell into total abandonment, presenting itself in very bad conditions in 1554 when the civic senate ceded the territory of the Cipriana to the Cassinesi coming from the Nicolosita monastery together with that of the Park.
How to orient yourself
Giudecca di Catania: full screen map.| The legend of Gammazita |
 Source of Gammazita The legend tells of a virtuous girl from Catania who, around 1280, preferred to throw herself into a well, instead of succumbing to the snares of a French Angevin soldier who had fallen in love with her. The legend also seems to want to explain the alleged blood stains of Gammazita present as ferruginous deposits left by a mineral spring, which flowed between the lavas of Via San Calogero, and for some time dried up. |
How to get
How to get around
What see
Religious building
Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena
1 Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena (Cassinese Abbey of San Niccolò l'Arena), Dante Alighieri square (Bus stop Piazza Dante f / co Benedettini: line № 503), ☎ 39 0957102767, 39 3349242464 (mobile phone), @[email protected]. 
September-July Mon-Sun 09: 00-17: 00, August Mon-Sun 11: 00-18: 00. Guided tours every hour (the service is suspended on December 25th). The ecclesiastical complex of the monastery, founded by the Benedictine monks (in the 16th century), but rebuilt and enlarged in the early 18th century, is, given the area occupied, one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe by extension. Originally annexed to the church, it is now used as the university seat of the DiSUM (Department of Humanities) of the University of Catania. The monastic complex contains two courtyards with a portico and loggia, with facades rich in sumptuous carvings. A Renaissance fountain in the second courtyard. 
September-July Mon-Sun 09: 00-17: 00, August Mon-Sun 11: 00-18: 00. Guided tours every hour (the service is suspended on December 25th). The ecclesiastical complex of the monastery, founded by the Benedictine monks (in the 16th century), but rebuilt and enlarged in the early 18th century, is, given the area occupied, one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe by extension. Originally annexed to the church, it is now used as the university seat of the DiSUM (Department of Humanities) of the University of Catania. The monastic complex contains two courtyards with a portico and loggia, with facades rich in sumptuous carvings. A Renaissance fountain in the second courtyard.
Church of San Nicolò l'Arena
- 2 San Nicolò l'Arena, Dante Alighieri square (Bus stop Piazza Dante f / co Benedettini). The church of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania is one of the largest buildings of Catholic worship in Sicily, measuring 105 meters long and 48 meters wide at the naves and about 71 meters at the transept, with a maximum height of about 66 meters to the dome. Its construction dates back to the eruption of Etna in 1669 and replaces an older Renaissance temple. The first temple erected by the Benedictines in Catania was titled «Sancti Nicolai de Arenis», Literally San Nicola dell'Arena then transliterated in the current name, and takes its cue from the devotion of the monks to San Nicola di Bari and from the land called red sand that characterized the first monastic complex erected in Nicolosi from which the monks who founded the grandiose Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena came from.
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Holy Trinity
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St. Augustine
- 3 Church of the Holy Trinity. The monastery of the Holy Trinity is an eighteenth-century building located in the center of Catania. Originally the site of a convent for women, today it is divided into two main areas, one of which houses the Carabinieri barracks in the Piazza Dante district, while the other a scientific high school named after Enrico Boggio Lera.
- 4 Most Holy Virgins, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 346. Church.
- 5 San Filippo Neri, Via teatro greco, 32. Church.
- 6 St. Augustine, Via Sant'Agostino 1-2. Church built in 1615, on the remains of an older building, perhaps a Roman Basilica, of which 32 surviving columns were transported to the current Piazza Mazzini, it was Piazza San Filippo and at the time Plano de la Herbe (plan of herbs), to obtain a colonnade that sheltered the merchants who held their fair there. It was originally dedicated to St. James and later in 1637 dedicated to St. Augustine, by the Augustinian friars, who joined their convent.
- 7 Santa Chiara, Via Santa Chiara, 1. Church.
- 8 Sant'Anna, Via Sant'Anna, 14. Church.
- 9 San Immacolata ai Minoritelli, Via Gesualdo Clementi, 13. Church.
Civil construction
Gravina Cruyllas Palace
- 10 Gravina Cruyllas Palace, Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, 3. It was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century on the ruins of an older palace of the Gravina Cruyllas, a noble family of the Princes of Palagonia. Then demolished by the earthquake of 1693. Today there are the Bellini Civic Museum (with exhibitions on the history of Catania and the composer Bellini of Catania) and the Emilio Greco Museum (with works by the designer Emilio Greco of Catania).
- 11 Auteri Perrotta Palace, Via Auteri, 26 (Bus stop Via Garibaldi 55: lines № 635, 642, 830, 902 and 932). built in the eighteenth century, at the behest of Michele Auteri, a rich silk producer and trader. In the second half of the 19th century, the architect Carmelo Sciuto Patti, who married Maddalena Auteri Berretta di Paola in 1861, was commissioned by Salvatore Auteri, Maddalena's grandfather, to renovate the building. The appraisal, dated 1851-1865, was carried out by the architect himself. On that occasion the entrance portal was reassembled (the work of the master stonemason Brusà, from Acireale). Traces of the building can already be seen in the Orlando cadastral map, dating back to 1761. Building in use since b & b Porta Carlo V (on the third floor) and from b & b Bellini.
Roman theatre
- 12 Greco-Roman Odeon, via Vittorio Emanuele, 266 (west of the great theater), ☎ 39 095 7150508, @[email protected].
Full ticket € 6, reduced € 3. The first Sunday of each month full day opening with free admission. Mon-Sat 09: 00-19: 00; last admission 18:30, Sun 09: 00-13: 30; last admission 5.30pm. The odeon was built at the height of the highest part of the already existing Roman theater, that is the summit of the hill of Montevergine which constituted the acropolis of Katane. With similarity of the orientation towards south / south-east (i.e. towards the current Via V. Emanuele) for excellent light throughout the day. The Odeon was intended to host small musical and oratory performances.
Full ticket € 6, reduced € 3. The first Sunday of each month full day opening with free admission. 
Terme della Rotonda
Plan of the complex of the Terme della Rotonda or Pantheon. Legend;
green: ruins of the original layout (1st-2nd century AD)
blue: structure of the Roman Baths of the Antonine period (monumentalization of the II-III century AD).
1 = large apsidal room with tub (frigidarium)
2 = large hypocaust hall (calidarium)
3 = rooms (tubs?)
4 = small double circle room with hypocaust
5 = large paved area in opus sectile
orange: reconstruction and reduction of the structures in the late antique period
black: rooms of the church of Santa Maria della Rotonda
White: sacristy of the late eighteenth century obtained in a possibly Renaissance environment, today an entrance and visitor reception area
green: ruins of the original layout (1st-2nd century AD)
blue: structure of the Roman Baths of the Antonine period (monumentalization of the II-III century AD).
1 = large apsidal room with tub (frigidarium)
2 = large hypocaust hall (calidarium)
3 = rooms (tubs?)
4 = small double circle room with hypocaust
5 = large paved area in opus sectile
orange: reconstruction and reduction of the structures in the late antique period
black: rooms of the church of Santa Maria della Rotonda
White: sacristy of the late eighteenth century obtained in a possibly Renaissance environment, today an entrance and visitor reception area
- 13 Terme della Rotonda (Terme del Pantheon of the Interdisciplinary Regional Museum of Catania), Street of Mecca (Bus stop Via Gesualdo Clementi f / co 14: line № 503. Or bus stop Via San Benedetto 1 / Piazza Asmundo: line № 503), ☎ 39 0957150508 (Regional Museum of Catania), fax: 39 095311004, @[email protected]. Free entry. September-July: Mon-Sat 09: 00-13: 30 and 14: 30-17: 00; Sun 09: 00-13: 00. In August they are open exclusively for one day (see website) 09: 00-13: 00 and 14: 30-17: 30. Thermal complex, built between the 1st and 2nd century AD, of quadrangular, circular and mixed environments, connected to each other. Remodeled several times until late antiquity. The main one is a large apsidal hall - perhaps a frigidarium - oriented in a north-south direction, datable to the first vital phase of the baths, which is juxtaposed on the east side a large hypocaust room, characterized by numerous suspensurae which originally supported a mosaic floor of which some traces have been found, identified as calidarium which later was divided into several smaller rooms. To the west of the large apsidal hall opens a vast room paved with large marble slabs, on which several medieval tombs were found, some made by destroying the floor itself. To the south there are several other rooms belonging to the II-III century phase, such as two hypocaust floors, pertinent to small circular rooms used as saunas, and perhaps a tepidarium. Other quadrangular rooms are located to the north, inside the church building, which partly rests on these structures. The structures located north of the church, consisting of an imposing one, also belong to the ternal complex castellum aquae and a courtyard surrounded by exedras which served as the main entrance to the baths.
Gammazita well
Baths of the Address
- 14 Baths of the Address, Curro square (Bus stop Via Garibaldi 10 and 55: lines № (635, 642,) 830, 902 and 932), ☎ 39 095530127, 39 0957150508. Free entry. Open upon reservation. Thermal complex of the 2nd century AD, they are the remains of a Roman thermal complex and today's monument of the Greek-Roman archaeological park of Catania. The complex highlights a calidarium and a frigidarium, in addition to the furnaces for heating water and air and all the channels for water supply and those for drainage. Other accessory environments are highlighted at the foundation level.
- 15 Gammazita well, Via S. Calogero, 25. It is a site to which the legend of Gammazita is linked.
Museums
Emilio Greco Museum
- 16 Emilio Greco Museum, Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, 3 (in the Gravina Cruylas palace). Museum with etchings and lithographs by the Catania master.
Giovanni Verga's house
- 17 Verga house (Giovanni Verga House Museum), Via Sant'Anna, 8, Cività, ☎ 39 0957150598, @[email protected]. Tue-Sat 09: 00-13: 15 and 14: 15-16: 00. On Wednesdays and Fridays the closing time is postponed to 18:00, Sun-Mon and holidays closed. A few blocks from Piazza Duomo, in the heart of the city, in the Cività district, the apartment of Giovanni Verga (born in Vizzini and died in Catania), located on the second floor of the late 1700s building, which the Region of Sicily bought in 1980 to transform it into a small and fascinating museum, dedicated to the life and work of the Sicilian writer and poet Verga. Inside, the furnishings are preserved, such as the lectern on which he used to write standing, the vast collection of over 2,600 books and objects that belonged to the writer. The original print of his works, some period photos, photographic plates and films taken by Verga himself; this is what remains of his little known passion for photography.
- 18 Bellini Civic Museum (Vincenzo Bellini Museum), Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, 3 (in the Gravina Cruylas palace), ☎ 39 0957150535, fax: 39 0957150535. Full ticket 5 €; € 4 reduced price for university students; reduced price for groups 3 € per person. Mon-Sat 09: 00-19: 00, Sun and holidays 09: 00-13: 00. Located in the rooms of the first floor of the eighteenth-century building Gravina Cruylas, place where, in 1801, the composer and musician Vincenzo Bellini was born, also known as the "Catanese Swan". The museum displays documents, scores of works and memories and an iconographic collection. The importance of Vincenzo Bellini is also testified by the fact that his face was depicted in the fifth series of the 5000 lire. His tomb is located in the Cathedral, leaning against one of the twelve pillars that separate the nave from the central one. The funeral monument, by the sculptor Giovanni Battista Tassara, in white marble and bronze bears the incipit of the aria from La Sonnambula: «Ah! I did not believe that mirarti soon became extinct flower ... ». For those interested in the history of this famous musician we recommend the itinerary "In Catania with Vincenzo Bellini"designed by students of the University of Catania.
What to do
Shopping
Fishmonger
- 1 Fish Market. Historical market; the best known of Catania.
How to have fun
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 Agora Hostel (the Hostel), Piazza Currò, 6 (Between the fish market and the Ursino castle), ☎ 39 0957233010. Mon-Sun. Restaurant, pizzeria, American bar, cellar and hostel in a square between the old fish market of the city and the imposing Frederick's castle, next to which are the ancient Roman baths of the Address.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 Globetrotter Catania, alley of the Lantern, 14 (near Piazza Duomo), ☎ 39 0950933021, 39 3936863217 (mobile). from 30 €. Check in: 12:00, check-out: 11:00. Hostel in an old building which has recently been renovated. 200 meters from Piazza Duomo, the cathedral and Via Etnea. Globetrotter also rents independent apartments with fully equipped kitchen, bathroom with hairdryer, air conditioning, TV, DVD, Hi-Fi, internet via WiFi wireless connection.
- 2 Agora hostel (The Hostel), Piazza Currò, 6 (Etoile d'Or bus stop: line 431N (black)), ☎ 39 0957233010, @[email protected]. dormitory from 18 €. It is a lively hostel and can get busy even out of season.
Average prices
- 3 City Lounge, Via Gagliani, 13, Sant'Anna (A two-minute walk from Piazza Duomo, Via Garibaldi 55 bus stop: lines № 524, 524S, 530, 801, 802N, 802R and 830), ☎ 39 0952861703, @[email protected]. Double from 24 € / per person and night, breakfast included.. Bed and breakfast in the city center, in a typical 19th century building, is an open and sunny place. Rooms with private or shared bathroom, Internet via Wi-Fi. Parking place.
- 4 Gate Charles V, Via Auteri, 26 (Bus stop Via Garibaldi 55: lines № 635, 642, 830, 902 and 932), ☎ 39 095340174, 39 3393692673 (mobile phone). Bed and breakfast with B&B formula, inside the Auteri Perrotta palace built in the eighteenth century. In the same building there is also the b & b Bellini.
- 5 Bellini, Via Auteri, 26 (Bus stop Via Garibaldi 55: lines № 635, 642, 830, 902 and 932), ☎ 39 095340545, 39 3470672746 (mobile phone), fax: 39 095447676, @[email protected]. Bed and breakfast with B&B formula, inside the Auteri Perrotta palace built in the eighteenth century. In the same building on the third floor there is also the b & b Porta Carlo V.
- 6 Bad Catania, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 24, Guardian Angel (Bus stop Via Cristoforo Colombo 40: line № 431R. Or bus stop Via Plebiscito 6: lines № 431N and 503), ☎ 39 095346903. Bed and breakfast with B&B formula, Bad Catania is a blend of hospitality and creativity.
How to keep in touch
Other projects
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