Tita Giliberto
Qualified tour guide
Catania
City at the foot of Etna
Catania is an ancient port city, located on the east coast of Sicily, at the foot of Etna, an active volcano with paths that reach up to its summit. The city has more than 300 thousand inhabitants and is an indisputably fascinating blaze of folklore, scenic beauty, art and life. Its cultural characteristics impose various paths of discovery that develop in parallel and intertwine, discovering the past, the unspoken and the unseen.
Archaeological Catania
The proposed route is based on archaeology, thanks to which it is possible to trace and recover most of the ancient remains of the city of Catania, buried over the centuries, from the ruins of earthquakes and lava flows. I will accompany you to discover: the Greek Roman Theatre, the Roman amphitheatre, the Achillean Baths, the acropolis of the ancient Roman city, the Benedictine monastery, in an engaging tour full of anecdotes and curiosities.
Catania between art and mythology
Among the various faces of the city, there is a very fascinating aspect, the one suspended between myth and reality that coexists with the classical, baroque, modern; it is the beauty of mythological Catania that you can discover with me, your guide in Sicily.
Going down Via Etnea, the main artery of the city, and along the sea towards Acicastello, known for its famous castle resting on the rocks, continue towards Acitrezza, to the Faraglioni, small archipelago of Sicily.
Although the accurate studies have ascertained the actual volcanic origin, the Sicilians love to attribute the origin of the Faraglioni to an ancient legend that inspired writers such as Homer, Euripides and Virgil. It is said that the cyclops Polyphemus, furious for being deceived and blinded by Odysseus, king of Ithaca, lifted some masses of lava stone to throw them at the traitor. Ulysses, however, managed to escape with his 12 ships and the boulders ended up on the Ionian Sea, just where today the imposing and famous Faraglioni rise.
The visual spectacle and the stories full of history and pathos, make even more magical the guided path between monuments, nature and pure beauty. The guided tour continues to Acireale with a tour of the city center of the Main Course, the Cathedral and the historic town hall. The itinerary can, however, be customized and calibrated, according to the needs of groups and individuals, with the maximum availability of your guide in Sicily.
Catania's green
Beauty of its palaces
An itinerary of enchanting beauty, a tour of the most beautiful villas and gardens of the beautiful Catania, and the discovery of the most important noble palaces.
The tour will begin with a visit to the Palazzo del Toscano, located in Piazza Stesicoro at the corner of Via Etnea, built around 1870, as a town residence of the Paternò, marquises of Tuscany, with the opportunity to meet the prince owner.
The tour will continue with Palazzo Biscari, built in imperious Baroque style and founded on the sixteenth-century walls of Catania, known as the most beautiful palace of the Baroque of Catania.
Spectacle for the eyes, en plein air, the visit to the parks and gardens of Catania, among which stand out for importance and beauty, "a' villa", the Bellini Garden that with its seventy thousand square meters, represents the green lung of Catania and the botanical garden, which dates back to 1858 and covers a very large area of about sixteen thousand square meters.
The garden is important as the seat of some peculiar collections, hosts university lessons, exhibitions and events of various kinds, becoming known throughout the world over the years. Tita, your guide, will tell you about an extraordinary world made of: history, curiosity and enchanting nature.
Jewish Catania
Discovering the Jewish Catania of antiquity is much more than just a dip in the past. The first presences date back to the Roman period, but it is from the Middle Ages that we have the most important testimonies.
With my experience as a tourist guide in Catania, you will discover corners of a mysterious city, glimpses of a history known by a few, a journey that has the flavor of a fascinating visual flashback
Jewish community in Catania already existed in the third and fourth centuries but there is a gap in sources from that period, until the Middle Ages, finding it in 1235, in the area called "della Cipriana". It will be created, later, the settlement to the south, which today corresponds to Duomo's area.
The Jewish presence was also found among the workers who worked in the construction of the Ursino Castle (1239-1250), as shown by some references to Jewish symbolism imprinted in the Swabian fortress.
Giudecca was depopulated on 18 June 1492 because of the Alhambra Decree, strongly wanted by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile who expelled the Jews not converted from Spain.
I will be able to take you through an unusual Catania, retracing the most certain testimonies and traces of the so-called Giudecca, visiting monuments, neighborhoods and the two famous: Judeca Suprana and Judeca Suttana; a unique and exciting thematic visit. It will be extraordinary to reveal how much beauty, art and culture this magnificent community has left us.