CATANIA LIBERTY
- 1:00 h
- 4,6 KM
- Easy
The Liberty style in Catania is everywhere. In 2016 the city won the coveted award as the best Liberty city from the “Italia Liberty” cultural institution represented by Andrea Speziali, an art expert and connoisseur of Liberty. As early as the eighteenth century, Catania was the second Sicilian city in terms of urban size and trade volume, but it was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the urban renewal and aesthetic innovation program inspired by the Liberty principles began. In reality many palaces and residences – most of the times destined for private or public use – are still little known to the Catanese themselves.
Our walk to discover the main sites, will lead to the discovery of villas, palaces, a cinema and a wonderful theater: a plunge into beauty, too little known for a long time. Let’s start with corso Italia, home to prestigious shops and activities: some of the most beautiful villas in the city are located on this course, which goes straight to the sea.
Leaving Corso Italia behind, there are two options for continuing this walk to discover the Liberty of Catania: either take the car and go to the historic center, in the Sangiuliano area, or take a long walk or bike ride.
Walking along piazza Europa, along the long avenue Africa (where, among other things, it is worth taking a trip to the Museum of the Landing in Sicily in 1943), to get to the Central station and then head towards a theater of rare beauty: it is the Sangiorgi.
VILLA MANGANELLI
Created by the Palermo architect Ernesto Basile, the villa now hosts wonderful private parties. From the clear liberty influences inspired by the Viennese secession, the villa was commissioned by Prince Manganelli on the occasion of his third wedding. The construction started in 1907 (then it …
VILLA DEL GRADO
This villa, also known as Villa Cocuzza, was designed between 1903 and 1908 by the architect Agatino Atanasio. Consisting of a central body and four corner towers, the villa is surrounded by a wonderful garden. In this garden the lava outcrops are still visible, which …
Sangiorgi Theatre
Along the via di Sangiuliano there is the Sangiorgi theatre, it is considered the representation of the Catania “Belle Epoque”. After a long and elaborate restoration work, the theatre has an elegant auditorium with 477 seats and a large stage that allows the staging of various events.
The theatre offers a wide variety of representations, not to be missed the concerts by international musicians.
POST PALACE
A building that certainly does not go unnoticed and that joins the Bellini villa, enlivened by stones of different colors, including the lava stone and the white stone of Ispica. The palace was designed in 1919 by the architect Francesco Fichera and inaugurated by Vittorio …
DIANA CINEMA
Now the site of a commercial activity, the cinema was designed by the architect Paolo Lanzerotti after the commission by Baron Filippo Pancari. The cinema was opened to the public in 1925 and inaugurated with the screening of the film “Maternità” and was later attended …
VILLA ZINGALI
The villa was designed by the architect Paolo Lanzerotti and represents the testimony of one of the most evocative Liberty buildings in Catania. A building composed of a central and several central body overlooking Via Etnea and, all around, a wonderful English garden animated by …