Acireale

Acireale combines a city history shaped by the Baroque with striking landscapes and distinctive culinary traditions. If you would like to choose between culture, nature and an active excursion for your trip, you will find very different experiences here: the historic center, the La Timpa escarpment, the Chiazzette trail to the coast and the granita tradition associated with Acireale each offer their own highlights.

Baroque Squares, Churches and Collections

The Basilica Collegiata di San Sebastiano is designated a national monument. Its interior contains frescoes by Pietro Paolo Vasta, created between 1732 and 1736. The historic center of Acireale is set in a Baroque scene between the cathedral, the Duomo and Corso Umberto. Thanks to the monuments surrounding it, Piazza del Duomo is regarded as an authentic open-air museum and offers an immediate experience of the city center’s architecture.

The Zelantea Library, founded in 1671, is another cultural highlight. It preserves around 100,000 books, including an old collection of 56,000 volumes and more than 1,000 manuscripts. The adjoining picture gallery displays works attributed to the schools of Rubens, Titian and Pietro Novelli. Access to the Biblioteca Comunale Zelantea is made easier by ramps and lifts. Another unusual attraction is the 18th-century nativity scene in a natural lava-flow cave inside the Church of Santa Maria della Neve. It comprises 34 life-size figures made of wax and wood.

La Timpa and the Trail to the Coast

The La Timpa nature reserve covers 265 hectares and lies entirely within the municipality of Acireale. The natural escarpment was formed by movements along the Acireale fault and exposes lava layers around 200,000 years old. This means that the focus here is not only on the vegetation of a protected area, but also on the geological history of the landscape.

For an active excursion, the Chiazzette trail leads from the Acireale plateau down to the coast through seven hairpin bends. Along the way, it overcomes an elevation difference of 150 meters. The trail therefore provides a clear contrast to touring squares, churches and library rooms: when choosing your accommodation, you can consider whether you would prefer to focus on the Baroque city center or on nature and the coastal landscape.

Granita and Living Traditions

Nivarata was created in Acireale in 2012 as a territorial marketing project. The Nivarata Experience includes excursions to the snow pits of Mount Etna, as well as demonstrations and the artisanal preparation of granita in the traditional style. The Carnival of Acireale also shapes the city’s cultural identity: allegorical-grotesque floats, flower-covered floats and masked groups parade through the streets of the city center.

For further orientation, you can also view the pages on Aci Bonaccorsi, Motta Sant'anastasia, Adrano, Trecastagni, Ragalna, Riposto and Fiumefreddo Di Sicilia.

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More about the destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Acireale – Sicily.