Built in the 13th century, this dark, brooding Norman castle sits over an earlier Arab fortification. It's in surprisingly good shape considering its age, and hosts a small museum with a collection of geological rock samples and bizarre prehistoric skulls. The castle appears to be grafted atop the Rocca di Acicastello, a vast, black volcanic rock. The rock is considered a vulcanological rarity, having emerged from an underwater fissure.
Castello Normanno
Ionian Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.02 MILES
Taormina's premier sight is this perfect horseshoe-shaped theatre, suspended between sea and sky, with Mt Etna looming on the southern horizon. Built in…
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4.74 MILES
Completed in 1890 and made for homegrown composer Vincenzo Bellini, Catania's opera house is suitably lavish, from the stucco-and-marble extravagance of…
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4.97 MILES
Catania's raucous fish market, which takes over the streets behind Piazza del Duomo every workday morning, is pure street theatre. Tables groan under the…
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4.98 MILES
The Monastero delle Benedettine covers two adjacent sites: a Benedictine convent and the Chiesa di San Benedetto. Top billing goes to the church, built…
4.93 MILES
A Unesco World Heritage Site, Catania's central piazza is a set piece of contrasting lava and limestone, surrounded by buildings in the unique local…
13.04 MILES
Funivia dell'Etna runs a cable car from Rifugio Sapienza (1920m) up the mountain to 2500m. Once out of the cable car you can attempt the long walk (3½ to…
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Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l'Arena
5.13 MILES
This is one of Europe's largest monasteries and an example of the wealth enjoyed by the Benedictine order. Built in 1703 and now part of the city…
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29.15 MILES
On a huge plateau above the Valle dell'Anapo is the site of Sicily's most important Iron and Bronze Age necropolis, the Necropoli di Pantalica, with more…
Nearby Ionian Coast attractions
1. Teatro-Museo dell'Opera dei Pupi
2.13 MILES
Acireale has a long tradition of puppet theatre, and you can learn all about it here. One-hour guided tours of the museum are available in English, albeit…
4.03 MILES
Le Ciminiere is a modern museum complex housed in a converted sulphur refinery. The most interesting of its museums is the Museo Storico dello Sbarco in…
4.03 MILES
Located at Le Ciminiere – a converted sulphur refinery – the Museo del Cinema explores the evolution of movie making. Exhibition translations are poor,…
4. Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia
4.05 MILES
The most interesting museum at Le Ciminiere museum complex, Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia sheds light on the WWII Allied landings in Sicily…
4.05 MILES
The Basilica di San Sebastiano is one of Acireale's finest baroque buildings. Guarded by statues of Old Testament characters, the basilica lifts the…
6. Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
4.14 MILES
Next to the cathedral, the Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo sports a wonderfully light, 18th-century facade. To the right of it, the Palazzo Municipale…
7. Basilica Cattedrale di Maria Santissima Annunziata
4.17 MILES
Flanking the western side of Piazza Duomo is Acireale's barrel-vaulted cathedral. Built in the early 1600s, it's topped by towering, conical-capped towers…
4.55 MILES
There are two reasons to make the 2km downhill walk to this minute fishing village. One is the walk itself, which, once you've crossed the main road, is a…