ITINERARY :

• STOP 1

  Terme Achilliane:   

  Your tour will begin in the underground levels of the Diocesan Museum, where the Terme Achilliane (Achillian Baths) are preserved. These baths are one of the most important buildings from the imperial age. Constructed in the 4th-5th century AD, it was only after the 1693 earthquake that Ignazio Paternò Castello brought them back to light. When the French architect and engraver Jean-Pierre Houël arrived in Catania during his Grand Tour, he was so impressed by the vast complex that he reproduced it in several gouaches now housed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. In the 19th century, Adolf Holm described parts of the building discovered in 1856 under the Seminario dei Chierici and on Via Garibaldi, in his work “Catania Antica”.Today, only a portion of the baths is accessible. This includes a large chamber with a vaulted ceiling, at the center of which is a basin originally covered in marble and likely used for mud baths. The waters of the Amenano River flowed through a corridor located in the western part of the building.

• STOP 2

  Pozzo di Gammazita:

  Now, head through the Pescheria market to reach Via San Calogero and visit the Pozzo di Gammazita (Gammazita Well), where reality and legend intertwine. The name most likely comes from the Arabic word "al gawsit," meaning “place of fresh water.” However, popular lore tells the story of the beautiful Gammazita, who, to escape the brutal violence of a French soldier infatuated with her, decided to throw herself into the spring.Other versions link the story to the love-fueled revenge of Donna Macalda Scaletta and her sordid plots to have the girl seduced by the knight De Saint Victor. In Don Giacomo Gravina's panegyric, there's a reference to the nymph Gemma, "zita" (fiancée) of the shepherd Amenano, whom Proserpina transformed into a spring to keep her away from Pluto's attentions. Finally, according to other sources, the place name comes from the letters of the alphabet, gamma and zeta, inscribed on one of the well's walls.The spring, buried under 14 meters of lava from the 1669 eruption, was brought back to light in the 18th century for the area's water supply. It was also depicted by many painters during their Grand Tour. Even today, access to the well is via the original staircase resting on the 16th-century city walls, painted a ferrous red, just like Gammazita's blood.

   

• STOP 3

  Terme dell'Indirizzo:

  Continue your journey to Piazza Currò where you'll find the Terme dell'Indirizzo, which get their name from the nearby Carmelite Convent of Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo. This name is linked to Don Pedro Téllez-Girón, Duke of Osuna and Viceroy of Sicily and Naples, who in 1610 was saved from a stormy sea by a guiding light that "directed" him to a safe harbor. These baths are considered the best-preserved thermal complex in Europe from the late Imperial Age, dating between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD. Of the building—constructed with concrete and lava stone blocks—the Apodyterium (a rectangular changing room) and the Frigidarium still survive. The structure also features a trapezoidal Tepidarium, which led to the three pools of the Calidarium. This octagonal room, dedicated to steam baths, allows you to observe the Suspensurae (supports) that held up the flooring. It's enclosed by a dome reaching 10 meters in height. Finally, there's a Laconicum, intended for sweat baths.

• STOP 4

  Terme di Sant'Antonio:

  In the San Cristoforo neighborhood, you'll find the Terme di Sant'Antonio, a small thermal bath complex also known as Bagni Sapuppo. This name comes from the cluster of houses owned by the prestigious Sapuppo family, who have been in Catania since the late 16th century.These baths consist of a well and a private Balneum (bathhouse), certainly part of a larger Roman-era building discovered by the Prince of Biscari in the last thirty years of the 18th century. Most likely dating to the 1st century AD, the baths used water from the Amenano River to feed the Frigidarium. Among the various rooms, there's a square chamber with eight seats and four staircases, as well as niches, pilasters, columns, and columns. The floors were richly decorated with marble, frescoes, and polychrome stuccoes. Although in the 1990s, the excavations were covered by a metal and glass structure for protection, the visible part of the excavation reveals how the rooms communicated with each other. It appears these were cold baths, or more likely, that the rooms filled with water up to the level of the door, allowing people to wash comfortably using the many recessed seats.

• STOP 5

  Roman Forum:                                                                                                           

  Now, continue along Via Garibaldi and quickly reach Via Orfanelli to visit what was long considered the Roman Forum. This site, uncovered in 1903, features a series of different buildings surrounded by a large central area. Historical sources, such as Lorenzo Bolano in the 16th century, described the presence of eight vaulted rooms to the south and another four to the north, many of which have been lost due to urban development. However, this theory was disproven in 2008 by archaeologist Edoardo Tortorici, who instead linked the structures to the horrea (granaries), specifically the annonary warehouses. Of these, only a couple of adjoining rooms are still visible to the south, featuring an architraved entrance topped by an arched opening very similar in appearance to the warehouses of Trajan's Forum, in addition to other arched openings. The visible remains of the "forum" still offer a glimpse into ancient daily life and are an integral part of Catania's historical heritage.

• STOP 6

  Roman Theater and Odeon:

  Head now to Via Sant'Agostino to quickly reach one of Catania's largest archaeological complexes: the Roman Theater and Odeon. Covering an area of about 6,400 square meters, these structures are located between Via Vittorio Emanuele, Via Crociferi, and Via Teatro Greco, an area once home to the ancient acropolis. Although the original structure dates back to the 1st century AD, it was expanded in the following century. The cavea (seating area), stage building, and entrance were enlarged, allowing the theater, which still retains features from the Greek era, to reach a capacity of about 7,000 spectators. In the western part of the site, you'll find the Odeon, dating to the 2nd century AD. Significantly smaller in size, it could accommodate up to 1,500 spectators.  Its exterior façade, enhanced by the two-tone effect of lava stone and brick, features a succession of arches.The complex, once a venue for performances, poetic contests, and singing competitions, fell into disuse between the 6th and 7th centuries AD. Particularly in the 15th century, many of its facing materials were repurposed for the construction of other buildings, and over time, the structures became increasingly incorporated into the proliferating city palaces.

• STOP 7

  Terme della Rotonda: 

  Nestled near the Roman Theater, the Terme della Rotonda are a significant ancient bath complex. According to the writings of Prince Biscari, they also included the baths of Piazza Dante. Constructed between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and active until the 6th century AD, these Roman baths later saw the Church of Santa Maria della Rotonda built upon their ruins during the Byzantine era.The church features an impressive full-dome surrounded by buttresses, set atop a square building that encloses a circular nave. This church was long considered Catania's oldest Christian temple, possibly consecrated to the Madonna in 44 AD. Unfortunately, the site was damaged during the 1943 aerial bombardments, leading to consolidation efforts in the following decade led by archaeologist Guido Libertini.

  The thermal structure itself includes:

   

  • An apses hall running north-south, likely a Frigidarium (cold bath).
  • A tepidarium (warm bath) to the south.
  • A large room to the east identified as a Calidarium (hot bath).
  • To the west, you'll find some medieval tombs.                       

  Adding to its archaeological richness are a mosaic floor and hypocaust heating systems—ancient Roman underfloor heating. The Terme della Rotonda offer a fascinating glimpse into Catania's layered past, where Roman daily life, Christian worship, and medieval burials seamlessly intertwine. 

• STOP 8

  Roman Baths of Piazza Dante:

  Right in front of the Benedictine Monastery in Catania, you'll find the remains of a Roman-era thermal building. This site offers a glimpse into the wealth of this ancient area, where archaeologists have unearthed various artifacts, mosaics, and significant remnants of structures once adorned with marble and intricate decorations. It's likely this building was once a domus, a private Roman house, given that the Montevergine hill was a privileged residential area for wealthy citizens during the Roman period. While the full extent of the complex isn't entirely known, it probably featured a central courtyard with a colonnaded portico, surrounded by multiple rooms. Along the western side, several square rooms are visible. The three northernmost rooms are well-preserved, while only a few walls remain from the two rooms to the south, suggesting at least two more existed there. At the heart of the area lies the Balneum, a small private bath facility. This Balneum included a Tepidarium (warm room), a Calidarium (hot room), and a Laconicum (sweat room). To the south of the Balneum stands a small, isolated circular structure, and to the north, a small rectangular building housing a bath, both serving the main Balneum. This site underscores the sophisticated private life of affluent Romans in ancient Catania.           

• STOP 9

  Roman Amphitheater

  Via Santa Filomena will lead you to Piazza Stesicoro, where you can admire the imposing remains of the Roman Amphitheater, locally known as "Catania vecchia" (old Catania). Built around the 2nd century AD and expanded in the following century, it was one of the largest in Sicily, capable of hosting up to 15,000 seated spectators and almost double that standing. Today, only a portion of the original elliptical building is visible. As early as the 5th century under Theodoric, and again in the 11th century with Roger II, many of the marble coverings that adorned the lava stone structure were plundered for the construction of other buildings, including the Cathedral of Sant'Agata. Walking through its corridors, you can still appreciate the grandeur and solidity of Roman architecture.