Historical Catania Centre in Bike
Maybe you've just been in
Catania, but you have ever visited it in bike. Riding the cycle you can
see the main street of Catania:
Corso Italia and
Via Etnea, where, during
the XVIIIth century lived
aristocratic
Catania family (till than remains the use of
walking in
Via Etnea,
...
it's
difficult
don't meet here Saturday afternoon),
the
Cathedral
,
Piazza Università
where there
is Catania University building (one of
the most ancient of Italy), the
Elephant
"U Liotru", Acqua o Linzolu
(Amenano Fountain), and
Via
Crociferi,
with its Church, between whom
San Benedetto,
with its legend, there is one for every building ... and then Via
San Giuliano,
Benedettini
Convent,
and
San
Nicola
Church.
You can have shopping at Catania Market in Piazza Stesicoro at Fera o Luni. You can hear the sounds and taste the smell of "pescheria", a open fishing market behind Amenano Fountain. Riding along Via V. Emanuele you can see Palazzo Biscari and Convitto Cutelli. Ride in Viale Africa till the lungomare and have a bath or get a tan, or watch silently at rough sea.
Don't forget to visit Catania historical centre in the evening. Wednesday night in Piazza Roma at 22.00 in summer time (21 in winter) there is a meeting of a group of rider. You can be combined with them and ride trough little Etna Street's Alley and see a fascinating Catania, unknown to its own inhabitants. At the end of the night stop at Piazza Teatro Massimo for an ice or a beer, and then have a bath at midnight under the mooonlight at the cliff.
Sperlinga
The
name derives from the Greek "spelaion" in
latin SPELUNCA, that's to say cave. The rocks that
make the territory of Sperlinga up, those of
the Castle and those of the
Village, are sandstone, easily handled. The caves
scattered in the country are excavation
work since Greek time. The caves
used as tombs, became homes in the Byzantin
e
and Saracen age. The arrival of the Normans in Sicily
marks a turning point in the history of Sperlinga. The work of repopulation of
these areas, operated by the Normans with the arrival of
Lombard and Provencal people brought
here a new language and a new culture. There are many linguistic and
phonetic peculiarities that make the "gallo italico" (the local
language) a clear testimony of migration of Middle Age. Every year on
August 19th held a Festival of poetry and prose in
gallo-italico dialect, came to the
7th edition, which involved poets of Aidone, Nicosia,
Piazza Armerina, San Fratello, Sperlinga. The episode that marks the history of
Sperlinga is his not participation in the war of Vespers
of 1282 "QUOD SICULIS PLACUIT SOLA SPERLINGA NEGAVIT",
"what Sicilian liked only Sperlinga denied."
that's to say that Sperlinga saved Angioini
in the revolt and resisted at the Sicilian
aggressor for almost 13 months. Tradition
tells that during the attack Angioini
threw food from the castle, above all cheese maden
with the milk of the women in the castle.
(Text by Guglielmo
Simone, authorized guide Enna Province)
Nicosia
Ancient
Byzantine city, whose name derives from the patron saint, St. Nicholas of Bari.
Nicosia is in the center of the confluence of ancient valleys in which Sicily
was divided since Saracen conquest. Important town during
the Normans, was colonized by settlers came from northern Italy. Keep a dialect
gallo-italico as the nearby Sperlinga. The city was
divided into two major districts Santa Maria, the oldest, was inhabited by
conquerors; St. Nicholas below newest, was inhabited by losers. This division
led to war in 1330 and several diatribes between the two
churches, for the primacy of the city, lasted 1960 up.
The two churches are examples of medieval architecture of magnificence and
beauty. It is not enjoyed the wooden roof of St. Nicholas
Cathedral, a rare example of painted ceiling dates back
the end of XIVth century. City-owned, retained that title until the
end of eighteenth century. This attracted
artists from whole Sicily, who made the city a
museum. Known as the City of the two Chryst (because holy
Friday were carried two crucifixes in procession,
belonging to the two main Churches) or the
24 Barons City, has an heritage of
great importance, including: the baronial Palace, the Church of the Carmine ,
which an "Annunciazione" of Gagini,
the Cathedral and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
(Text by Guglielmo
Simone, authorized guide Enna Province).
