The District

Sloping gently down from Mount Etna towards the sea, at 362 meters above sea level, Aci Bonaccorsi is a peaceful town only 13 miles from Catania. It is distinguished by the lush green of its citrus gardens, where the verdello Lemon variety stands out, for its landscape characterized by vineyards and fruit orchards and for its mild climate, typical of such hilly regions.

The town lies on the south-eastern slopes of Etna, situated on the edge of a lava shelf, 4 km from the Ionian coast. The last thirty years the population has almost tripled. Along with the residents the business activities have grown exponentially, too.

Aci Catena is a small town nestled in the valley of the Aci river , 170 mt. above sea level. In the past it had several names, as many as the number of current districts, towns and quarters: Reitana, St. Venera al Pozzo, Nizzeti, Mangano, St. Nicholas, etc. Its current name is due to the cult of Mary. Chain, whose Mother Church is named after.

Acireale or Jaci, in Sicily, is the second most populated city in the province Etnean, having a population of 50,000 inhabitants. Known around the world for its carnival, for the Baroque achitecure and for its spas, it is located 15 km away from Catania. Its territory includes a series of picturesque seaside hamlets with its docks, including Santa Maria la Scala and Capo Mulini.

The first traces of Camporotondo, so named for its round shape, date back to the sixteenth century. In 1863 to the name was added Etneo for its proximity to the majestic volcano. It originally was just a tiny farmhouse, one of the many scattered along the Catania area. It quickly grew from 200 inhabitants to 1600 by the year 1655.

Known as the “Paris in the Woods” due to the literary meetings and Catania nobility that once resided here, Mascalucia now is a big urban center, about 10 km from Catania, and lies on the green hills on the southern side of the volcano .

San Giovanni La Punta named after the patron saint and the shape of its territory. Originally, it was called San Giovanni De Nemore which, in Latin, means forest. Only after a volcanic eruption, which stopped just in front of the newsstand votive of San Giovanni Evangelista by drawing a peak, it changed its name to the current one.

San Pietro Clarenza is a small town at the foot of Mount Etna, 470 meters above sea level. The history and the morphology of the place are closely linked to the volcano and its eruptions.

Tremestieri is a charming terrace on Catania and one of those municipalities that in the last thirty years have seen the biggest population increase. Full of luxury villas, built by noblemen and wealthy people from Catania who have chosen the town as a resort thanksto the climate and the pleasant environment. It’s Municipality with a strong touristic presence.

It’s called “Bedduviddi” in Sicilian, Belvedere. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages. At that time, the population abandoned the coast because of the looting by Muslim piracy and settled near a shrine of the Virgin Mary erected in one of the few roads who run through the forest around Aci.