Page 304 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

later studied in Naples, where he produced his first opera in 1825. Ten more operas

followed during the next decade – his first big success was Il Pirata (1827) – with
Bellini living largely in Milan until his early death in Paris, aged only 33. His body
was transported back to his native Sicily to be buried, and Catania subsequently did
her favourite son proud, with the airport, a piazza, the city’s main theatre and a park
all named after him, as well as the ultimate accolade – a pasta dish, spaghetti alla
Norma, cooked with tomato and aubergine and named after Bellini’s famous 1831

opera.

San Nicolò

Piazza Dante • Mon–Sat 9am–1pm
Opposite the peculiar crescent-shaped Piazza Dante looms the unfinished facade of

San Nicolò, studded by six enormous, lopped columns. It was conceived on a
ridiculously grand scale, and the work was ultimately curtailed by earthquake damage
and soaring costs. What’s left is a stark 105m-long interior, virtually undecorated
save for the sculpted choir stalls and a meridian line etched in marble across the floor

of the transept, embellished with zodiacal signs. The famous organ, admired by earlier
visitors, was destroyed in the nineteenth century.

The church is part of an adjoining Benedictine convent, with equally impressive
dimensions – it’s the second-largest convent in Europe after Mafra in Portugal.
Through a gate to the left of the church lie the remains of some Roman walls, and,
behind, the massive conventual buildings. These are now used by the university’s

language and literature faculties, but you should be able to stroll in for a look around
the once grand cloistered courtyards.

Via Etnea and around

The main city thoroughfare, Via Etnea, runs north from Piazza del Duomo and out of
the city. Following its full length would eventually lead you right to the foothills of

Mount Etna – and from the street’s northern end there are photogenic views of the peak
in the distance.

The first square off the street, Piazza dell’Università, holds some outdoor cafés and
the main building of the University, founded by the Aragonese kings in the fifteenth
century. The earthquake postponed its completion until the 1750s. The tangled streets
off to the east form the heart of the student nightlife zone, converging eventually on the

restored Piazza Bellini, overlooked by the flagship Teatro Massimo Bellini, built in
1890.

Anfiteatro Romano

Piazza Stesicoro • Tues–Sun 9am–1pm & 3–7pm • Free