Arena Argentina

Catania


For local cinephiles, summer means sultry outdoor film nights at Arena Argentina. Head up for mainly cult and art-house flicks, from Purple Rain and Labyrinth to more recent features like Capernaum and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Warning: films are usually dubbed in Italian. On Fridays, admission is a bargain €1.50 for those aged under 26.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Catania attractions

1. Giardino Bellini

0.26 MILES

Escape the madding crowd and enjoy the fine views of Mt Etna from these lovely, if unkempt, gardens along Via Etnea. Speckled with lush foliage and…

2. Anfiteatro Romano

0.31 MILES

The modest, neglected ruins of this Roman theatre, below street level in Piazza Stesicoro, are worth a quick look if you're passing by. Note that opening…

3. Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Carcere

0.4 MILES

The young virgin Agata resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and was horribly mutilated (her breasts were hacked off and her body…

4. Via Etnea

0.44 MILES

It's not difficult to see how Catania's main shopping street got its name – on a clear day you can see Mt Etna rising majestically at the end of it. Via…

5. Teatro Massimo Bellini

0.48 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…

6. Chiesa di San Giuliano

0.51 MILES

Attributed to Sicilian baroque maestro Vaccarini and built between 1739 and 1751, the Chiesa di San Giuliano features an elegant convex facade and, above…

7. Palazzo Sangiuliano

0.51 MILES

Designed by the great baroque architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, this elegant 18th-century palazzo flanks the eastern edge of Piazza dell'Università.

8. Palazzo dell'Università

0.53 MILES

Flanking the western edge of Piazza dell'Università, this handsome palazzo includes a courtyard designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. The building…