What to see in Acireale – Between sea and history

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Acireale is famous for the most beautiful carnival in Sicily, its baroque historic center and the nature reserve la Timpa (A lava promontory formed by eruptions, more than 150 meters high and overlooking the sea).

Table of Contents

1. The historic center

The city was rebuilt in Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693 , a style that you can admire while walking through the historic center, where the nobles had their palaces built. Among the things to see in Acireale are above all the church of S. Sebastiano and the fantastic Piazza del Duomo , with marble and lava stone flooring, where the cathedral, the churches of Ss. Pietro and Paolo and the town hall overlook.

Tip from Topscretsicily: You can also book a guided walking tour of Acireale, visiting the cathedral, the historic center, the Museum of Sicilian Can and the beach at the Timpa Nature Reserve.

What to see in Acireale - Piazza Duomo, Acireale — Carlo Pelagalli , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Church of San Sebastiano - Acireale — Church of San Sebastiano – Carlo Pelagalli , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Timpa of Acireale – Cataniaan , CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

2. The fishing village of Santa Maria La Scala

This small fishing village is really beautiful and fascinating, a top secret place, between sea, history and breathtaking views . Starting from the historic center, head towards the little spots on foot, you will have to cross a bridge and you will arrive at the starting point of the route.

This is not just any path, but a 16th-century stone path that traverses the flanks of the ancient lava promontory down to sea level. A truly original path, between nature, lava ridges and a beautiful view of the sea. Once arrived the tour is not over, quite the contrary. Do not head straight for the town, turn right and go to the old mill. Here you will find a beautiful stone square overlooking the sea . From here you will have a nice view of the lava ridge and the ancient fishing village of Santa Maria della Scala , which appears to be a really small painting.

Santa Maria la Scala, Acireale — Joseph ME , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Now you can proceed to the country and then enter this fantastic picture made reality. Here you can have lunch or dinner based on fish, which is obviously the specialty of the place. In this regard , the Trattoria La Grotta is recommended, with a truly fascinating interior, dug into the lava rock .