Catania's Saint Agatha Festival - Culture and Traditions in Sicily, Italy
Catania is one of Sicily’s most diverse and interesting cities, and a surprising travel destination. The second largest city on the island brims with culture and traditions, but also has a young, dynamic character, creating a fascinating contrast. While worth visiting year-round, Catania truly comes alive during one of Europe’s most exciting religious celebrations, the Festival of Saint Agatha.
In this video, I explore the streets of Catania during the Festa di Sant’Agata, providing an intriguing mix of devotion and folklore. I also take a look at what other things there are to see and do in and around Catania. The footage was shot in February 2023, when I had the chance to travel around Sicily for 2,5 weeks.
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Copyright of all footage: Hoffer Media
Here’s a brief overview of the content in this video:
The first part of the video is dedicated to the Festival of Saint Agatha, which takes place every year in February. We look at some of the history and background, while exploring the streets that are full of people and activities. The festival lasts 3 days and consists of solemn parades, processions, church masses, firework displays, candle lighting, and much more. While it may seem overwhelming at times, I found the atmosphere to be mostly calm, intimate, and sometimes even emotional.
We continue our trip to Catania by visiting some of the city’s highlights, starting in and around the central square, the Piazza del Duomo. The buzzing streets are lined with imposing buildings and statues, and are a popular place to sip a coffee and try some of the local delicacies. It’s also the starting point of some of Catania’s liveliest markets, the star of which is the daily fish market, La Pescheria.
Not far from there are the ancient ruins of a 2nd century Roman theatre and the Via Crociferi, perhaps Catania’s most beautiful street, filled with churches and palaces. Other landmarks include the Ursino castle, and the Benedictine monastery of San Nicolo Arena.
We finish this trip to Catania on the slopes of Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It dominates the landscape of Eastern Sicily and can be visited with local expert guides.
Timestamps / video chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:53 Festival of Saint Agatha
6:06 Catania city
6:36 Piazza del Duomo
7:19 Catania Cathedral
7:45 Fontana dell’Elefante
7:56 Badi di Sant’Agatha church
8:15 La Pescheria fish market
9:21 Street markets
10:05 Greek Roman archaeological park
10:52 Via Crociferi
11:08 Church of San Benedetto
11:34 Castello Ursino
11:56 Church and Benedictine monastery of San Nicolo Arena
13:11 Mount Etna volcano
15:37 End
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