The city of Catania, Sicily

Catania is the ideal place from which to discover Sicily. It has the biggest international airport of the island, with daily flights to Rome, Pisa, Venice and Milan as well as other direct international destinations. Furthermore, Catania is Sicily’s second largest city, with a population of around 300,000. It lies on the Ionian Sea on the slopes of Mount Etna, Europe’s most imposing volcano. The Capital of Baroque, it contains traces of different ages and dominations, visible in areas that make the city an open-air museum. The city is an ideal starting point to visit all the best Sicilian places, such as Mount Etna and its marvellous surrounding villages, and other famous Sicilian cities like Syracuse, Noto and Palermo.

Course locations in Sicily

Locations to be used to administer lectures are located nearby. The lectures will take place partly within an ancient lava stone building typical of the architecture of this area, located in the historical centre of the city (a few meters from the seaside) and partly within an old Benedictine monastery in Catania www.monasterodeibenedettini.it. This is a late Baroque monument and one of the biggest Benedictine monasteries in Europe, hosting the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania. Cuisine and wine tasting classes will partly be held in ‘Città del Gusto’, a location offered by the Gambero Rosso company, The site is a very important centre of taste in southern Italy, run by Gambero Rosso. It is a cooking school comprising an area of 350 square meters with more than 30 seats and 10 cooking workstations.

Catania, eclectic and cosmopolitan, offers the opportunity to spend some wonderful days in contact with history, tradition and culture, not forgetting the leisure and entertainment typical of its lively “movida” or night life.

Interaction with local culture through group events, on-site classes and field trips is central to the academic program in Catania. Classes will take part in field trips to important archeological sites such as Palermo, Taormina, the Aeolian Islands and others.