Piazza del Duomo & Fontana dell’Elefante

Catania’s magnificent baroque heart and a UNESCO-listed square, rebuilt in gleaming lava-and-limestone after the 1693 earthquake. At its centre stands the city’s beloved symbol — the Fontana dell’Elefante, an ancient black lava-stone elephant (“u Liotru”) topped with an Egyptian obelisk — framed by the Cathedral of Sant’Agata and elegant palazzi. It’s the natural place to begin exploring the old town, with the fish market and Via Etnea right alongside.