Destination wedding in Catania
Black lava stone, baroque façades and a city that never stops moving.
Region
Ionian Coast
Best months
May, June, late September and October. Catania is the warmest large city in Sicily, so August ceremonies are usually scheduled after 18:00.
Getting there
Fontanarossa airport is fifteen minutes from the centre with direct flights from most European capitals. Civil ceremonies take place at Palazzo degli Elefanti or in one of the delegated historic venues. Traffic in the centre is intense: I always scout the transfer route the day before.
Getting married in Catania
Catania is my home city and the place I know frame by frame. It is built from the lava of Etna, so the architecture is a contrast of black basalt and white limestone that reads beautifully in photographs, especially in the hour before sunset when the stone holds the heat and the light.
A wedding here is urban and alive. Piazza Duomo with the elephant fountain, the fish market of the Pescheria, the courtyards of Via Crociferi — a UNESCO-listed baroque street — and the rooftops looking straight at the volcano. If you want a destination wedding in Sicily that feels like a real Italian city rather than a resort, Catania is the answer.
Venues and locations I use in Catania
- Cattedrale di Sant'Agata in Piazza Duomo — the city's landmark church
- Palazzo Biscari — an 18th century private palace with a rococo ballroom
- Monastero dei Benedettini — UNESCO site, one of the largest monasteries in Europe
- Via Crociferi — baroque street used for the couple session
- Seafront villas at Aci Castello and Aci Trezza, fifteen minutes north
Frequently asked questions
Is Catania a good base for a multi-day wedding?
Yes. It has the airport, the largest choice of hotels in eastern Sicily and it is under an hour from Etna, Taormina and Siracusa, so guests can move easily between events.
Do you photograph in the fish market?
Often. The Pescheria in the early morning is one of the strongest backdrops in Sicily for a couple session, full of colour, noise and real life.
Nearby wedding destinations
Ionian Coast
Taormina
A Greek theatre, Etna on the horizon and the most photographed terrace in Sicily.
Etna Region
Mount Etna
Black lava, vineyards on the slopes and Europe's most active volcano.
South East
Siracusa & Ortigia
An island within a city, where every alley ends at the sea.
Ionian Coast
Acireale & the Riviera dei Ciclopi
Baroque churches above a coastline of black lava stacks.