-by Bianca Caccamese, Founder of Kids Trip

Tips for small urban explorers accompanied by parents

I am a mom who loves to go around with their children and I know from experience that to visit a city with children it is important to find the right key to access their interests.

That’s why, to tell you what to see in Catania with children, I asked them, my children, what is an itinerary in Catania that they would recommend to a friend who comes to visit the city. The result is an itinerary to discover Catania in the name of water!

The first stop we suggest is definitely in Piazza Duomo, under one of the most representative monuments of the city that depicts the symbol of Catania: the elephant fountain.

The legend of the necromancer Eliodoro who, with a magic formula, makes the liotru fly is so compelling!

In Piazza Duomo there is also another point of attraction for children: it is the marble fountain called “water fountain or linzolu”.

A funny name, that makes children laugh and that in dialect means “water to bed sheet” because of the effect of the water that comes down from the pool like a bed sheet. This is the water of the Amenano River, which flows under the city and emerges from the ground in a few places like this.

From here, skirting the folkloristic fish market in Piazza Pardo, you can continue towards Piazza Currò where you can not only find the Terme dell’Indirizzo, but another of the points where you can see the river Amenano.

To see it you have to go down to an underground room, inside the Youth Hostel, located right in front of the Spa.

A little adventure for young explorers!

Continuing towards Piazza Federico II of Swabia, you arrive in front of the beautiful Castello Ursino.

This large building once overlooked the sea, before the lava flow due to a frightening eruption of 1669 surrounded it.

Imagine that from here it was possible to see the enemy galleons approaching the city is really fascinating!

Not far from the castle is the Greek Roman Theatre, in Via Vittorio Emanuele, another place where the river Amenano resurfaces.

Here the water fills the space where the actors once played, called orchestra, and it is even possible to walk on it thanks to a long walkway.

Since water is the leitmotif of this itinerary suggested by my children, for them the visit to Catania can only end in the water, the sea!

The long sandy coast of the Playa, which extends south of the city, is perfect with children and offers a beautiful view of Etna that will make you want new discoveries and other itineraries!