Via Etnea is the most important street in the historic centre of Catania, connecting the central Piazza Duomo to the Tondo Gioeni. Resurfaced with lava stone paving from the Etna volcano, it is pedestrianised only in the section from Quattro Canti to the Cathedral of Sant’Agata, and is famous for its many shops. Moreover, it is a very busy place both during the day and at night thanks to the presence of many restaurants, pizzerias, pubs, bars and breweries.
Along this street, you can see beautiful buildings in typical Sicilian Baroque style, built by architects Francesco Battaglia and Giovan Battista Vaccarini. The most important are: Palazzo Minoriti, Palazzo dell’Università, Palazzo San Giuliano, Palazzo San Demetrio and Palazzo Gioeni.