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Stemma di Giarre

Sicily · Catania

Giarre

An Etna town that split from Mascali in 1815 and built a neoclassical duomo, with two bell towers framing the volcano behind it.

Known for

  • THE DUOMO

    Neoclassical Sant'Isidoro Agricola, begun 1794, with bell towers finished only in 1890 and major collections of Sicilian sacred silver.

  • GIARRE-RIPOSTO

    Conurbation with Riposto on the coast, merged as Jonia under fascism from 1939 to 1945 and split again after the war.

  • CIRCUMETNEA

    Junction between the Catania-Messina coastal railway and the narrow-gauge Ferrovia Circumetnea that loops around the volcano.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

The festa: Isidoro l'Agricoltore, 15 May

Why come

Giarre sits on the lower eastern slope of Etna at eighty metres, thirty kilometres north of Catania and three from the sea at Riposto. From the late sixteenth century until 1815 it was a village of the county of Mascali; it separated after the abolition of feudalism and built itself a town centre in the decades that followed. The Duomo di Sant'Isidoro Agricola, begun in 1794 and opened for worship in 1818, is the result: a neoclassical mother church in white stone, with a large central nave, two lateral naves, a transept, and a dome with lantern.

The two bell towers, designed by the Neapolitan architect Pietro Valente, were begun in 1859 and finished only in 1890. Inside, the church holds one of the most substantial collections of sacred silverware in eastern Sicily. From 1939 to 1945 Giarre was merged with Riposto under the fascist name Jonia. The two towns still form a single conurbation along the coast.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Giarre’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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Giarre — photo 1
Giarre — photo 2

What to see

  • Duomo di Sant'Isidoro Agricola

    Neoclassical mother church begun in 1794, two bell towers by Pietro Valente, and one of eastern Sicily's largest collections of sacred silverware.

  • Piazza Duomo

    The main square at the centre of the historic grid, with the duomo facing the foothill of Etna to the west.

  • Corso Italia

    The principal axis of the town, running between the duomo and the open country towards Riposto and the sea.

  • Stazione Giarre-Riposto

    Combined railway station on the Catania-Messina line, the junction with the Ferrovia Circumetnea that circles the volcano.

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We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

Living here

  • Population 26,510
  • Off the beaten pathi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Sicily, 37 min drive
  • Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 56 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 81 m
  • Population: 26,510
  • Surface area: 27.32 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by

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