Fish Festival in Calatabiano

The Fish Festival in Calatabiano is an event that traditionally takes place in the summer and is organized by the Circolo Nautilus Association.

Description of the fish festival in Calatabiano

Located to the right of the Alcantara river, right on the Piana, Calatabiano offers a rural landscape made up of rich vegetation consisting of the cultivation of medlars and citrus fruits that reach the welcoming, very wide beach with a sandy shore bordered by the sea.

The Fish Festival in Calatabiano is organized to attract tourists who love the typical local cuisine and fish dishes which, in a center like Calatabiano, certainly cannot be missed.

It is a street demonstration that sees stalls and kiosks of all kinds exhibiting their wares for the benefit of thousands of tourists who, attracted by the lure of fried fish and more, reach the town in the province of Catania to browse and taste a street traditional food.

Where and when the fish festival takes place in Calatabiano

It is usually held in the historic center in mid-July but the date of the event changes every year.

What to do during the fish festival in Calatabiano

Definitely visit the Castle, Church of SS. Crucifix and the church of Maria SS. Announced, are three suggested appointments to embellish the visit to Calatabiano on the occasion of the Fish Festival.

The Castle, built in the 900s, is thought to have Arab origins and was built at the behest of a kakim called al-Bian. Some scholars, however, hypothesize that the original nucleus of the castle already existed and was known as Fortress of Bidio, even built by the Greeks in 735 BC to defend nearby Naxos.

Coins and bricks from the Roman imperial era would testify in favor of the Fortress of Bidio even if the first documentation relating to the inhabited nucleus called Calataboniacensis dates back only to the XNUMXth century.

The Castle, during theNorman era, was elevated to barony and granted to the Pagano and Gualtieri di Avellino counts, subsequently passed from hand to hand until towards the end of the XIII century when it appears among the Angevin castles until after the famous Sicilian Vespers when it was donated to Ruggero di Lauria as compensation for the victory over the French.

The visit will allow you to admire the beautiful portal with a pointed arch made with sandstone and lava ashlars, from where the governing corbels rise.
Beyond the door, a rectangular-plan courtyard opens up from which various buildings built in different eras open out, the oldest of which is easily recognizable as the tallest. In this part there was the ancient keep where there was also a cistern dug into the rock.

The building located inside the second wall dates back to the XNUMXth century and is characterized by a large hall divided symmetrically by a lava stone arch where the insignia of the family then owner of the Castle are carved. From the windows of this room it is possible to enjoy the panoramic view of the Alcantara Valley.

Recommended activities for a tour of the Alcantara Gorges

The Church of the SS. Crocifisso dates back to the end of the XNUMXth century and is in the late Gothic style. Also note as Church of San Filippo it is the starting point of another important city event which is the traditional down.

Its interior is interesting where, in a small chapel, you can see a fresco representing the Madonna della Catena while, in a richly decorated niche, there is the statue of S. Filippo Siriaco which replaced that of Saint Catherine of Alexandria which today is visible in the central Piazza Vittorio Emanuele where it was moved in 1875. The square-plan bell tower built with ashlars of lava stone and limestone is also beautiful.

The last suggested destination is the Church Maria SS. announced which is located on a singular triangular square adjacent to the Santa Beatrice stream.

The building, due to the then lack of resources, was not built as the initial project which wanted a central nave and two lateral naves joined together by arches and colonnades, but only the central one remained and without being distinguished by any architectural style, however the entrance is in colored marble which takes over from a lava stone staircase.

The marble altars are beautiful and are dominated by some interesting canvases by an anonymous painter. The wooden pulpit is from the end of the XNUMXth century and the most precious thing is represented by an altarpiece of the Crucifix painted by a nephew of Antonello da Messina, Salvo D'Antonio dating back to the XNUMXth century.

How to get to Calatabiano

By car::
From Catania (A18), exit Fiumefreddo SS. 120 Piedimonte Etneo - Fiumefreddo - SS. 114 (Messina direction), from which by means of any of the connecting links; from Messina (A18), Giardini Naxos exit, SS. 114 (direction Catania).

By train:
Calatabiano and/or Taormina railway station stop.

By plane:
Catania Fontanarossa Airport
About 56 km away, reachable by car in 45 minutes.