Catania

Rents and house prices for the central zone are in the data block. For transport, AMTS sells 90-minute and day tickets and monthly and annual passes; the "MetroBus City" pass is also valid on the metro; the Alibus to the airport has a separate ticket.

For out-of-town students, ERSU Catania allocates beds only through a competition, reserved for those eligible for a scholarship; residents of Catania and nearby towns and commuters are excluded. Listed residences include Centro, Cittadella and Toscano Scuderi. Rents and prices for the central zone are in the data block.

The electronic identity card is requested by appointment at the Centro Direzionale San Leone or at the Municipi desks and is delivered home by post. The six municipal drop-off centres take sorted waste every day except Sunday; organic waste must be put out on the scheduled days and times. Permits for the ZTL and pedestrian areas are requested online from AMTS.

To enter with a dog, cat or ferret you need a microchip, an EU pet passport or health certificate and a valid rabies vaccination. Mandatory registration in the regional pet register, lead at all times and a muzzle to hand. Pets allowed on trains under Trenitalia rules and in apartment buildings by law.

Rules depend on who is arriving: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (no visa, registration with the Comune after three months), non-EU citizens for stays up to 90 days (Schengen rule, type C visa where required) and for long stays (national type D visa and a residence permit within eight working days of arrival).

AMTS runs buses, parking, ZTL permits and CTGO sharing; the Ferrovia Circumetnea runs the metro and the railway around Etna; the railway does not run on Sundays and holidays. Fontanarossa has a Trenitalia stop linked to the terminal by a bus, with dozens of trains a day from Catania Centrale, and the Alibus line.

Euro, cards accepted almost everywhere, a legal cash limit. Anyone living in Italy for most of the year is tax resident and taxed on worldwide income under three IRPEF brackets; specific regimes exist for the self-employed (forfettario), inbound workers, foreign pensioners and new residents. Contributions go to INPS; annual return with the 730 or Redditi form.

Territory of the ASP of Catania; in the city, the university Policlinico with the Rodolico and San Marco sites, both with ERs, the ARNAS Garibaldi (Centro and Nesima) and the Cannizzaro, an emergency-focused trust with general, paediatric and obstetric ERs. Out-of-hours posts at Librino, corso Italia and the PTA San Luigi; ASP booking line 800 954 414, ASP Con Te app and SovraCUP.

Non-EU pensioners enter with the elective residence visa, EU pensioners through free movement; public healthcare is accessible by compulsory or voluntary registration. Optional 7% regime on foreign income for those moving to small southern municipalities. Cheap houses in villages, services concentrated in cities.

Catania hosts one of the world's largest centres for power semiconductors, the STMicroelectronics site (5,500 employees stated), where in 2024 the company announced an integrated silicon-carbide campus. Enel produces solar modules through 3Sun. The INGV Etna Observatory and the University are also based in the city.

A VAT number (partita IVA) from the Agenzia delle Entrate for freelancers; for businesses the Comunicazione Unica to the Registro delle Imprese, which also notifies the Agenzia, INPS, INAIL and SUAP. Main forms: sole proprietorship, SNC/SAS, SRL and SRLS, SPA. Compulsory PEC, annual chamber fee, e-invoicing. Invitalia incentives; non-EU citizens need a self-employment permit or the investor visa.

The University of Catania, a state university founded in 1434, is the oldest in Sicily and among the largest in Italy by enrolment; it also has a seat in Siracusa and a School of Italian for foreigners. The Foreign Students Office is at Palazzo Centrale; scholarships, beds and canteens are run by ERSU Catania.

A Greek colony, Aragonese capital of the Kingdom of Sicily in the early fifteenth century, rebuilt on the same site after 1693. Its symbol is the elephant in Piazza Duomo, "'u Liotru". The feast of Saint Agatha, 3–5 February, with the silver fercolo, the candelore and devotees in the white "sacco", is the most deeply felt moment of the year.

Beyond the Mediterranean coastal climate, the volcano matters: during eruptive phases ash falls on the city, the mayor can ban bicycles and motorbikes and the airport closes. In August 2026 Fontanarossa airspace stayed closed for about six days. In 2024 PM10 limit exceedances were isolated (SNPA).

Piazza Duomo with the Liotru, Via Etnea, Castello Ursino, the Roman theatre with the Odeon, the Benedictine Monastery and the Pescheria in the centre; Etna, a UNESCO site, within reach for excursions, also by train on the Circumetnea. In February, the feast of Saint Agatha.

Teatro Massimo Bellini (1890) programmes opera, ballet and concerts and also runs the Teatro Sangiorgi; the Benedictine Monastery hosts evening visits, theatre and concerts. Villa Bellini is one of the four main city parks; Etna is the destination for excursions. At the table, arancino and pasta alla Norma.