Sicily · Catania
Aci Castello
A coastal town just north of Catania on the Riviera dei Ciclopi, where the basalt headland holds the 1076 Norman Castello d'Aci and the seven volcanic Faraglioni dei Ciclopi rise from the sea, the rocks the Cyclops threw at Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 12 min from Catania
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 17,852
Known for
NORMAN CASTLE
Castello d'Aci on a 25,000-year-old basalt sea-stack from an underwater Etna eruption — built by Roger I of Sicily, 1076.
CYCLOPS' ROCKS
The seven basalt sea-stacks Homer's Polyphemus threw at Odysseus — now a marine reserve.
VERGA COUNTRY
Aci Trezza frazione — setting of Giovanni Verga's I Malavoglia (1881), the canonical Italian verismo novel.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J15°
- F16°
- M17°
- A20°
- M24°
- J29°
- J33°
- A33°
- S29°
- O25°
- N21°
- D17°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Mauro, 15 January
Why come
Aci Castello sits ten kilometres north of Catania on the Riviera dei Ciclopi, where the lava-black basalt coast meets the Ionian Sea. The town's anchor is the Castello Normanno (Castello d'Aci), built in 1076 by Roger I of Sicily on a basalt sea-stack thrown up by an underwater Etna eruption around 25,000 BC; the Aragonese expanded it in the 14th century and it now houses the Civic Museum of Aci Castello. Just offshore stand the Isole dei Ciclopi — the seven basalt sea-stacks that Homer identified as the rocks Polyphemus the Cyclops hurled at Odysseus's ship in Book IX of the Odyssey, and which are now a protected marine reserve.
The frazione of Aci Trezza (the larger fishing village south of the castle) is where Giovanni Verga set I Malavoglia (The House by the Medlar Tree, 1881), the founding novel of Italian verismo. The coastline between Castello and Trezza is a single black-pebble swimming front, with the dramatic profile of Etna rising behind.
The Sunday letter
Aci Castello is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Aci Castello comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Aci Castello in our articles
The best olive oil towns within 45 minutes of Catania6 towns, Aci Castello among them.
The best towns known for what they grow within 45 minutes of Catania6 towns, Aci Castello among them.
The best towns you can reach by train that eat well within 90 minutes of Catania6 towns, Aci Castello among them.
The best coastal towns within an hour of Catania7 towns, Aci Castello among them.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 22 minutes by car.
By car from the centre of Palermo 2h 49m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Catania Centrale? Aci Castello is about 12 minutes away by road.
What to see
Castello Normanno di Aci
1076 Norman castle on a basalt sea-stack thrown up by an underwater Etna eruption c. 25,000 BC. Aragonese expansion 14th c. Houses the Civic Museum with the stratigraphic and natural-history collections.
Isole dei Ciclopi
Seven basalt sea-stacks offshore — Homer's Cyclopean rocks from Odyssey Book IX. Now a protected marine reserve (AMP Isole Ciclopi), with snorkelling tours from Aci Trezza.
Aci Trezza — terra di Verga
Fishing-village frazione where Giovanni Verga set I Malavoglia (1881), the founding novel of Italian verismo. The old harbour and Casa del Nespolo museum trace the literary setting.
Lungomare lavico
Black-pebble swimming front between Castello and Trezza, the basalt coast contrasted against Etna's snow-cap on clear days.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Aci Castello fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
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.
Faraglioni RestaurantRistorante
Faraglioni Restaurant has two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Arancino Festivalfood festival
usually held in September. sagritaly.com
Living here
- Population 17,852
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Catania, 22 min drive
- Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 49 min drive
Common questions
- What is Aci Castello known for?
- Aci Castello is a coastal town just north of Catania on the Riviera dei Ciclopi, where the basalt headland holds the 1076 Norman Castello d'Aci and the seven volcanic Faraglioni dei Ciclopi rise from the sea, the rocks the Cyclops threw at Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.
- Where is Aci Castello?
- Aci Castello is a comune in the province of Catania, in Sicily, at 15 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Aci Castello?
- Catania (CTA), about 22 minutes by car.
- Can you get to Aci Castello without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Aci Castello?
- About 2h 49m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Aci Castello?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and March the wettest, with about 10 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Aci Castello?
- Yes. Arancino Festival. September is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Aci Castello?
- Siracusa, Catania and Pachino.
- How many people live in Aci Castello?
- 17,852 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 15 m
- Population: 17,852
- Surface area: 8.71 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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