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00 Giarre
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.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
26 min from Catania
By train
Station in the comune
Population
26,510

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.

  • PROTECTED PRODUCTS

    The commune lies inside the Ciliegia dell'Etna DOP, Monte Etna DOP and Limone dell'Etna IGP production zones.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J14°
  • F15°
  • M16°
  • A18°
  • M22°
  • J28°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S27°
  • O23°
  • N19°
  • D16°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

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

Giarre 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 Giarre comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Giarre in our articles

How to get there

From Catania (CTA), about 37 minutes by car.

By car from the centre of Palermo 3 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming by train into Catania Centrale? Giarre is about 27 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Catania airport.

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.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Giarre 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.

Plan your trip

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.

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.

Living here

  • Population 26,510
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Catania, 37 min drive
  • Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 56 min drive

Common questions

What is Giarre known for?
Giarre is an Etna town that split from Mascali in 1815 and built a neoclassical duomo, with two bell towers framing the volcano behind it.
Where is Giarre?
Giarre is a comune in the province of Catania, in Sicily, at 81 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Giarre?
Catania (CTA), about 37 minutes by car.
Can you get to Giarre 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 Giarre?
About 3 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Giarre?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 20 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Giarre?
Yes. Festival Etneo del Porcino. September is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Giarre?
Riposto, Castelvetrano and Cefalù.
How many people live in Giarre?
26,510 at the 2023 count.
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 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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