Anywhere Italy
00 Randazzo
Stemma di Randazzo

Sicily · Catania

Randazzo

A medieval town in black lava stone at 750 meters on Etna's north foot, with three quarter churches for Latins, Greeks and Lombards.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h from Catania
By train
Station in the comune
Population
10,186

Known for

  • LAVA STONE

    Churches, palazzi and walls built in black volcanic stone, the medieval town hewn from the material of the mountain beside it.

  • THREE QUARTERS

    Once divided into Latin, Greek and Lombard quarters with separate dialects and separate churches, a triple community at the foot of Etna.

  • FREDERICK II

    Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and Constance of Aragon sheltered here in 1210 from the Palermo plague.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J10°
  • F12°
  • M13°
  • A16°
  • M21°
  • J28°
  • J32°
  • A31°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N16°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

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

The festa: Giuseppe, 19 March

Why come

Randazzo sits at 750 meters on the northern foot of Etna, seventy kilometers northwest of Catania along the Alcantara valley. Byzantine in origin, Swabian and medieval in character, the town has three great churches that mark its three historic quarters, once inhabited by communities that spoke different tongues: the Latins in Santa Maria, the Greeks in San Nicolò, and the Lombards in San Martino. In 1210 Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and his young wife Constance of Aragon sheltered here from the plague in Palermo; Randazzo became, after Palermo and Messina, one of the most populous towns on the island.

The architecture is lava: Santa Maria Assunta, begun in the thirteenth century, has a façade entirely in black volcanic stone with three polygonal apses shaped as towers and Catalan-Gothic side portals. The forty-one-meter bell tower of San Martino, called one of the most beautiful in Sicily, has stood since the thirteenth century.

The Sunday letter

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

Read on

Randazzo in our articles

How to get there

From Catania (CTA), about 1h 8m 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? Randazzo is about 1 hour away by road.

Every town within reach of Catania airport.

Randazzo, photo 1
Randazzo, photo 2

What to see

  • Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta

    Thirteenth-century basilica in black lava stone with three polygonal apses shaped as towers and fifteenth-century Catalan-Gothic side portals.

  • Chiesa di San Martino

    Church of Swabian origin from the thirteenth century with a forty-one-meter bell tower in four storeys, anchor of the Lombard quarter.

  • Chiesa di San Nicolò

    Largest of the three quarter churches, repeatedly rebuilt; the fourteenth-century bell tower fell in the 1693 earthquake.

  • Centro storico medievale

    Black-stone medieval old town along Via Umberto, with three quarter churches and palazzi of the once-trilingual community.

  • Etna north slope

    Closest sizeable town to the volcano's summit, the trailhead for the northern ascent routes and the Etna DOC vineyards.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Randazzo 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.

  • San Giorgio e il DragoTrattoria

    San Giorgio e il Drago holds two Gambero Rosso prawns and a Slow Food snail.

  • VenezianoRistorante

    Veneziano holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Living here

  • Population 10,186
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Catania, 1 h 8 min drive
  • Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 49 min drive

Common questions

What is Randazzo known for?
Randazzo is a medieval town in black lava stone at 750 meters on Etna's north foot, with three quarter churches for Latins, Greeks and Lombards.
Where is Randazzo?
Randazzo is a comune in the province of Catania, in Sicily.
What is the nearest airport to Randazzo?
Catania (CTA), about 1h 8m by car.
Can you get to Randazzo 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 Randazzo?
About 2h 49m by car.
When is the best time to visit Randazzo?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and March the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Randazzo?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Giuseppe, 19 March.
Which other towns are like Randazzo?
Nicosia, Brunico and Ariano Irpino.
How many people live in Randazzo?
10,186 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 750 m
  • Population: 10,186
  • Surface area: 205.62 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.

Similar

Towns like Randazzo

🌳 Parco Regionale

More Parco Regionale towns in Sicily