AVIS Car Rental at Catania Airport

Catania Airport lies some 4.2 km distance from the city and is simply brimming with cultural treasures from the 18th century. The historic center is where many boutique hotels are located that started life as Baroque mansions and palazzos. Within a 2 hour drive of Catania there are many historic towns that simply must be seen to be believed, they are that beautiful. Some have ancient Roman or Greek amphitheaters, some boast gourmet restaurants, others have breathtakingly beautiful cathedrals, churches and parks.

To explore Sicily, Avis car rental at Catania Airport offers a good choice of Economy cars at low rates. The service desk is located in the terminals, and is open from 8.00 am to midnight every day. The Avis Catania Airport team can be contacted by phone on +39 095 340 500 to arrange for pick-up or drop-off.

If you are staying in the center of Catania, start your walking tour at the Scalinata Alessi steps, which lie between Via Etnea and Via Crociferi. The two streets run straight through the historic heart of Catania, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where every new street reveals another Baroque gem.

Running from north to south, Via Etnea is Catania's High Street, linking the beautiful Piazza Duomo to Tondo Gioeni. Following Via Etnea leads to the gorgeous Palazzo San Giuliano and Palazzo dell'Università, Catania's 18th century university buildings, where four bronze candelabras by Lazzaro are among the most popular treasures. Via Etnea is also home to the Basilica Collegiata, the ruins of the Roman amphitheater (Teatro Romano), and the Minoriti Church, which is dedicated to composer Vincenzo Bellini, who was born in Catania.

Augusta in the province of Syracuse lies 46.6 km via the E45 motorway from Catania, about a 43 minute drive with a rental car from Avis. Facing the Ionian Sea, this ancient port city sits on an island man-made in the 16th century. But the city is far older than that, being one of the oldest Greek colonies on Sicily. Augusta of today takes its name from the Swabian kings and emperors who came, saw and liked. The imposing castle at the centre of the city still bears the name Castello Svevo because of the Hohenstaufen link to Germany.

Other historic attractions in Augusta include Fort Vittoria, built in the second half of the 14th century on what is a rocky outpost guarding the harbour from pirate attacks and invasion, and the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta at Piazza Duomo, and the Piazza San Domenico with its bars, restaurants and shops.