EUROPCAR Car Rental at Catania Airport

Offering affordable car rental that makes exploring Sicily that much more enjoyable, Europcar car rental at Catania Airport is open from 8.00 am until midnight every day of the week. The service team of Europcar can be contacted by phone on +39 095 348 125 to arrange for pick-up or drop-off.

Catania city is only 4.2 km distance from the airport, but is not the only historic city of importance in the south of Sicily.

Siracusa, or Syracuse, is a 56-minute drive from Catania, taking the E45 and SS114 route, about 67 km away on the Ionian coast. Famous for its many cultural treasures, Syracuse is one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful cities. Among its treasures are the Archaeological Park Neapolis with its Roman and Greek amphitheaters, the Piazza Duomo with its monumental buildings, which includes an archaic Ionic temple, a rare example from the West of Greece, and the Palazzo Borgia, the Town Hall, the medieval Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco and the Muso Archaeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi, which displays many Roman artifacts.

Baroque Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco is located close to the Duomo, and what has been preserved to the present day is mostly from the late 18th century. It was reputedly home to Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars. Palazzo Borgia overlooks the corner of Via Picherali and the Piazza Duomo. Over its portal is an inscription that dates the palace to 1760. Home to the Baron of Casale, Giuseppe Maria Borgia, a member of one of the most powerful families in Italy, the palazzo's portal also shows the emblem of the family, which includes two kites, a favourite means of hunting with the Borgias apparently. Today, the palazzo of the Borgias is often used for events.

Catania is a great base from which to explore Sicily. The city's main square, the Piazza del Duomo is home to the beautiful cathedral of the city. On weekdays, in the southwest corner of the piazza, a fish market sells the fresh fish that is later served up by the many seafood restaurants that surround the square. La Pescheria market is a must-see, if you're staying in Catania.

Just 10 minutes' walk from Piazza del Duomo is the Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is Europe's second largest Benedictine monastery, founded in 1558, and today the home to the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania. The monastery is located at Piazza Dante Alighieri 32, an apt address for the Department of Humanities, given that the square was named after one of Italy's most famous poets (for more information about the monastery, please see www.monasterodeibenedettini.it/en/).

Catania's Tourist Information is located in the Arrivals area at the airport, or you can visit Tourism Catania at www.comune.catania.it/la-citta/turismo/ the office is open from Mondays to Saturdays, from 8.00 am to 7.00 pm, and on Sundays from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm, tel +39 095 723 9682.