monastero dei benedettini

This Monastery is worth a visit.You can have a guided tour on the hour every day from 9am for just 6 euro.

I visited the Monastery/University twice, once on a guided tour and once without. The tour is a must, as it provides very interesting background on a fascinating university building (built on top of a monastery which was itself built on top of another monastery, which was built on top of a Roman/Greek village!). The remains of all this can be seen clearly from the fantastic renovation job, and I would love to know how it feels to study in a library overlooking Roman ruins, in a pre-1000AD monastery.

The monastary is now the University of Catania - and very active with students. When we visited an English tour was not available so we wandered around on our own (for free) with a map provided at the ticket office. It was interesting to be strolling through the halls with the students. The architecture was interesting and the stairways leading upstairs were fabulous (but the reliefs could use some cleaning).

Very interesting indeed, the place is packed with history and tales from those times, human beings who shared the same believe, so much commitment must have been needed to endure it all.. only their prayers would have being their salvation from the plain mind thoughts, lets face it, angels were they not`´´… if the walls could speak it would definitely be intriguing …well worth it though..

Guided tours are available, but most are in Italian, so if you want an English tour be sure you check when these happen before you go. You can explore parts of the monastery for free, but the guided tours are much more informative.It's a beautiful place. Stop by for an hour or two.

This monastery has appeared under various guises throughout history and each one has completely overtaken the previous identity. However now belonging to the university, clever architects have designed it in such a way that you can see evidence of all the occupants through uncovered layers. Planners in my city could well learn a lot from this style. The most spectacular is the track for several metres of a Roman road which is there for all to see in front. It really does take your breath away

This was easiest my favorite tourist attraction in Catania, and for some reason not much is written about it in guide books. I really recommend paying for the guided tour (it is the only way to get into some of the more interesting areas of the monastery), even if the only one available is in Italian. We speak not a single word of Italian, so probably did not get as much out of it as the rest of the group, however they give you a 6 page printed guide (in English for us, but they had other languages also) to the different places you visit on the tour and our tour guide spoke some English and was willing to answer our questions. That being said, this a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. The original structure at this site were two Roman houses (from the 2nd Century AD and 2nd Century BC), with some of the mosaics and structures still visible in the basement. The original monastery was built in 1558 and was subsequently enlarged over the years. The eruption of Mt Etna in 1669 formed a lava bench 12 meters high outside of the monastery (because of sand banks the monks put in place as the lava flow approached the city). An earthquake in 1693 almost completely destroyed the building, leaving only the basement rooms intact (here are remnants of the 16th century kitchen and dining room). From 1702 on the monastery was rebuilt. The monastery was confiscated by the state in 1866 and converted to a school, military barrack an astronomy observatory, theater and also a private residence. Remnants of all these stages are seen on the tour. It is now part of the University of Catania (with students studying in this incredible historical building). The former monks cells are now professors offices. There is an interior balcony with a view into the church of St Nicolas (built in 1667) with a 2916 pipe organ.

The Monastero is presently housing the University of Catania. The underground library is well worth a visit. Guides are abundant and informative. The gardens while not up to Tivoli standards are nonetheless interesting. The floors and stonework alone make the Monastero well worth an hour's visit.

I thoroughly enjoyed my tour with Simona (I was the only one there so I had a personal tour). The building has an interesting history and gives an in-depth insight into the life lived by the Benedictine monks at the times they lived there. You can see the forces of nature - Etna - coming face to face with the resourcefulness and determination of man. It almost made me want to go back to university and study social sciences just so I could be in this building every day - the University restored the monastery under an agreement with the government. Well worth the money.

Me and my brother we were travelling in Sicily this October. We stopped also in Catania for five days. We absolutely had to visit The Monastery San Nicolo. Incredible! We had great guided tour with Miss Maria Rachelle. We appreciate very much that it is in the same time also the University. We are sure you can not miss this tour being in Catania.

It is possible to join a tour guide for this sight and I would highly recommend that. This is a place where one should really get to know it's history and be guided to view all the ancient ruins beneath the monastery. A lot of history here and good to be able to wander about.

Great architecture and beautiful inner gardens in this former monastery, now part of the University of Catania. Don't miss the unfinished church right next to the Monastero, where you can see the biggest meridian clock in the world! Impressive.

Take the guided tour-if you don't speak Italian, call ahead to arrange a tour in English. The architecture, the history of the monastery (cultural, religious and geologic) are fascinating.

This was a most interesting tour of the monastery, giving access to places that would not be open to public access and which would not easily be found even if they were. the guide was knowledgeable and, together with the printed guide in English, was able to help us understand the building and its previous history. Though he ensured we understood he had little English, he helped us to understand the effects of the lava flow on the building and also thereby elsewhere in Catania. An interesting building, an insight into a class-ridden society and the way in which the monastic life related to it.

We had a great time when we visited and went on the tour we were the only English speakers but the guide was brilliant she would also explain in English. But it wasn't until we got back to the U.K that my partner kept wishing he'd bought one of the lava key rings from the shop. So I emailed the shop a few weeks back got a response off Simona who has been fantastic in sorting this out for me. I sent the money order last Tuesday and it arrived today, partner absolutely delighted with it. So molto molto bene to everyone but especially Simona.