Catania's baroque centre is compact and walkable. Start at Piazza del Duomo, where the Fontana dell'Elefante — an ancient lava-stone elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk — presides over the city's main square. The elephant is Catania's symbol and has been since at least the medieval period. The cathedral itself, dedicated to Sant'Agata, the city's patron saint, is a Vaccarini baroque masterpiece built on the foundations of a Norman church. The crypt below holds Roman remains.
The Pescheria fish market, just off Piazza del Duomo through a vaulted archway, runs every morning except Sunday. It is not a tourist attraction — it is where the city feeds itself — and it is one of the most vivid things you can witness in Sicily.
Via dei Crociferi is the street most emblematic of Catania's baroque ambition: a succession of churches, monasteries, and palaces that survived the 1693 earthquake and were rebuilt with baroque exuberance. The church of San Giuliano, the Benedictine monastery of San Nicolò (one of the largest in Europe), and the gate of the Collegio dei Gesuiti all cluster along this short stretch.
The Roman theatre and odeon, partially excavated and embedded in the modern city, sit just off Piazza del Duomo. You can walk among the tiers of lava-stone seating. The site is small but gives a clear sense of how the Roman city was later buried and built over.