Via Vittorio Emanuele runs east-west through Catania, crossing Via Etnea at the cathedral square. It is the second of the great rebuilding axes after the 1693 earthquake, lined with baroque palaces and small churches all the way from the port to the Benedictine monastery.
The eastern stretch, between the cathedral and the sea, takes in Palazzo Biscari and the harbour gate. The western stretch, past Via dei Crociferi, climbs gently uphill toward the monastery and the basilica of San Nicolò.