Aci Sant’Antonio is an inland hill town in the province of Catania, set 302 metres above sea level in the Etna territory, not far from the coast. Its character is closely tied to this volcanic landscape: a small historic borgo with an agricultural background, a strong religious identity and a cultural memory centred on the art of the Sicilian cart.
The town’s present form belongs largely to a story of destruction and rebuilding. Medieval in origin, the area was repeatedly damaged by Etna lava flows, including those of 1169, 1329 and 1408. In 1639 the Borgo del Casalotto arose here, and in 1672 the current inhabited centre was founded by Luigi Riggio, when the town was also raised to a principality linked to the Riggio di Campofiorito family. After the earthquake of 1693, Aci Sant’Antonio was rebuilt again, developing further during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Today its identity rests on that layered history: an Etna town where post-earthquake urban memory, noble origins and Sicilian cart craftsmanship give the place a profile distinct from the coastal Aci towns nearby.
Patron Saint:
St. Anthony the Abbot (Sant’Antonio Abate) – 17 January
Nearest Airport:
Catania (Fontanarossa) – (47 km, 00:41)
Neighboring Cities:
