Acireale

Acireale
Jaciriali (Sicilian)
Ákis (Greek)
Comune
Città di Acireale
Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo
Flag of Acireale
Flag
Coat of arms of Acireale
Coat of arms
Acireale is located in Italy
Acireale
Acireale
Location within Italy
Acireale is located in Sicily
Acireale
Acireale
Location within Sicily
Coordinates: 37°37′N 15°10′E / 37.617°N 15.167°E / 37.617; 15.167
CountryItaly
RegionSicily
Metropolitan cityCatania (CT)
FrazioniAci Platani, Balatelle, Capo Mulini, Fiandaca, Guardia, Mangano, Pennisi, Piano d'Api, Pozzillo, San Cosmo, San Giovanni Bosco, Santa Caterina, Santa Maria degli Ammalati, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Santa Maria la Scala, Santa Maria la Stella, Santa Tecla, Scillichenti, Stazzo
Government
 • MayorRoberto Barbagallo (Civic List)
Area
 • Total
40.43 km2 (15.61 sq mi)
Elevation
102 m (335 ft)
Population
 (2026)
 • Total
50,528
 • Density1,250/km2 (3,237/sq mi)
DemonymAcesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
95024
Dialing code095
Patron saintSt. Venera and St. Sebastian
Saint day26 July and 20 January
WebsiteOfficial website

Acireale (Italian: [ˌatʃireˈaːle]; Sicilian: Jaciriali, locally shortened to Jaci or Aci) is a coastal city and municipality in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. With a population of 50,528, it is the second-largest city in the metropolitan city.

It is home to numerous churches, including the Neo-Gothic St. Pietro's Basilica, St. Sebastiano's Basilica in the Sicilian Baroque style, and the 17th century Acireale Cathedral, and a seminary, for the training of priests. Acireale is also noted for its art and paintings: the oldest academy in Sicily, the Accademia di scienze, lettere e belle arti degli Zelanti e dei Dafnici, is located here.

History

18th-century Musmeci Palazzo, located in Piazza San Domenico.

According to tradition, the city's origins trace back to Xiphonia, a mysterious Greek city whose location is unknown. In Roman times, there existed another Greek town, Akis, which was involved in the Punic Wars. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, there is a great love between Ā́cis, the spirit of the Ā́cis River, and Galatea the sea-nymph. According to mythology, the tears of Galatea after the death of Ā́cis gave birth to the Ā́cis River, Fiume di Jaci, flowing past Acireale (the ancient Akis or Acium). The Romans called the town Acium, and it was on the main road from Catana to Tauromenium. The Romans used the thermal springs located here.

In the Middle Ages, the town expanded around the castle (now part of Aci Castello), known as Jachium under the Byzantines, as Al-Yāj (الياج) under the Arabs, and, later, as Aquilia. The potent 1169 Sicily earthquake scattered the population of the city farther into the mainland, divided between the numerous boroughs of Aci. Another town, Aquilia Nova ("New Aquilia"), was founded in the late 14th century further north, creating the nucleus of what is now Acireale. The only extant architectural remnant of this medieval town is Gothic-Lombard-style portal of the church of Sant'Antonio di Padova.

Church of San Domenico. After the 1693 Sicily earthquake, the original 16th-century church was refurbished in the 18th century in neoclassical style

In the 16th century, Emperor Charles V freed the city from feudal ties, creating it as a Crown commune. In the late 16th century, the town had between 6,000 and 7,000 inhabitants. The most ancient document mentioning the Carnival of Acireale dates to 1594. The town expanded its role as a trade center (it was granted the right to hold a Free Market or Fiera Franca) and received numerous new edifices.

Acireale was nearly destroyed by the massive 1693 Sicily earthquake, which substantially halted its economic growth, and required near-complete reconstruction of all the buildings. During the Expedition of the Thousand in 1861, led by Garibaldi and which liberated Sicily from the rule of the Bourbon Kingdom of Napoli, Acireale was the first town to rebel against the Neapolitan rule. In 1941, the town was bombed by the Allies, resulting in many civilian casualties.[citation needed]

Demographics

As of 2026, the population is 50,528, of which 48.8% are males, and 51.2% are females. Minors make up 15.0% of the population, and seniors make up 24.3%.

Immigration

As of 2025, immigrants make up 4.5% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Romania, Albania, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Morocco.

Main Sights

Secular Sites and Buildings

Old noble palazzo located in Via San Carlo featuring the characteristic balconies and portals with the grotesque masks made of lava rock
Floats during the carnival season.

Religious sites

Culture

Centuripe Ware Lekanis, Hetjens-Museum, Düsseldorf

Myths and legends

In Acireale history is often accompanied by legend, especially in the myth of its foundation. Among the legends Acis and Galatea, the adventure of Odysseus against the cyclops Polyphemus, a forest born from the revenge of Zeus against the giants, and a legend related to the flight of the Carthaginian army before a lava flow of the Mount Etna.

The paronymal legend, from which the name of the city and of the hamlets would originate, was the idyll of love between Acis and Galatea, and is introduced by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, by Theocritus, by Virgil, by Posidippus, by Philoxenus, by Callimachus, by Hermenenattes and by Euphorion.

The beautiful nymph Galatea was in love with the shepherd Acis. Their love was thwarted by Polyphemus, a terrible cyclops who, enraged by jealousy, threw a stone at the shepherd boy, causing his death. The nymph, desperate for the loss of Acis, begged the gods to bring him back to life and they, accepting her prayers, transformed the shepherd into an eternal river, called Jaci (Akis). The river Jaci, which has an unknown underground path and is part of the rich Etnean drainage system, flows both in the locality Acque grandi ("acquaranni") between Acireale and Capomulini, under a massive lava bank, and in the village of Santa Maria la Scala (Testa di l'acqua), at the "Molino di Miuccio", with crystal clear and freezing water, as well as north of the district of Santa Caterina (Acqu'e ferru) where it has a characteristic reddish effect, caused by the presence of Iron oxides, that in the popular belief, based on the Ovidian verses, is attributed to the blood of Acis ("u sangu di Jaci", in Sicilian)

In the Villa Belvedere is exhibited a sculptural group of Acis and Galatea, a marble copy made on the pantograph on the model in patinated plaster displayed at the Zelantea Library, the work of Rosario Anastasi of 1846, which represents the epilogue of the myth, the last act, when Galatea, with her dramatic invocation to the gods, wants to resurrect her beloved Acis killed by a stone thrown by Polyphemus.

Cuisine

The granita, an excellent refreshment from the summer mugginess, in Acireale is considered almost a ritual. Probably born from the tradition of the «nevaroli» who transported the snow from the Etna up to the seashore when the refrigerator did not yet exist, in the city the invention of the granita is attributed to the ingenious Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli from Acitrezza that, with the café «le Procope», had much success in 17th-century Paris.

Coffee-almond flavored granita, served with a Sicilian brioche and a cornetto.

Generally, it is served in its basic almond flavored recipe and accompanied by a brioche. Lemon granita is also very common. Another typical food of the Acesis summer is seltzer with lemon and salt, sold at the numerous kiosks that are found in the streets of the city.

In addition, the pastries are renowned, in which the zeppole of rice with honey (also called crispelle di San Giuseppe in other municipalities), the cannoli filled with chocolate cream, white cream or ricotta, small pastry products and artisan gelato are its crowned jewels and the diners with fresh baked goods (arancini, "cartocciate", "cipolline" etc.) as well as sweet breakfast products (croissants, panzerotti, "raviole" filled with ricotta cheese, "iris" filled with chocolate cream or white cream). In the fishing villages there are many restaurants that offer menus based only on fresh fish.

Acireale, along with its district, is also known for the Etna Lemon, which in October 2020 obtained the prestigious recognition I.G.P. by the European Union.

Events

Acireale houses costumes and floats parades during the carnival season.

Education

The city had grown in the second half of the 19th century as a "City of Studies" because there was a heritage of several boarding schools and institutions of higher education that today can be considered lost in the absence of a university campus. In Acireale there are several Secondary schools, public and private, divided between high schools, technical and professional institutes, which are also largely frequented by students from neighboring municipalities.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Acireale is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
  2. 1 2 3 "Resident population". ISTAT.
  3. 1 2 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Acireale" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 148.
  4. ↑ Antonine Itinerary, p. 87 ed. Parthey; Public Domain Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Acium". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
  5. ↑ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
  7. ↑ "Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship". ISTAT.
  8. ↑ The church contains relics of the Venerable Gabriele Allegra, who had entered the Franciscan seminary in 1918.