Pedara

Discover Pedara

Pedara is a town of around 15422 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, sitting at 610 metres above sea level on the southern slopes of Etna, roughly 15 kilometres from the volcano’s accessible craters. With a municipal area of just under 19.17 square kilometres, it borders Trecastagni, Nicolosi, San Giovanni La Punta, Tremestieri Etneo and Zafferana Etnea, and belongs to the coastal hill zone known as the Colline litoranee di Acireale.

Centuries of volcanic eruptions, a devastating earthquake in 1693 and a long rebuilding process have left deep marks on Pedara village in Sicily, shaping both its urban fabric and the religious heritage that still defines its character today — from the pontifical Basilica of Santa Caterina to the archdiocesan Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata, patroness of the town.

Pedara village in Sicily: history, origins and key events

Pedara’s recorded history begins in the late fourteenth century, when in 1388 the bishop of Catania, Simone del Pozzo, granted the local community permission to build its first parish church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary — an act that marked the formal establishment of one of the earliest Christian settlements in the area. Before that date, the town’s roots are linked to the Norman period, and a gradual shift in the inhabited site had already begun during the 1300s, when two catastrophic eruptions buried the surrounding fields and pushed residents progressively downhill toward the present location.

In 1641 the village, until then administered by the Senate of Catania, was sold to the Di Giovanni family of Messina and elevated to a barony. The following decades represented the most prosperous phase in Pedara’s pre-modern history, a period of economic and social growth cut short by successive disasters. The eruption of 1669 inflicted severe damage, and on 11 January 1693 an earthquake — the most violent in local memory — destroyed much of eastern Sicily, including Pedara, causing hundreds of deaths. Recovery was slow and costly: don Diego Pappalardo, a Pedara-born priest and conventual chaplain of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem who served as the Di Giovanni family’s trusted representative, rebuilt the Church of Santa Caterina twice in under twenty years, and the broader reconstruction of the town took more than a decade to complete.

The final years of the eighteenth century brought famine and widespread hardship, alongside the gradual rise of a landowning middle class. The abolition of feudal jurisdiction in Sicily in 1812 and the subsequent Bourbon administrative reforms set the stage for a new chapter: in 1817 a royal decree issued in Naples by King Ferdinand IV established Pedara as an autonomous municipality. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought substantial urban expansion, which over time consumed large portions of the agricultural and woodland areas that had previously defined the commune’s landscape.

Churches, Sacred Buildings and Civil Landmarks of Pedara

Pedara’s main points of interest are its religious buildings — several churches, a basilica and a sanctuary distributed across the historic quarters — along with a rural hamlet, a volcanic crater area and a house linked to a local figure of religious significance. Most of what stands today was rebuilt after the earthquake of 11 January 1693, which destroyed much of the town and caused hundreds of casualties.

Basilica di Santa Caterina

The Basilica di Santa Caterina, situated in the piazza quarter, is the town’s mother church. On 16 April 1996, Pope John Paul II elevated it to the rank of pontifical minor basilica. The building’s origins trace back to the reconstruction effort led by don Diego Pappalardo, a Pedara-born priest and conventual chaplain of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who rebuilt the church twice in under twenty years following the 1693 earthquake.

Santuario di Maria Santissima Annunziata

Located in the quarter that bears the same name, this sanctuary was elevated to archdiocesan Marian sanctuary in 1971. It is dedicated to the town’s patron, Maria Santissima Annunziata, a devotion recorded in Pedara since 1388.

Other Churches in the Historic Quarters

• Chiesa parrocchiale di Sant’Antonio Abate (Sant’Antonio quarter) — became the second parish of the historic centre in 1943.
• Chiesa parrocchiale di Maria Santissima Immacolata (contrada Tremestieri-Pedara) — became a parish in the early 1990s.
• Chiesa di San Biagio (San Biagio quarter, also known as Custera).
• Chiesa della Madonna della Stella.
• Chiesa di San Vito (San Vito quarter).
• Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie.
• Chiesa Santa Maria di Tremonti (contrada Tremonti).
• Chiesetta dei Santi Martiri Alfio, Filadelfo e Cirino — a rural chapel on the boundary with Trecastagni, between contrada Tarderia/Cozzarelle and the hermitage of Santa Emilia.
• Altarino-edicola votiva dedicated to Maria Santissima Annunziata.
• Cappella votiva della Madonna delle Lacrime — a votive chapel on Monte Troina.
• Oratorio Salesiano di San Giuseppe.

Domus Caritatis

In via Filadelfo Faro stands the house where Giuseppina Faro, a local Servant of God, was born. The building is known by the name Domus Caritatis and is among the civil landmarks associated with Pedara’s more recent religious history.

Borgo di Tarderia and Contrada Salto del Cane

In the northernmost part of the municipal territory lies the rural hamlet of Tarderia, surrounded by chestnut woods and mountain vegetation. Along the provincial road towards Etna, the contrada Salto del Cane contains an ancient extinct crater and an equipped area designated as a Base Point for Excursions within the Parco dell’Etna.

Fruits of the Etna Slopes: What Pedara and Its Territory Produce

Pedara and the surrounding Etna area are known above all for certified volcanic-soil produce: the Ciliegia dell’Etna DOP, the Ficodindia dell’Etna DOP and the Limone dell’Etna IGP are among the most distinctive designations tied to this territory, alongside the Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP, which is produced across a wider swath of eastern Sicily. These are provincial and regional designations rather than exclusive specialities of Pedara itself, yet they reflect the agricultural landscape that has shaped the town’s economy from its earliest recorded history.

The broader Catania province also contributes a range of traditional spirits and liqueurs listed among Italy’s Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali: among them are the Liquore fuoco dell’Etna and the Liquore al mandarino, both rooted in the volcanic hinterland. For wine, the territory falls within the production zone of the Etna DOC, one of Sicily’s most internationally recognised appellations, as well as the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, the island’s only DOCG designation.

The countryside to the north of Pedara, around the rural hamlet of Tarderia, is covered in chestnut groves — a reminder that the land here, at around 610 metres above sea level, transitions gradually from Mediterranean citrus and cactus-pear cultivation toward a cooler, more alpine character as it climbs toward the volcano.

Reaching Pedara and Planning Your Time on the Etna Slopes

Pedara is most easily reached from Catania — approximately 15 km away and roughly 25 minutes by road — and sits at 610 metres above sea level on the southern flanks of Etna, about 15 km from the volcano’s accessible upper slopes; the most rewarding seasons to visit are spring, when the surrounding citrus and cherry orchards are in bloom, and early autumn, when the Ficodindia harvest and the feast of the patron Maria Santissima Annunziata (second Sunday of September) bring the town to life. Summer works well for those combining a visit with an Etna excursion, while winter can offer striking views of the snow-capped crater from the town’s streets.

The nearest town with direct road connections is Nicolosi, circa 5 km from Pedara and about 10 minutes by car; it serves as a practical base for those focusing on the Parco dell’Etna. Visitors exploring the wider Etna foothills area may also wish to stop at Belpasso, on the southern side of the volcano, or pass through the Catania plain to discover Aci Catena and Aci Bonaccorsi, two small centres with distinct characters of their own.

Within Pedara, the main axis is Corso Ara di Giove, the town’s principal street. The Contrada Salto del Cane, along the provincial road toward Etna, offers an equipped area designated as a Base Point for Etna Park hiking. For walkers interested in chestnut woodland and mountain flora, the Borgo rurale di Tarderia, in the northernmost part of the municipal territory, is a quiet destination that rewards a slower pace.

Departure	Distance	Time
Catania	approx. 15 km	approx. 20-25 min
Nicolosi	approx. 5 km	approx. 10 min
Trecastagni	approx. 4 km	approx. 8 min
Etna (accesso principale)	approx. 15 km	approx. 25-30 min

These practical references help organise the journey clearly, while the village itself is best understood slowly and on foot once you arrive.