At the foot of Etna: Pedara

Lying on the southern hills of Etna rises Pedara, a town in the city of Catania, in Sicily. There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the name, the most likely leading to the name of Epidauros, a Greek city that was part of a colony in Sicily. Pedara is famous for its natural and maritime areas, in fact the city is located halfway between Etna and the sea. In the northernmost part is the ancient rural village of Tarderia, immersed in a large forest of chestnut trees with mountain flora and alpine tree species. The base point for hiking in the Etna Park is the fossa del Salto del Cane, an ancient extinct crater. The nature that surrounds the city has not always been kind to its inhabitants, in fact a terrible eruption of Etna put a strain on the city, which recovered and had to face the earthquake of 1863. But the bond of the inhabitants with this land allowed the city to rise again, the help of the patron Don Diego Pappalardo was indispensable. He is the most illustrious figure of the city and was a snow trader, in fact in the Pedara areas the snow was collected and stored in underground caves and then sold. He became a Knight of Malta, making Pedara a center of important trade. The church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, in Roman Baroque style is the most important monument of the city, the bell tower has elements from different eras while the portals are enriched with stone designs. Inside you can admire the frescoes by Giovanni lo Coco, the funeral monument of Don Diego Pappalardo and a canvas by Mattia Preti depicting the martyrdom of Saint Catherine.