Elephant Fountain, Catania

The Elephant Fountain is the symbol of Catania. It stands in the historical center of the city - Piazza Duomo or Cathedral Square. This Catanian monument is made in "non-Sicilian" style. It looks more like an Asian statue as Catania had some relations with the East in the past. It was sculpted from volcanic stone in the 17th century and represents a mix of ancient Roman and baroque styles. Today you will see, in Piazza Duomo, the elephant and the obelisk that the locals refer to as "Liotru". The monument has some mystical history behind it.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Leandro Neumann Ciuffo.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Catania. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Elephant Fountain
Sight Location: Catania, Italy (See walking tours in Catania)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Catania, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Catania

Creating your own self-guided walk in Catania is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Historical Churches Walking Tour

Just as many other Italian destinations, the Sicilian city of Catania is full of churches, especially in the historic center, where the presence of religious sites is particularly high! A good number of local churches date back centuries, and as such represent marvelous pieces of architecture, adding much character to the area. It is also commonplace to find inside most of them, be it a duomo,... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles

Catania Introduction Walking Tour

The old Sicilian word "katane" is often translated as "harsh ground" or "sharp stones." Black lava from Mount Etna has swamped the area many times. Other disasters include earthquakes, invasions and wars.

The original village of Katane was occupied by Greek settlers in the eighth century BC. During the first Punic War, Catania became a Roman city. The Vandals... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles