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City guide

Acireale

Baroque town on lava cliffs between Catania and Etna, 21–32 minutes from Catania airport by train, home to a big carnival and the Nivarata granita festival.

✈ Nearest airport: CTA · 27 min
Acireale
Acireale's Piazza Duomo with the cathedral and the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul under blue sky

Photo: Carlo Pelagalli · CC BY-SA 3.0

Acireale, with about 50,500 residents, is the second-largest town in the Catania metropolitan area, set at the foot of Etna above the sea. Trains reach Catania airport in 21–32 minutes (€3.30). It hosts one of Sicily's biggest carnivals (31 January–17 February in 2026) and the Nivarata granita festival (22–24 May 2026).

No coworking or work café was verified in town, but Catania's coworkings are a short train ride away. It works as a smaller, calmer alternative to Catania with the sea, Etna and Taormina all close; a car helps for the coast.

Pros

  • 21–32 minutes by train to Catania airport
  • Sea, Etna and Taormina close
  • Carnevale and Nivarata

Cons

  • No coworking or work café verified
  • Car useful for the coast

Acireale in pictures

Places we like in Acireale

Food and drink

  • Food and drink

    Caffè Cipriani

    Historic café facing the Baroque Basilica of San Sebastiano in central Acireale, the town of the Nivarata granita festival. Dissapore singles out its 'Regno delle due Sicilie' granita, made with babà, and Balarm's 2021 piece on Acireale granita lists it first. Google Maps (November 2026): open 4:00–24:00, closed Wednesday, 4.3 from about 2,600 reviews, with granita mentioned in 709. Recent reviews praise the coffee and almond granita with cream on brioche; one notes there is no table service.

    • Closed on Wednesdays.
    • Opens at 4:00: the classic early granita before a day trip to Etna.
    • Phone 095 605696.

    May–October

  • Food and drink

    Bar Kennedy

    Large bar with a big veranda just outside Acireale's historic centre, cited by Dissapore (2016) and Balarm (2021) as the town's late-night granita stop. Dissapore recommends the coffee, pistachio and mulberry flavours. Google Maps (November 2026) shows it open until midnight, rated 4.2 from about 3,300 reviews. Useful if you are based in Acireale and want an evening granita after the cafés in the centre have closed.

    • Busy at all hours in summer; the veranda has plenty of seats.
    • Stick to the classic flavours: coffee, pistachio, mulberry.

    May–October

  • Food and drink

    Al San Domenico Bar

    Bar by Piazza San Domenico in Acireale's historic centre. Balarm's 2021 article on Acireale granita recommends it for traditional almond and for 'mandorla araba', an almond granita flavoured with star anise and cinnamon. Google Maps (November 2026) lists it open until 23:30, rated 4.4 from about 1,100 reviews. An alternative to the busier cafés on Piazza Duomo when you want a granita break close to the centre.

    • Ask for 'mandorla araba' if it is on the counter.
    • Closed on Mondays (Google hours as listed by Wanderlog).
    • Ten minutes on foot from Acireale station.

    May–October

Events in Acireale

  • January · February

    Acireale Carnival

    Parades of large satirical papier-mâché floats with moving parts, flower floats and masked groups in Baroque Acireale. The 2026 winter edition ran from 31 January to Shrove Tuesday, 17 February; main parade days were ticketed. Summer editions also run.

  • May

    Nivarata

    Festival of Sicilian granita in Acireale's historic centre, with Italian and international gelato masters, tastings and demonstrations, and the Don Angelino Award. The 11th edition ran 22–24 May 2026; it is usually held in late May.

Quick answers about Acireale

When is the best time to work remotely from Acireale?
The most comfortable months are February, April, May, June, September, and October.
Which airport do people use for Acireale?
The usual airport is Catania Fontanarossa (CTA). Our sources give about 27 minutes of travel; door to door can take longer.
Sources (5)
  1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acireale
  2. lefrecce.it
  3. carnevaleacireale.eu/it
  4. nivarata.it
  5. it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acireale