It is estimated that the amphitheatre could accommodate over 15,000 seated spectators and almost twice as many standing The amphitheatre of Catania is structurally the most complex of the Sicilian amphitheatres and the largest in Sicily. It belongs to the group of large factories such as the Colosseum, the amphitheatre of Capua, the Arena of Verona.
Numerous legends are linked to this amphitheatre where the internal tunnels stretch all over the city hiding another city full of mysteries still to be discovered. Thanks to its conformation, the amphitheatre survived the Allied bombardments during the Second World War and was used as an anti-aircraft shelter by the people of Catania.
In 252 A.D., it seems that a river of fire headed towards the gates of the city, and the villagers - worried about their countryside - came to the tomb of Saint Agatha to take the mortuary veil, using it to stop the advance of the lava eruption and that it stopped right in front of the amphitheatre and the church of Saint Agatha, where the inhabitants had run to ask for help.
