Acireale

Heritage-dense coastal town at the foot of Mount Etna, Acireale is thick with historic churches — among them the Sicilian Baroque St. Sebastiano's Basilica, the Neo-Gothic St. Pietro's Basilica, and the 17th-century Acireale Cathedral — and hosts Sicily's oldest academy, the Accademia di scienze, lettere e belle arti degli Zelanti e dei Dafnici. A walkable centre with a strong food-and-drink scene sits within reach of the Ionian Sea coast and several little fishing villages to the north and south.

• Population49,477
• Nearest water from center1.8 km
• Nearest mountain from center18.6 km
• UNESCO within 50 km3