Paternò is a town in Sicily that experienced its greatest boom in the Middle Ages. There is a Norman castle and a well-preserved Old Town with picturesque tenement houses.
The history of the city dates back to ancient times. There was a Greek colony here, and then Roman influences reached. However, no significant traces remained after these times, and after the fall of the Roman Empire, the entire area depopulated and declined for several centuries. It was only the Arab reign that the reconstruction process began.
The greatest boom for Paternò came with the Normandy conquest. King Frederick III of Sicily established here one of the main administrative centers of the country and transferred vast goods to the queens of Sicily. On the site of the ruined Arab fortress, a Normandy castle was erected, where you can see, among others, restored representative rooms and a chapel.
Among the attractions of Paternò are numerous medieval churches, including the Basilica of Saint Mary from the 14th century, the Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Valle di Iosaphat and the Monastery of San Francesco alla Collina. There is also the rococo church of Cristo al Monte and the baroque temple of St. Catherine of Alexandria.
On the outskirts of the city, you can see the interesting volcanic area of Salinelle di Paternò. It is an area of salt marshes that emit volcanic gases and due to the heat from the earth's interior, they behave as if they were boiling.
