Located near Catania, The Timpa is to be found at the foot of Acireale. Along with the island of Lachea, it represents a natural open-air laboratory, having been declared a nature reserve in 1999. Here you might spot a number of predatory birds, whose nests are dotted amongst the many trees and enjoy the thick vegetation which is irrigated by the springs that flow into the Ionian Sea.
If you care to walk the zigzag pathway of the Chiazzette in Santa Caterina, you will encounter the fortress of the Tocco, a defensive fort dating back to the seventeenth century, from which the cannon was occasionally fired to warn the inhabitants of Aireale of impending danger. You can take a car directly to Chiazzette and park near the start of the path, or a bus will drop you in the main square of S. Maria degli Ammalati.
