Isole dei Ciclopi

These islands are linked with the mythological tradition of the giant one-eyed Cyclops, which has also led the stretch of coast to the north of Catania, from Aci Castello to Acireale, to be called the "Riviera dei Ciclopi". One of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the son of the sea-god Poseidon, took Odysseus and his companions prisoner. After Polyphemus had devoured six of his prisoners, Odysseus managed to blind him and then make his escape.

Polyphemus hurled rocks after him, which fell into the sea without hitting Odysseus - the "Cyclops Rocks" (Isole dei Ciclopi). Aci Castello, Acireale and Aci Trezza also owe their names to mythical origins. In the fables of Theocritus and Ovid it is recorded that Acis (in Italian Aci), the lover of the nereid, Galatea, was turned into the river Acis (today the Fiume di Jaci) by the jealous Cyclops, Polyphemus. The story inspired George Frederick Händel to write his opera "Acis and Galatea" (1719/1720). On the island of Aci - which according to tradition was Polyphemus's most powerful throw - the University of Catania today has its marine biology station.