Flowers

Flowers at Gianferrante

Refreshing

Chiennoir refreshing after a long run at Gianferrante Farmhouse

Etna

Kids playing in the "silvestri crater" on mount etna. Courtesy by Gianferrante Farmhouse

INFORMAZIONI SU ETNALAND E THEMEPARK, DORMIRE ALL' AGRITURISMO GIANFERRANTE

L'ormai celebre parco di divertimenti Etnaland, vicino all Agriturismo Gianferrante, presenta tutta una serie di divertentissime attrazioni. Cerchiamo, in queste pagine, di spiegare le caratteristiche di Etnaland. In fondo all' articolo potete trovare i links più utili (telefono, info, prezzi, calendario, regolamenti, etc..).

Il parco ha due fondamentali attrazioni: il parco acquatico (scivoli, piscine), ed il parco a tema (montagne russe, ascensore che precipita, video in 4 dimensioni).

PARCO ACQUATICO - ATTRAZIONI

Attrazioni: Sono percorsi su battello da fare con tutta la famiglia.

Dragon River: Un percorso nel tempo alla scoperta dei misteri dell' Asia. Altezza minima dei bambini 90 cm.

Jungle Splash: Una torre di trenta metri con percorso interattivo, mega ascensore e salto finale su gommone a venti posti. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Crocodile Rapids: Un lungo e impervio fiume da percorrere su battelli a nove posti. Altezza bambini 120 cm, oppure 90 cm se accompagnati.

Laser Show: Spettacolo di luci, specchi ed effetti laser.

PARCO ACQUATICO - ACQUASCIVOLI

Acquascivoli: Sono giochi per piccoli e grandi, generalmente individuali, onde evitare scontri alla fine dello scivolo.

Dark Kamikaze: Scivolo chiuso che vi sparerà in piscina. Altezza minima bambini 140 cm.

Hydro Kamikaze: Inizio chiuso poi aperto, altezza minima bambini 140 cm.

Stukas: Lo scivolo più veloce di Etnaland. Altezza minima bambini 140 cm.

Kamikaze: Un grande classico, velocissimo. Altezza minima bambini 140 cm.

Twin Twister: Quattro scivoli legati tra loro in una treccia lunga 120 metri. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Rafting River: Enorme scivolo aperto da percorrere su gommone a quattro posti. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Wild River: Enorme scivolo chiuso da percorreresu gommone a sei posti. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Tobogan Giganti: Due scivoli aperti ricchi di curve. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Big Foam: Scivolo di gomma bagnata a cinque corsie. Altezza minima bambini 120 cm.

Red Cannon: Due ripidi tunnel con schizzi e salto finale. H 140 cm.

Black Hole: Sinuoso tunnel nero su gommone a due posti. H 120 cm.

Hydrotubo: Lungo tunnel color smeraldo semitrasparente. H 120 cm.

Niagara Falls: Scivolo aperto su gommone biposto. H 120 cm.

Rio Anaconda: Scivolo aperto su gommoni monoposto. H 120 cm.

Fiume Lento: Lungo e sinuoso fiume su gommoni monoposto. Altezza minima non richiesta.

PARCO ACQUATICO - PISCINE

Laguna Blu: Tranquilla piscina dotata di ombrelloni, ideale per il relax.

Piscina Hydro: Piscina idromassaggio con sedili e sdraio sottomarine.

Piscina a onde: Enorme piscina con otto tipi di onde, dotata di lettini chioschi e ombrelloni.

PARCO ACQUATICO - MINILAND

E' il luogo da sogno per i nostri bambini, dove giocare in tutta tranquillità.

Laguna Bambini: Scivoli, attrazioni e angolo idromassaggio per gli adulti.

Mini Foam: Grande e morbido scivolo di gomma bagnata.

Mini Pista: Piccolo scivolo con curva finale, metà coperto.

Mini Tobogan: Piccolo e ondulato scivolo aperto.

Castello: Soffioni, getti d'acqua e tunnel.

Fiume lento bambini: Da percorrere su gommoni monoposto.

THEMEPARK - ELAND (MONTAGNE RUSSE)

Etnaland Tower: Terrificante ascensore aperto di sessanta metri, il cosiddetto ascensore. H 140 cm.

The Storm: Montagne russe alte 32 metri. H 140 cm.

Cinema 4d: Cinema multisensoriale.

Funivia: Quasi due chilometri sospesi nel cielo, attorno al parco.

THEMEPARK - UTOPIA

Eldorado: Montagne russe alte 24 metri. H 140 cm.

The School: Con Carrelli. La vecchia scuola della miniera, abitata da strane presenze. H 120 oppure 100 se accompagnati.

Kaos: Piattaforme rotanti con cannoncini spara acqua. H 140 cm oppure 120 se accompagnati.

Kasimiro: Il trenino dei bambini.

Love Lagoon: Il lago degli innamorati, battelli elettrici.

THEMEPARK - GALAXIA

Vortigo: un top spin incredibile. H minima 145 cm, massima 195 cm.

Quasar: Rotazioni ed oscillazioni. H 140 cm.

LINK UTILI

Dove dormire: Agriturismo Gianferrante, ideale per famiglie numerose o gruppi di amici. Ottimi prezzi e simpatia. Piscina e tennis compresi nel prezzo, a cinque minuti da Etnaland. Telefono 0958997628 oppure 3289132504. Sito web www.gianferrante.it

Sito ufficiale di Etnaland (orario, prezzi, gruppi, regolamento, promozioni). Sito web www.etnaland.eu . Telefono Etnaland 0957913333 - 0957913334

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THE LITTLE VILLA ON THE HILL - GIANFERRANTE COUNTRY INN IN SELF CATERING - SICILY

These are the new pictures of the little villa on the hill. As usual, the 20 metres swimming pool and tennis court are included in the rates. Please feel free to contact us at info@gianferrante.it  for further informations!!
 Farmhouse homepage

FINALMENTE ONLINE LE NUOVE FOTO DELLA VILLA IN COLLINA

Circondata da alberi d'arancio e laghetti coperti da fior di loto e ninfee, la villetta in collina è il posto ideale per trascorrere una vacanza immersa nella natura. E' a pochi minuti dal parco acquatico di etnaland e dal centro commerciale di etnapolis. Come per le altre nostre case, gli ospiti dell'agriturismo possono utilizzare la piscina di venti metri ed il campo da tennis illuminato.

SCHEDA COMPLETA

CAR RENTAL IN CATANIA AIRPORT SICILY

Please click here to find the best car rental rates in Catania airport in Sicily. You will be connected to easycar website, where you can select your language: English, Deutsch, Espanol, Francais, Italiano, Nederlands.

SELF CATERING

Please note: we have no restaurant, so ALL of our offer is in self-catering.

SICILY'S HALL OF FAME

Empedocles (c. 490 BC – 430 BC), scientist and philosopher
Gorgias (c. 483 BC – 375 BC), philosopher
Timaeus (c. 345 BC – 250 BC), historian
Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287 BC – 212 BC), scientist
Diodorus Siculus (c. 90 BC – 30 BC), historian
Pope Leo II, Pope from 682 to 683
Roger II of Sicily, King of Sicily 1130 – 1154
William I of Sicily, King of Sicily 1154 – 1166
William II of Sicily, King of Sicily 1166 – 1189
Frederick II (1194 – 1250), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily (Frederick I of Sicily)
Cielo d'Alcamo (c. 1200 – 1250), poet
Giacomo da Lentini (1210 – 1260), poet
Guido Delle Colonne (1215 – 1290), poet
Antonello da Messina (1430 – 1479), painter
Antonello Gagini (1478 – 1536), sculptor
Francesco Maurolico (1494 – 1575), mathematician
Sigismondo D'India (1582 – 1629), composer
Pietro Novelli (1603 – 1647), painter
Giacomo Serpotta (1656 – 1732), sculptor
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660 – 1725), composer
Filippo Juvarra (1678 – 1736), architect
Giovanni Meli (1740 – 1815), poet
Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835), opera composer
Francesco Crispi (1819 – 1901), politician
Emanuele Realmuto (1830 – 1857), Prince
Giovanni Verga (1840 – 1922), novelist
Giuseppe Sergi (1841 – 1936), anthropologist
Luigi Pirandello (1867 – 1936), dramatist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nino Martoglio (1870 – 1921), poet
Luigi Sturzo (1871 – 1959), politician
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896 – 1957), writer, poet
Julius Evola (1898 – 1974), political philosopher
Ignazio Buttitta (1899 – 1997), poet
Salvatore Quasimodo (1901 – 1968), poet, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Andrea Camilleri (born 1925), novelist
Nino Vaccarella (born 1933), race driver
Giovanni Falcone (1939 – 1992), judge
Paolo Borsellino (1940 – 1992), judge
Giuseppe Tornatore (born 1956), filmmaker
Anna Kanakis (born 1962), model, actress
Salvatore Schillaci (born 1964), football player
Franco Battiato (born) , singer
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (born 1969), actress

ART OF SICILY

Imposing architectural remains of temples, theatres and aqueducts which still rise majestically on the sites of great ancient cities, as well as the large numbers of fine sculptures, decorative features of ancient buildings, pottery and precious items displayed in the main archaeological museums in Sicily of bear witness two centuries of Graeco-Sicel, Roman and Byzantine culture, making up one of the most remarkable archaeological treasures of old mankind. The temples of Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento, the theatres of Taormina, Syracuse and Selinunte, the aqueducts of Termini and Agrigento, defensive works of Syracuse ( the Castle of Euryalus) the archaeological museums in Syracuse, Palermo, Trapani, Himera, etc, as well as the vast archaeological sites of ancient cities such us Agrigento, Heraclea Minoa, Himera, Segesta, Selinunte, etc, can to be easily summarized here. For brevity’s sake, we can say that Sicilian art of antiquity was characterized by presence of majestic architectural works in cities developed technical skills (particularly in the field of later –conveying systems), the magnificence of the Roman patrician villas, the refined statuary and the richness and realism of the great mosaic cycles. Old is features flourished again both under the Byzantines and in the Middle Ages when the rest of western Europe was still struggling to free itself from a semi-barbarian condition. Sicilian medieval art in the first decades of the Kingdom (from the end of the 11C trough 12C) was characterized by the fact that almost all the works were commissioned and financed by the Crow. Thanks to their prerogatives as “papal legates”, the members of the Hauteville dynasty were able to build the first great Latin cathedrals (Messina; Lipari; Cefalù; Monreale; Catania; Mazara; Agrigento; etc.).In these churches, the new Latin architectural spatiality imported from central Italy and northern Europe combined with the sumptuous decoration from the Maghreb, with the narrative schemes of Byzantine mosaics, and with Apulian Romanesque sculpture. Roger II built Cefalù Cathedral, where he wished to be buried. Later, he had his Royal Palace erected in Palermo, with his own Palace Chapel (the “Palatine Chapel”), the most magnificent example of Sicilian medieval art, built in 1132 and dedicated to St. Peter.The Royal Palace also housed the royal art and crafts workshop, where crowns, jewels, precious furnishings and ceremonial clothes were made. Some of these can still be admired today, such as the splendid Byzantine imperial crown (Kamelaukion) now displayed in the Cathedral Treasury. Roger II was succeeded by William I, who built the Zisa royal residence within the great royal park. His son, William II, built the Cuba and the majestic Monreale Cathedral, another jewel of royal art. The interior is richly decorated with splendid Byzantine mosaics, and the cloister is one of the most elegant expressions of medieval sculpture applied to architecture. In the meantime, the old Palermo Cathedral was partially demolished and reconstructed as a much larger building on the initiative of Bishop Gualtiero, who transformed it into the greatest cathedral of medieval Sicily. The age of Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen was mainly characterized by the building of his castles, which represent a “unicum” in world history. The residential needs of the sovereign and defensive needs were combined and satisfied in construction of refined formal elegance: Castello Ursino (Catania); Castello Maniace (Syracuse) and the Castles of Augusta and Augusta and Milazzo, as well as the Towers of Enna, of the Colombaia in Trapani, and of Gela. In the14C, due to the Vespers War and to Baronial Anarchy, Sicily withdrew into itself, and the art it produced was a mere continuation of the expressive forms which had characterized the previous age. In the 15C, however, the first step was taken towards a new aesthetic taste. The most outstanding figure in architecture was Matteo Carnalivari of Noto, who was active, in Palermo towards the end of the century (Palazzo Abatellis, Palazzo Aiutamicristo and the church of Santa Maria della Catena). Antonello da Messina (1430-1479) is the greatest Sicilian painter of all time, and one of the greatest 15C masters in Europe. Some of his paintings have remained in Sicily: the Portrait of an Unknown, Seaman, in the Cefalù Mandralisca Museum, the Three Saints and the splendid Annunzíata in the Palermo Gallery, the San Gregorio polyptych in the Messina Museum, and the Annunciation in the Palazzo Bellomo Museum in Syracuse. In sculpture, the most outstanding figure was Domenico Gagini (Bissone c 1420 - Palermo 1492), the founder of a workshop which, for many generations, held a prominent position in the field. In the 16C, the expressive forms of Tuscan and Roman Mannerism began to gain ground. The leading figures were: Antonello Gagini (1478-1536) and Polidoro da Caravaggio (the author of two fine lateral doors in the Duomo of Messina). When Antonello died, his work was continued by his sons. Many Tuscan sculptors moved to Sicily during the 16C, including Montorsoli (famous for the fountains of Orion and Neptune; the Scylla, now in the Messina Museum). Among his disciples were Martino Montanini and A. Calamech. In architecture, the forms of Mannerism became popular in the first half of the 17C. Examples of this are, in Palermo: the Quattro Canti (Giulio Lasso); Porta Felice (Pietro Novelli); the churches of Olivella and San Domenico; the old Shipyard (Mariano Smiriglio); the church of the Teatini (Giacomo Besio). And also: the Town Hall in Syracuse (G. Vermexio); the Benedectine Monastery in Catania (V. De Franchis); the College and Church of the Jesuits in Trapani (N. Masuccio). Baroque art was inaugurated by the church of the Annunziata dei Teatini in Messina (Guaríno Guarini). It took more austere forms in Palermo with Paolo Amato (1634-1714): Church of the Salvatore; and Giacomo Amato (1643-1732): Church of the Pietà and Santa Téresa alla Kalsa. The famous Villas of Bagheria are a case apart: here the architects' creativity is reflected in the scenographic architectural design and sinuous external staircases (Villa Palagonia; Villa Valguarnera; etc., 18C). More fanciful Baroque forms characterize the towns rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake (Catania, Syracuse, Noto, Grammichele, Avola, Ragusa, Modica, etc.). The Palermitan Vaccarini planned the reconstruction work in Catania (façade of the Cathedral; Palazzo Valle; the Town Hall; St Agatha's Abbey). Rosario Gagliardi (1726-1770) was active in different centres: Noto, Ragusa, Comiso, Caltagirone. His works include the churches of San Domenico and of the Collegio (Noto), those of San Giorgio and San Giuseppe (Ragusa) and the Cathedral of Modica. All these works are characterized by plastic structures and dynamic and original outlines. In painting, the most outstanding figure was P. Novelli of Monreale (1603-1647). His works include the paintings in the Capuchin churches at Ragusa and Leonforte, a large painting in Monreale, and a St. Christopher in the Catania Museum. Vito D'Anna (1720-1769) can be considered the founder of the school of Sicilian fresco painters of the second half of the century. In sculpture, Giacomo Serpotta (1656-1732) occupies a place of his own. The descendant of a family of sculptors and plastic artists, he was active in Palermo, where he decorated with joyful stuccoes a large number of churches and oratories (Oratories of San Lorenzo, Santa Cita, etc.). Another great sculptor and plastic artist was Ignazio Marabitti (1719-1797) (marble altarpiece of the Apotheosis of St. Benedict in Monreale Cathedral). 19C architecture began with the neoclassical work of the Palermitan G. V. Marvuglia (1729-1814), including the Oratory of San Filippo Neri all'Olivella and Villa Belmonte, in the Acquasanta quarter (Palermo). The most outstanding figures of late-19C architecture were the Palermitans G. B. F. Basile (Teatro Massimo) and G. Damiani Almeyda (Politeama Garibaldi). The period between the 19C and the 20C was dominated by the architect Ernesto Basile, a talented designer who introduced a refined and independent Sicilian Liberty style, a forerunner of Rationalism. Among his disciples were several distinguished architects.