40 Notable Alumni of the University of Catania [Sorted List]

Franco Battiato

Born in: Italy
Years: 1945-2021 (aged 76)
Occupations: directorpaintermusicianscreenwritercomposer
Biography: Francesco "Franco" Battiato was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes, and have spanned genres such as experimental pop, electronic music, progressive rock, opera, symphonic music, movie soundtrack, oratorio and new wave.

Miriam Leone

Born in: Italy
Years: 1985-.. (age 39)
Occupations: film actormodelbeauty pageant contestantactortelevision presenter
Biography: Miriam Leone is an Italian actress, TV presenter and beauty pageant titleholder.

Pippo Baudo

Born in: Italy
Years: 1936-.. (age 88)
Occupations: television presenterlyricistradio personality
Biography: Giuseppe Vittorio Raimondo "Pippo" Baudo is one of the most famous Italian television presenters, with a career spanning six decades. He is often nicknamed "Superpippo" (referencing the Italian name of Super Goof). Baudo has also been the artistic director and president of the Teatro Stabile di Catania.

Giovanni Verga

Born in: Italy
Years: 1840-1922 (aged 82)
Occupations: prose writerwriterscreenwriterplaywrightpolitician
Biography: Giovanni Carmelo Verga di Fontanabianca was an Italian realist (verista) writer, best known for his depictions of life in his native Sicily, especially the short story and later play Cavalleria rusticana and the novel I Malavoglia (The House by the Medlar Tree).

Lucia Azzolina

Born in: Italy
Years: 1982-.. (age 42)
Enrolled in the University of Catania: Graduated with laurea in philosophy and literature
Occupations: politicianteacher
Biography: Lucia Azzolina is an Italian politician and teacher. She was the Minister of Education during the Conte II Cabinet.

Umberto Agnelli

Born in: Switzerland
Years: 1934-2004 (aged 70)
Occupations: businesspersonengineerpoliticianentrepreneur
Biography: Umberto Agnelli was an Italian industrialist and politician. He was the third son of Virginia (born Donna Virginia Bourbon del Monte) and Edoardo Agnelli, and the youngest brother of Gianni Agnelli.

Giulia Grillo

Born in: Italy
Years: 1975-.. (age 49)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Giulia Grillo is an Italian physician and politician who served as the Italian Minister of Health from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. A member of the Five Star Movement, she has served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 15 March 2013.

Giuseppe Fava

Born in: Italy
Years: 1925-1984 (aged 59)
Occupations: journalistwriterscreenwriterpoet lawyer
Biography: Giuseppe "Pippo" Fava was an Italian writer, investigative journalist, playwright, and Antimafia activist who was killed by the Mafia. He was the founder of the I Siciliani, a monthly magazine. His motto in life was "Is there any use in living if you don't have the courage to fight?"

Donatella Finocchiaro

Born in: Italy
Years: 1970-.. (age 54)
Occupations: actor
Biography: Donatella Finocchiaro is an Italian actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films since 2002. She starred in The Wedding Director, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Gesualdo Bufalino

Born in: Italy
Years: 1920-1996 (aged 76)
Occupations: poettranslatorwriterteacher
Biography: Gesualdo Bufalino, was an Italian writer.

Manlio Sgalambro

Born in: Italy
Years: 1924-2014 (aged 90)
Occupations: singer-songwriterwriterscreenwriterpoetlibrettist
Biography: Manlio Sgalambro was an Italian philosopher and writer, born in Lentini.

Luigi Capuana

Born in: Italy
Years: 1839-1915 (aged 76)
Occupations: journalistliterary criticscience fiction writerwriter
Biography: Luigi Capuana was an Italian author and journalist and one of the most important members of the verist movement (see also verismo (literature)). He was a contemporary of Giovanni Verga, both having been born in the province of Catania within a year of each other. He was also one of the first Italian authors influenced by the works of Émile Zola, French author and creator of naturalism. Capuana also wrote poetry in Sicilian, of which an example appears below.

Claudio Fava

Born in: Italy
Years: 1957-.. (age 67)
Occupations: writerscreenwriterpoet lawyerjournalistpolitician
Biography: Claudio Fava is an Italian politician and writer. He is the Coordinator of the National Secretariat of Sinistra Ecologia Libertà (Left Ecology Freedom). He was until 2009 Member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Democratic Left (SD), part of the Socialist Group and is vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development.

Anna Finocchiaro

Born in: Italy
Years: 1955-.. (age 69)
Occupations: magistratepoliticianjudge
Biography: Anna Finocchiaro Fidelbo is an Italian politician. She was the Democratic Party's leader in the Senate from 2007 to 2013. She served as Minister for Equal Opportunities in the cabinet of Romano Prodi from 1996 to 1998.

Vitaliano Brancati

Born in: Italy
Years: 1907-1954 (aged 47)
Occupations: writernovelistscreenwriterpoetplaywright
Biography: Vitaliano Brancati was an Italian novelist, dramatist, poet and screenwriter.

Salvo Randone

Born in: Italy
Years: 1906-1991 (aged 85)
Occupations: film actorstage actorradio drama actor
Biography: Salvatore Randone, known professionally as Salvo Randone, was an Italian stage, film and television actor.

Pietro Bartolo

Born in: Italy
Years: 1956-.. (age 68)
Occupations: physicianpolitician
Biography: Pietro Bartolo, OMRI, MEP is an Italian doctor and politician who was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 2019 for the Democratic Party.

Raffaele Lombardo

Born in: Italy
Years: 1950-.. (age 74)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Raffaele Lombardo Italian pronunciation: [raffaˈɛːle lomˈbardo]; is an Italian politician. Born in Catania, he was president of Sicily and former member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Movement for the Autonomies and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Enzo Bianco

Born in: Italy
Years: 1951-.. (age 73)
Occupations: politicianlawyer
Biography: Enzo Bianco is an Italian politician, former mayor of Catania and former Minister of the Interior.

Salvo Pogliese

Born in: Italy
Years: 1972-.. (age 52)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Salvatore Domenico Antonio Pogliese is an Italian politician, Mayor of Catania from 2018 to 2022.

Umberto Scapagnini

Born in: Italy
Years: 1941-2013 (aged 72)
Occupations: physicianpolitician
Biography: Umberto Scapagnini was an Italian politician, former mayor of Catania.

Salvo Andò

Born in: Italy
Years: 1945-.. (age 79)
Occupations: journalistjuristpoliticianuniversity teacher
Biography: Salvatore "Salvo" Andò is an Italian academic and politician. He was the minister of defence between 1992 and 1993.

Mario Michele Giarrusso

Born in: Italy
Years: 1965-.. (age 59)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Mario Michele Giarrusso was an Italian Senator. He is a member of the Italexit party, after being expelled from the Five Star Movement. He represents Sicily.

Augusto Barbera

Born in: Italy
Years: 1938-.. (age 86)
Occupations: politicianjudgejurist
Biography: Augusto Antonio Barbera is an Italian judge and former constitutional law professor at the University of Bologna. In his political career he was member of the Chamber of Deputies between 1976 and 1994 for the Italian Communist Party and later the Democratic Party of the Left. In 1993 he served shortly as Minister without portfolio for relations with Parliament in the government of Prime Minister Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Barbera has been Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy since 21 December 2015 and its President since 12 December 2023.

Raffaele Stancanelli

Born in: Italy
Years: 1950-.. (age 74)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Raffaele Stancanelli is an Italian politician.

Giuseppe La Farina

Born in: Italy
Years: 1815-1863 (aged 48)
Occupations: journalistwriterpolitician
Biography: Giuseppe La Farina was an influential leader of the Italian Risorgimento. He was founder of the Italian National Society in 1857, a society dedicated to the unification of Italy.

Giuseppe De Felice Giuffrida

Born in: Italy
Years: 1859-1920 (aged 61)
Occupations: politicianjournalist
Biography: Giuseppe De Felice Giuffrida was an Italian socialist politician and journalist from Sicily. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Fasci Siciliani (Sicilian Leagues) a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration. As the first socialist mayor of Catania in Sicily, from 1902 until 1914, he became the protagonist of a kind of municipal socialism.

Gaetano Fichera

Born in: Italy
Years: 1922-1996 (aged 74)
Enrolled in the University of Catania: Studied in 1937-1939
Occupations: mathematicianuniversity teacherhistorian of mathematics
Biography: Gaetano Fichera was an Italian mathematician, working in mathematical analysis, linear elasticity, partial differential equations and several complex variables. He was born in Acireale, and died in Rome.

Antonio Mario La Pergola

Born in: Italy
Years: 1931-2007 (aged 76)
Occupations: juristpoliticianuniversity teacherjudge
Biography: Antonio Mario La Pergola was an Italian jurist, Advocate General and later Judge for the European Court of Justice, as well as President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

Tommaso Campailla

Born in: Italy
Years: 1668-1740 (aged 72)
Occupations: physicianphilosopherpoet
Biography: Tommaso Campailla was an Italian philosopher, physician, politician and poet.

Urania Papatheu

Born in: Italy
Years: 1965-.. (age 59)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Urania Giulia Rosina Papatheu is an Italian politician from Forza Italia. She represented Sicily in the Senate of Italy from 2018 to 2022.

Filippo Cordova

Born in: Italy
Years: 1811-1868 (aged 57)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Filippo Cordova was an Italian patriot, jurist and politician.

Simona Suriano

Born in: Italy
Years: 1978-.. (age 46)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Simona Suriano is an Italian politician. She was elected to be a deputy to the Parliament of Italy in the 2018 Italian general election for the Legislature XVIII of Italy.

Marialuisa Faro

Born in: Italy
Years: 1984-.. (age 40)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Marialuisa Faro is an Italian politician and a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the XVIII legislature of the Italian Republic representing the Five Star Movement.

Giulio Crimi

Born in: Italy
Years: 1885-1939 (aged 54)
Occupations: opera singerteacher
Biography: Giulio Crimi was an Italian operatic tenor.

Nicolò Mineo

Born in: Italy
Years: 1934-2023 (aged 89)
Occupations: literary criticacademicpoliticianphilologist
Biography: Nicolò Mineo was an Italian literary critic, literary historian and philologist. He was professor emeritus of Italian literature at the University of Catania from 2010.

Piero Carnabuci

Born in: Italy
Years: 1895-1958 (aged 63)
Occupations: film actorstage actortelevision actor
Biography: Piero Carnabuci was an Italian stage and film actor.

Vito Latora

Born in: Italy
Occupations: university teacherphysicist
Biography: Vito Latora is an Italian physicist, currently Professor in Applied Mathematics at the School of Mathematical Sciences of the Queen Mary University of London. He is known for his works on complex systems, in particular on the structure and dynamics of complex networks.

Salvatore Raiti

Born in: Italy
Years: 1965-.. (age 59)
Occupations: politicianlawyer
Biography: Salvatore Raiti is an Italian politician.

Filippo Drago

Born in: Italy
Years: 1954-.. (age 70)
Occupations: psychiatristuniversity teacherpharmacologistneuroscientist
Biography: Filippo Drago is an Italian pharmacologist, neurologist and psychiatrist.

# 🏆	University name	Country & City
13	Polytechnic University of Turin	Turin
14	University of Rome Tor Vergata	Rome
15	University of Palermo	Palermo
16	University of Trento	Trento
17	University of Bari	Bari
18	University of Parma	Parma
19	University of Perugia	Perugia
20	University of Siena	Siena
21	University of Catania	Catania
22	University of Modena and Reggio Emilia	Modena
23	University of Trieste	Trieste
24	University of Milano-Bicocca	Milan
25	University of Verona	Verona
26	University of Ferrara	Ferrara
27	University of Salerno	Salerno
28	University of Cagliari	Cagliari
29	Polytechnic University of Bari	Bari