43 Notable alumni of University of Catania
Updated: May 31, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Catania is ranked #516 in the world and #15 in Italy by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 43 notable alumni from University of Catania sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Catania won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Giulio Crimi
1885-1939 (aged 54)
teacher
opera singer
Giulio Crimi was an Italian operatic tenor.
2. Marialuisa Faro
1984-. (aged 42)
politician
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.
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3. Nicolò Mineo
1934-2023 (aged 89)
literary critic
philologist
university teacher
politician
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.
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4. Piero Carnabuci
1895-1958 (aged 63)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Piero Carnabuci was an Italian stage and film actor.
5. Vito Latora
physicist
university teacher
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.
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6. Salvatore Raiti
1965-. (aged 61)
lawyer
politician
Salvatore Raiti is an Italian politician.
7. Filippo Drago
1954-. (aged 72)
psychiatrist
neuroscientist
pharmacologist
university teacher
Filippo Drago is an Italian pharmacologist, neurologist and psychiatrist.
8. Gaetano Fichera
1922-1996 (aged 74)
university teacher
mathematician
historian of mathematics
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.
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9. Giuseppe De Felice Giuffrida
1859-1920 (aged 61)
journalist
politician
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.
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10. Antonio Mario La Pergola
1931-2007 (aged 76)
jurist
judge
university teacher
politician
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.
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11. Tommaso Campailla
1668-1740 (aged 72)
physician
poet
philosopher
Tommaso Campailla was an Italian philosopher, physician, politician and poet.
12. Urania Papatheu
1965-. (aged 61)
politician
Urania Giulia Rosina Papatheu is an Italian politician from Forza Italia. She represented Sicily in the Senate of Italy from 2018 to 2022.
13. Filippo Cordova
1811-1868 (aged 57)
politician
Filippo Cordova was an Italian patriot, jurist and politician.
14. Simona Suriano
1978-. (aged 48)
politician
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.
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15. Enzo Bianco
1951-. (aged 75)
lawyer
politician
Enzo Bianco is an Italian politician, former mayor of Catania and former Minister of the Interior.
16. Salvo Pogliese
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
Salvatore Domenico Antonio Pogliese is an Italian politician, Mayor of Catania from 2018 to 2022.
17. Augusto Barbera
1938-. (aged 88)
jurist
judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy
politician
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...
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18. Umberto Scapagnini
1941-2013 (aged 72)
politician
physician
Umberto Scapagnini was an Italian politician, former mayor of Catania.
19. Salvo Andò
1945-. (aged 81)
jurist
journalist
university teacher
politician
Salvatore "Salvo" Andò is an Italian academic and politician. He was the minister of defence between 1992 and 1993.
20. Raffaele Stancanelli
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Raffaele Stancanelli is an Italian politician.
21. Mario Michele Giarrusso
1965-. (aged 61)
politician
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.
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22. Giuseppe La Farina
1815-1863 (aged 48)
politician
writer
journalist
Giuseppe La Farina was an Italian lawyer, journalist and politician. He 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.
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23. Raffaele Lombardo
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Raffaele Lombardo Italian pronunciation: [raffaˈɛːle lomˈbardo]; is an Italian politician. Born in Catania, he was Sicily's president 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.
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24. Anna Finocchiaro
1955-. (aged 71)
judge
politician
magistrate
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.
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25. Vitaliano Brancati
1907-1954 (aged 47)
screenwriter
novelist
writer
playwright
poet
Vitaliano Brancati was an Italian novelist, dramatist, poet and screenwriter.
26. Salvo Randone
1906-1991 (aged 85)
film actor
radio drama actor
stage actor
Salvatore Randone, known professionally as Salvo Randone, was an Italian stage, film and television actor.
27. Pietro Bartolo
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
physician
Pietro Bartolo, OMRI, MEP, is an Italian doctor and politician. From 1992 to 2019, he was known as the responsible medician for first visits to migrants who landed in Lampedusa; in 25 years, he examined and cared for about 250,000 refugees on the island. In 2019, Bartolo was elected as a member of the European Parliament for the Democratic Party.
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28. Nicola Gratteri
1958-. (aged 68)
writer
prosecutor
Nicola Gratteri is an Italian prosecutor. He grew up in southern Italy and after he witnessed the brutal methods of the 'Ndrangheta mafia group, he resolved to work against them. After studying for a law degree, he became a prosecutor working to bring mafia members to justice. Gratteri has survived a number of assassination attempts related to his work and...
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29. Giulia Grillo
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
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.
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30. Donatella Finocchiaro
1970-. (aged 56)
actor
film director
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.
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31. Giuseppe Fava
1925-1984 (aged 59)
writer
journalist
poet lawyer
screenwriter
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?"
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32. Manlio Sgalambro
1924-2014 (aged 90)
librettist
poet
screenwriter
writer
singer-songwriter
Manlio Sgalambro was an Italian philosopher, writer, and poet born in Lentini.
33. Luigi Capuana
1839-1915 (aged 76)
literary critic
science fiction writer
writer
journalist
poet
Luigi Capuana was an Italian author and journalist and one of the main exponents of Verismo. 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....
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34. Claudio Fava
1957-. (aged 69)
poet lawyer
screenwriter
writer
film director
politician
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.
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35. Pippo Baudo
1936-2025 (aged 89)
television presenter
radio personality
lyricist
Giuseppe Raimondo Vittorio "Pippo" Baudo was an Italian television presenter. One of the most notable in his native country, he had a career spanning six decades, which included 13 editions of the Sanremo Music Festival – the highest number for a single presenter.
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36. Giovanni Verga
1840-1922 (aged 82)
playwright
screenwriter
writer
prose writer
photographer
Giovanni Carmelo Verga di Fontanabianca was an Italian realist (verista) writer. His novels I Malavoglia (1881) and Mastro-don Gesualdo (1889) are widely recognized as masterpieces. Verga has been called the greatest Italian novelist after Manzoni. D. H. Lawrence translated several of his works into English.
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37. Lucia Azzolina
1982-. (aged 44)
teacher
politician
Lucia Azzolina is an Italian politician and teacher. She was the Minister of Education during the Conte II Cabinet.
38. Umberto Agnelli
1934-2004 (aged 70)
engineer
businessperson
entrepreneur
politician
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.
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39. Anna Valle
1975-. (aged 51)
model
beauty pageant contestant
actor
film actor
Anna Valle is an Italian actress and beauty pageant titleholder.
40. Franco Battiato
1945-2021 (aged 76)
film director
writer
film screenwriter
composer
screenwriter
Francesco "Franco" Battiato was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs explore many themes (including, but not limited to, philosophy, art, spirituality, science, introspection, innovation, esotericism, religiousness), and have spanned genres such as experimental pop, electronic music, minimalism, avant-garde, progressive rock, new wave, symphonic music, sound collage, opera, oratorio and...
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41. Miriam Leone
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
beauty pageant contestant
model
film actor
stage actor
Miriam Leone is an Italian actress and beauty queen. She was crowned Miss Italia 2008.
42. Gesualdo Bufalino
1920-1996 (aged 76)
translator
poet
teacher
writer
Gesualdo Bufalino, was an Italian writer who lived in Sicily for most of his life.
43. Nadia Terranova
1978-. (aged 48)
blogger
children's writer
lecturer
writer
Nadia Terranova is an Italian author.