Overview
About Catania
Catania covers 30 acres inside Talega and holds 58 homes on 67 parcels, at a median parcel of 0.15 acres. Three streets serve the whole community, all of them Via names: Via Cartama, which carries 37 of the addresses, Via Jacobea with 15 and Via Inca with 6. Nearly 18 of the 30 acres are kept as private open space, with 8.9 acres carrying the Residential Medium Low Density designation.
Catania belongs to the Talega master association and falls under the Talega Specific Plan. A sixth of a mile of private trail runs inside the boundary. Almost the whole community, 29.9 of its 30 acres, sits in the state's Very High fire hazard severity zone, which is the most severe classification in San Clemente and worth raising with an insurer early. Capistrano Unified's locator returned Vista del Mar Elementary, Vista del Mar Middle and San Clemente High at all five interior points tested.
View available homes in CataniaHistory
How Catania was built
Catania went in as two separate tracts rather than one loop, recorded in 2003 and 2004, in the middle of Talega's long construction run. The plans are large for the master plan around them, four two story designs with three alternates running from about 2,873 to 3,756 square feet, with five and six bedrooms. It is one of the few pockets of Talega behind a gate. Inside it the street signs read Via Cartama, Via Jacobea and Via Inca.
The name is Sicilian. Catania is the second city of Sicily, a port on the Ionian coast that sits at the base of Mount Etna and was founded by Greek settlers around 729 BC, which makes it close to 2,800 years old. It is not a one off either. The Talega association's own roster of neighborhoods runs through Amalfi, Portofino, Ravenna and Vittoria on the Italian side and Cantabria, Portomarin, Montellano and San Lucar on the Spanish, so a drive across Talega reads like a European gazetteer.
By the Numbers
Catania by the numbers
Lifestyle
The Catania lifestyle
San Clemente keeps ten beaches of its own along the shore, from North Beach past the pier to Riviera, and the city's Marine Safety division staffs them. The pier itself carries restrooms, metered parking, fire rings and the Amtrak and Metrolink platform at its foot.
The city publishes five trail networks that run from the sand up into the canyons and along the ridgelines. Bikes are welcome on all of them, electric bikes are not allowed on the Beach Trail, dogs are welcome on a leash, and horses are permitted on the Forster Ridgeline, Prima Deshecha and Cristianitos trails. City parks are open from 6 am to 10 pm without a reservation unless a group needs a permit.
Schools
Schools serving Catania
Capistrano Unified assigns Catania to San Clemente High, Vista del Mar Middle and Vista del Mar Elementary. The district's own school locator returned the same assignment at every point tested inside the boundary, and enrollment comes from the federal count for 2024-25.
9-12 · 2,740 students
6-8 · 499 students
K-5 · 692 students
FAQs
Common questions about Catania
How big is Catania?
The boundary the city publishes covers 30 acres, with 58 addresses on 67 parcels. It is the 47th largest of the fifty San Clemente communities mapped here.
Which schools serve Catania?
Capistrano Unified's school locator returned Vista del Mar Elementary, Vista del Mar Middle and San Clemente High at all five points tested inside the boundary. Confirm the assignment for a specific address with the district before you rely on it.
What is the fire hazard rating?
The state fire hazard severity map the city publishes places 29.9 of Catania's 30 acres in the Very High class, the most severe of the three classes used in San Clemente. Raise it with an insurer early.
How many streets are in Catania?
Three: Via Cartama, Via Jacobea and Via Inca. Via Cartama alone carries 37 of the 58 addresses.
When was Catania recorded?
Tract 16369 was recorded in 2004 at Miscellaneous Maps book 856, pages 1 to 9, surveyed by Patrick R. Mercado, LS 6382. That is the date the subdivision was filed with the county, not the year any house was built.