Catania

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Catania

Catania is the second largest city of Sicily and is the capital of the province which bears its name. With some 306,000 inhabitants (750,000 in the metropolitan area) it has the second highest population density on the island. The city's patron saint is Saint Agata. Catania is located on the east coast of the island, half way between Messina and Siracusa and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna.

History

It was founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonizers from Chalcis in Euboea led by Euarchos. Initially called Ætna, after the volcano, the city was later known as Katane (see also List of traditional Greek place names). It was extensively destroyed by earthquakes in 1169 and 1693 and by lava flows which ran over and around it into the sea. The first Sicilian university was founded there in 1434.

Main sights

Roman Age

The city has been buried by lava a total of seven times in recorded history, and in layers under the present day city are the Roman city that preceded it, and the Greek city before that. Much of the ancient monuments of the Roman city have been destroyed by the numerous earthquakes. Currently, remains of the following buildings can be seen:

The Theater (2nd century)
The Amphitheater (2nd century)
The Odeon (3rd century CE)

Also the so-called u Liotru, symbol of the city, is probably from Roman times: it is a manufact in lava stone portraying an elephant and surmounted by an obelisk. The names is perhaps a deformation of Heliodorus. A similar sculpture is in Piazza Santa Maria della Minerva in Rome.

Baroque churches and palaces

The Cathedral (Duomo)
The Badia of St. Agatha
Sant'Agata la Vetere
Sant'Agata alla Fornace
St. Francis, housing the mortal remains of Eleanor of Sicily
St. Benedict
Basilica Collegiata (early 18th century). It is on the Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles. The high altar has a Madonna icon, probably of Russian manufacture.
Biscari Palace
Elephants Palace
Reburdone Palace
Benedictine monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena
Villa Cerami

Others

The Castello Ursino, built by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in the 13th century.
The church of Santa Maria del Gesù (16th century)
The Porta Ferdinandea, a triumphal arch erected in 1768 to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Marie Caroline of Austria.

Under the city runs the river Amenano, visible in just one point, on the south side of Piazza Duomo.

Culture

In the late 1980s and 1990s Catania had a unique popular music scene with local radio stations. As a result of these idiosyncratic and regional radio stations Catania boasted a youth culture in which indie pop and indie rock from lesser known international bands like. As a result of the eclectic taste in indie pop and indie rock Catania has been the birthplace of a number of dynamic and unusual independent music record labels.

The natives of Catania include Vincenzo Bellini, a composer. An opera house, the Teatro Massimo Bellini is named after him and a museum exists on the site of his birth.

The city is the home of Amatori Catania rugby union team, and Calcio Catania football team.

Transportation

Catania has a commercial seaport in the city, an international airport (Catania Fontanarossa) to the South, a central train station (Catania Centrale) on the main lines Messina-Syracuse, Catania-Gela and Catania-Palermo, as well as the privately-owned small-gauge Circumetnea railway which runs for 110 km from Catania round the base of Mount Etna, attaining the height of 976 m above sea level before descending to rejoin the coast at Giarre-Riposto to the North. In the late 1990s/early 2000s the first line of an underground railway was built, but never completed, under the city, extending the Circumetnea from its stop on the north side of town to the Central Railway Station on the southeast.

External links

ItalianVisits.com

MondoCatania.com Sito sul Calcio Catania

This article incorporates some information taken from http://www.hostkingdom.net/ with permission. Other material is translated from the Italian wikipedia site.

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