CATANIA

History
Catania (Greek: Katáne; Latin: Catana and Catina[1]; Arabic: Balad-al-Fil or Medinat-al-Fil, Wadi Musa and Qataniyah) is the second-largest city of Sicily, southern Italy, 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 Agatha. Catania is located on the east coast of the island, halfway between Messina and Siracusa and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna.

Foundation
All ancient authors agree in representing Catania as a Greek colony named (Katáne) of Chalcidic origin, but founded immediately from the neighboring city of Naxos, under the guidance of a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus). The exact date of its foundation is not recorded, but it appears from Thucydides to have followed shortly after that of Leontini (modern Lentini), which he places in the fifth year after Syracuse, or 730 BCE. (Thuc. vi. 3; Strabo vi. p. 268; Scymn. Ch. 286; Scyl. § 13; Steph. B. s. v.)

Greek Sicily
The only event of its early history which has been transmitted to us is the legislation of Charondas, and even of this the date is wholly uncertain. But from the fact that his legislation was extended to the other Chalcidic cities, not only of Sicily, but of Magna Graecia also, as well as to his own country (Arist., Pol. ii. 9), it is evident that Catania continued in intimate relations with these kindred cities. It seems to have retained its independence till the time of Hieron of Syracuse, but that despot, in 476 BCE, expelled all the original inhabitants, whom he established at Leontini, while he repeopled the city with a new body of colonists, amounting, it is said, to not less than 10,000 in number, and consisting partly of Syracusans, partly of Peloponnesians. He at the same time changed its name to Aítne, Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby volcano), and caused himself to be proclaimed the Oekist or founder of the new city. As such he was celebrated by Pindar, and after his death obtained heroic honors from the citizens of his new colony. (Diod. xi. 49, in 66; Strab. l.c.; Pind. Pyth. i., and Schol. ad loc.) But this state of things was of brief duration, and a few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion of Thrasybulus, the Syracusans combined with Ducetius, king of the Siculi, to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who were compelled to retire to the fortress of Inessa (to which they gave the name of Aetna), while the old Chalcidic citizens were reinstated in the possession of Catania, 461 BCE. (Diod. xi. 76; Strab. l. c.)

The period which followed the settlement of affairs at this epoch appears to have been one of great prosperity for Catania, as well as for the Sicilian cities in general: but we have no details of its history till the great Athenian expedition to Sicily (part of the larger Peloponnesian War). On that occasion the Catanaeans, notwithstanding their Chalcidic connections, at first refused to receive the Athenians into their city: but the latter having effected an entrance, they found themselves compelled to espouse the alliance of the invaders, and Catania became in consequence the headquarters of the Athenian armament throughout the first year of the expedition, and the base of their subsequent operations against Syracuse. (Thuc. vi. 50-52, 63, 71, 89; Diod. xiii. 4, 6, 7; Plut. Nic. 15, 16.)
We have no information as to the fate of Catania after the close of this expedition: it is next mentioned in 403 BCE, when it fell into the power of Dionysius I of Syracuse, who sold the inhabitants as slaves, and gave up the city to plunder; after which he established there a body of Campanian mercenaries. These, however, quitted it again in 396 BCE, and retired to Aetna, on the approach of the great Carthaginian armament under Himilco and Mago. The great sea-fight in which the latter defeated Leptines, the brother of Dionysius, was fought immediately off Catania, and the city apparently fell, in consequence, into the hands of the Carthaginians. (Diod. xiv. 15, 58, 60.) But we have no account of its subsequent fortunes, nor does it appear who constituted its new population; it is only certain that it continued to exist. Callippus, the assassin of Dion, when he was expelled from Syracuse, for a time held possession of Catania (Plut. Dion. 58); and when Timoleon landed in Sicily we find it subject to a despot named Mamercus, who at first joined the Corinthian leader but afterwards abandoned his alliance for that of the Carthaginians, and was in consequence attacked and expelled by Timoleon. (Diod. xvi. 69; Plut. Timol. 13, 30-34.) Catania was now restored to liberty, and appears to have continued to retain its independence; during the wars of Agathocles with the Carthaginians, it sided at one time with the former, at others with the latter; and when Pyrrhus landed in Sicily, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and received him with the greatest magnificence. (Diod. xix. 110, xxii. 8, Exc. Hoesch. p. 496.)

Roman rule
In the First Punic War, Catania was one of the first among the cities of Sicily, which made their submission to the Romans, after the first successes of their arms in 263 BCE. (Eutrop. ii. 19.) The expression of Pliny (vii. 60) who represents it as having been taken by Valerius Messala, is certainly a mistake. It appears to have continued afterwards steadily to maintain its friendly relations with Rome, and though it did not enjoy the advantages of a confederate city (foederata civitas), like its neighbors Tauromenium (modern Taormina) and Messana (modern Messina), it rose to a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule.

Cicero repeatedly mentions it as, in his time, a wealthy and flourishing city; it retained its ancient municipal institutions, its chief magistrate bearing the title of Proagorus; and appears to have been one of the principal ports of Sicily for the export of corn. (Cic. Verr. iii. 4. 3, 83, iv. 23, 45; Liv. xxvii. 8.) It subsequently suffered severely from the ravages of Sextus Pompeius, and was in consequence one of the cities to which a colony was sent by Augustus; a measure that appears to have in a great degree restored its prosperity, so that in Strabo's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was in a flourishing condition. (Strab. vi. pp. 268, 270, 272; Dion Cass. iv. 7.) It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of the Roman Empire; so that in the fourth century Ausonius in his Ordo Nobilium Urbium, notices Catania and Syracuse alone among the cities of Sicily. (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9; Itin. Ant. pp. 87,90, 93, 94).

In 535, Catania was recovered by Belisarius from the Goths, and became again, under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, one of the most important cities of the island. (Procop. B. G. i. 5.). 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.

Locational significance
The position of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna was the source, as Strabo remarks, both of benefits and evils to the city. For on the one hand, the violent outbursts of the volcano from time to time desolated great parts of its territory; on the other, the volcanic ashes produced a soil of great fertility, adapted especially for the growth of vines. (Strab. vi. p. 269.) One of the most serious calamities of the former class was the eruption of 121 BCE, when great part of its territory was overwhelmed by streams of lava, and the hot ashes fell in such quantities in the city itself, as to break in the roofs of the houses. Catania was in consequence exempted, for 10 years, from its usual contributions to the Roman state. (Oros. v. 13.) The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catania (now called the Piano di Catania, a district of great fertility), appears to have belonged, in ancient times, to Leontini or Centuripa (modern Centuripe), but that portion of it between Catana itself and the mouth of the Symaethus, was annexed to the territory of the latter city, and must have furnished abundant supplies of corn. The port of Catania also, which was in great part filled up by the eruption of 1669, appears to have been in ancient times much frequented, and was the chief place of export for the corn of the rich neighboring plains. The little river Amenanus, or Amenas, which flowed through the city, was a very small stream, and could never have been navigable.

Catania's renown in antiquity
Catania was the birth-place of the philosopher and legislator Charondas; it was also the place of residence of the poet Stesichorus, who died there, and was buried in a magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, which derived from thence the name of Porta Stesichoreia. (Suda) Xenophanes, the philosopher of Elea, also spent the latter years of his life there (Diog. Laert. ix. 2. § 1), so that it was evidently, at an early period, a place of cultivation and refinement. The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute, was also ascribed to Andron, a citizen of Catania (Athen. i. p. 22, c.); and the first sundial that was set up in the Roman forum was carried thither by Valerius Messala from Catania, 263 BCE. (Varr. ap. Plin. vii. 60.) But few associations connected with Catania were more celebrated in ancient times than the legend of the Pii Fratres, Amphinomus and Anapias, who, on occasion of a great eruption of Etna, abandoned all their property, and carried off their aged parents on their shoulders, the stream of lava itself was said to have parted, and flowed aside so as not to harm them. Statues were erected to their honor, and the place of their burial was known as the Campus Piorum; the Catanaeans even introduced the figures of the youths on their coins, and the legend became a favorite subject of allusion and declamation among the Latin poets, of whom the younger Lucilius and Claudian have dwelt upon it at considerable length. The occurrence is referred by Hyginus to the first eruption of Etna that took place after the settlement of Catania. (Strab. vi. p. 269; Paus. x. 28. § 4; Conon, Narr. 43; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. v. 17; Solin. 5. § 15; Hygin. 254; Val. Max. v. 4. Ext. § 4; Lucil. Aetn. 602-40; Claudian. Idyll. 7; Sil. Ital. xiv. 196; Auson. Ordo Nob. Urb. 11.)

Roman age
The symbol of the city is u Liotru, or the Fontana dell'Elefante and was constructed in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. It is made of lava stone portraying an elephant and surmounted by an obelisk. Legend has it that Vaccarini's original elephant was neuter, which the men of Catania took as an insult to their virility. To appease them, Vaccarini appended appropriately elephantine testicles to the original statue. The Sicilian name u Liotru is perhaps a deformation of Heliodorus . A similar sculpture is in Piazza Santa Maria della Minerva in Rome.

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.

Many 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 Odeon (3rd century CE) 
The Amphitheater (2nd century) 
The Greek Acropolis of Montevergine's Hill 
The Roman Aqueduct's Ruins 
The Roman Forum in Piazza San Pantaleone 
Roman ruins in Cortile Archirotti 
Several Christian basilicas, hypogea, Roman burial monuments and Catacombs in some urban areas. 
The Roman Columns in Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini

Roman thermal structures:
Terme Achilliane or Terme Achillee 
Terme dell'Indirizzo 
Terme dell'Idria 
Terme della Rotonda 
Terme dei Quattro Canti 
Terme di Palazzo Asmundo 
Terme del Palazzo dell'Università 
Terme di Casa Gagliano 
Terme della Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

Baroque and historical churches
Saint Agatha's Cathedral (Duomo di Sant'Agata) 
Saint Agatha's Abbey (Badia di Sant'Agata) 
Saint Placid (Chiesa di San Placido) 
Saint Joseph at the Duomo (Chiesa di San Giuseppe al Duomo) 
Saintest Sacrament at the Duomo (Chiesa del Santissimo Sacramento al Duomo) 
San Martino dei Bianchi 
Saint Agatha the Vetust (Chiesa di Sant'Agata la Vetere) 
Saint Agatha at the Furnace or Saint Blaise (Chiesa di Sant'Agata alla Fornace or San Biagio) 
Saint Prison's Church (Chiesa del Santo Carcere) 
St. Francis of Assisi at The Immaculate (Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi all' Immacolata) , housing the mortal remains of Queen Eleanor of Sicily. 
St. Benedict (Chiesa di San Benedetto) 
the Collegiate Basilica (early 18th century). The Basilica Collegiata is on the Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles. The high altar has a Madonna icon, probably of Byzantine manufacture. 
Saint Mary of Ogninella (Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ogninella) 
Saint Michael the Lesser (Chiesa di San Michele Minore) 
Saint Michael Archangel or Minorites' Church (San Michele Archangelo or Chiesa dei Minoriti) 
Saint Julian (Chiesa di San Giuliano) 
Saint Teresa (Chiesa di Santa Teresa) 
Saint Francis Borgia or Jesuits' Church (San Francesco Borgia or Chiesa dei Gesuiti) 
Saint Mary of Jesus (Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù 16th century) 
Saint Dominic or Saint Mary the Great (Chiesa di San Domenico or Santa Maria la Grande) 
Purity or Visitation (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Purità or Chiesa della Visitazione) 
the Madonna of Graces' Chapel (Cappella della Madonna delle Grazie) 
Saint Ursula (Chiesa di Sant'Orsola) 
Saint Agatha at the Lavic Runnels (Chiesa di Sant'Agata alle Sciare) 
Saint Euplius Old Church Ruins (Ruderi della Vecchia Chiesa di Sant'Euplio) 
Saint Cajetan at the Caves (Chiesa di San Gaetano alle Grotte) 
the Basilica of The Saintest Mary Annunciated of Carmel (Basilica di Maria Santissima Annunziata al Carmine) 
Saint Agatha at the Borough (Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Borgo). The "Borough" (il Borgo) is an inner district of Catania. 
Saint Nicholas at the Borough (Chiesa di San Nicola al Borgo) 
Saintest Sacrament at the Borough (Chiesa del Santissimo Sacramento al Borgo) 
Saint Mary of Providence at the Borough (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Provvidenza al Borgo) 
the Hospice of the Blind's Chapel (Cappella dell'Ospizio dei Ciechi) 
Saint Camillus of The Crossbearers (Chiesa di San Camillo dei Crociferi) 
Saint Nicholas the Arena's Benedictine Monastery (Monastero Benedettino di San Nicola l'Arena) 
Saint Nicholas the Arena (Chiesa di San Nicola l'Arena) 
Saint Mary of Guidance (Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo) 
Saint Clare (Chiesa di Santa Chiara) 
Saint Sebastian Martyr (Chiesa di San Sebastiano) 
Saint Anne (Chiesa di Sant'Anna) 
Marian Sanctuary of Saint Mary of Help (Santuario di Santa Maria dell'Aiuto) 
Holy House of Loreto (Chiesa della Madonna di Loreto) 
Saint Joseph at Transit (Chiesa di San Giuseppe al Transito) 
Immaculate Conception of Little Minors(Chiesa dell'Immacolata Concezione dei Minoritelli) 
Saint Agatha by Little Vergins' Conservatory (Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Conservatorio delle Verginelle) 
Saint Mary of Itria or Saint Mary Hodigitria (Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Idria o Odigitria).Hodigitria is a Greek word meaning "She who shows the Way". 
Saint Philip Neri (Chiesa di San Filippo Neri) 
Saint Martha (Chiesa di Santa Marta) 
Saint Child (Chiesa del Santo Bambino) 
Saint Mary of Providence (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Provvidenza) 
Saint Beryl in Saint Mary of the Diseased (Chiesa di San Berillo in Santa Maria degli Ammalati) 
Madonna of the Poor (Chiesa della Madonna dei Poveri) 
Saint Vincent de Paul (Chiesa di S.Vincenzo de'Paoli) 
Saint John The Baptist (Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista) in the suburb of San Giovanni di Galermo 
Saint Anthony Abbot (Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate) 
Little Saviour Byzantine Chapel (Cappella Bizantina del Salvatorello) 
Saint Augustine (Chiesa di Sant'Agostino) 
Holy Trinity (Chiesa della Saintissima Trinità) 
Little Virgins (Chiesa delle Verginelle) 
Saint Mary of the Rotunda (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Rotonda) 
Saintest Refound Sacrament (Chiesa del Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato) 
Saint Mary in Ognina (Chiesa di Santa Maria in Ognina)."Ognina" is a maritime quarter of Catania. 
Saint Mary of Montserrat (Chiesa di Santa Maria di Monserrato) 
Saint Mary of Health (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute) 
Saint Mary of La Salette (Chiesa di Santa Maria de La Salette) 
Saint Mary of Mercy or Saint Mary of Merced (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Mercede) 
Saint Catherine at the Sandfield (Chiesa di Santa Caterina al Rinazzo) 
Saint Mary of Concord (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concordia) 
Saint Mary of the Guard (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Guardia) 
Saint Mary of Consolation (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione) 
Saintest Crucifix of Marjoram (Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso Maiorana) 
Crucifix of Miracles (Chiesa del Crocifisso dei Miracoli) 
Crucifix of Good Death (Chiesa del Crocifisso della Buona Morte) 
Saint Mary of La Mecca (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Mecca). La Mecca is not the Saudiarabian Holy City, but a vernacular Catanian word that identifies a "silk mill" that existed, in effect, in its vicinity. 
Saint Cajetan at the Marina (Chiesa di San Gaetano alla Marina) 
Saintest Redeemer (Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore) 
Saint Francis of Paola (Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola) 
Divine Maternity (Chiesa della Divina Maternità) 
the Chapel of Mary Auxiliatrix (Cappella di Maria Ausiliatrice) 
Chapel of Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cappella del Sacro Cuore di Gesù) 
Sacro Cuore al Fortino 
Saints George and Denis (Chiesa dei Santi Giorgio e Dionigi) 
Sacro Cuore ai Cappuccini 
Saint Christopher (Chiesa di San Cristoforo) 
Saints Cosmas and Damian (Chiesa dei Santi Cosma e Damiano) 
Saint Mary of Succour or Saint Mary of the Palm (Chiesa di Santa Maria del Soccorso or Santa Maria della Palma) 
Saint Vitus (Chiesa di San Vito) 
Saint Guardian Angels (Chiesa dei Santi Angeli Custodi) 
Saintest Saviour (Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore)

Palaces
Biscari Palace 
Elephants Palace 
Palazzo del Seminario dei Chierici 
Palazzo Pardo 
Palazzo Marletta 
Archbishopric's Palace 
Palazzo dell'Università 
Palazzo di Sangiuliano 
Palazzo Gioeni 
Palazzetto Biscari 
Palazzo Massa di San Demetrio 
Palazzo Magnano di San Lio 
Palazzo Cosentino 
Palazzo Manganelli 
Palazzo Minoriti o Palazzo del Governo 
Palazzo Cilestri 
Palazzo del Toscano 
Palazzo Tezzano 
Palazzo Beneventano 
Palazzo della Borsa 
Palazzo Del Grado 
Palazzo delle Poste 
Palazzo Pancari 
Palazzo Libertini 
Palazzo del Collegio dei Gesuiti 
Palazzo Asmundo 
Palazzo Villaroel 
Villa Cerami or Palazzo Cerami 
Palazzo Ingrassìa 
Reburdone Palace 
Palazzo Serravalle 
Palazzo Valle 
Palazzo Hernandez 
Casa del Vaccarini 
Palazzo Cutelli 
Palazzo Bonajuto 
Palazzi dell'Archivio di Stato 
Palazzo Mazza 
Palazzo Bicocca 
Palazzo Gravina Cruyllas 
Palazzo Bruca 
Palazzo Valsavoja 
Palazzo Trewhella 
Palazzo Scammacca 
Palazzo Clarenza di S.Domenico 
Palazzo Recupero 
Palazzo delle Scienze 
Palazzo di Giustizia 
Palazzo dei Delfini

Liberty style mansions
Villa Manganelli 
Villa Bonajuto 
Villa Majorana 
Villa De Luca 

Viale Regina Margherita's Manors:
Villa Trigona di Misterbianco 
Villa Romeo delle Torrazze 
Villa Cutore-Recupero 
Villa Calì 
Villa Cosentino 
Villa Clementi 
Villa Modica 
Villa Giordano

Urban parks
Villa Bellini 
Villa Pacini 
Catania's Botanical Garden 
Parco Giovanni Falcone (Giovanni Falcone's Park) 
Parco Gioeni

Others
The Ursino Castle (il Castello Ursino), built by emperor Frederick II in the 13th century. 
The Uzeda Gate (la Porta Uzeda) 
The Gothic-catalan Arch of Saint John of Friars in Via Cestai (l'Arco Gotico-catalano di San Giovanni de' Freri in Via Cestai) 
The Ferdinandean Gate or Garibaldi Gate (la Porta Ferdinandea), a triumphal arch erected in 1768 to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Marie Caroline of Austria 
The Fortino's Gate (la Porta del Fortino) 
The "Casa del Mutilato"

The subterranean rivers
Under the city run the river Amenano, visible in just one point, south of Piazza Duomo and the river Longane or Lognina.

Culture
The opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania, and a museum exists at his birthplace. The Teatro Massimo Bellini, which opened in 1890, is named after the composer. The opera house presents a variety of operas through a season, which run from December to May, many of which are the work of Bellini.

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

Transportation
Catania has a commercial seaport (Catania 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. It attains 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.

Touristic informations
http://www.provincia.ct.it 
(web site della Provincia Regionale di Catania) 
http://www.comune.ct.it
(web site del Comune di Catania) 
http://www.apt.catania.it
(web site dell' Azienda Provinciale Turismo di Catania)
http://www.vivicatania.net
(web site per saperne di più sulla vita notturna di Catania e Province) 
http://italy.map-vista.com/catania-map
(web site per individuare un indirizzo)

Transports 
http://www.cormorano.net/catania/trasporti
(dove trovare informazioni generali sui trasporti pubblici a Catania) 
http://www.aeroporto.catania.it
(web site dell'aeroporto di Catania 
http://www.amt.ct.it 
(web site dell' Azienda Municipale Trasporti di Catania) 
http://www.saistrasporti.it e
http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it 
(web site delle due compagnie di autotrasporti leader in Sicilia) 
http://www.tttlines.it
(web site del servizio traghetti per Catania e Napoli)

Air Companies
Airone
Alitalia 
Alpieagles
Centralwings
Helvetic
JetOnly
Lufthansa
Maersk Air
Meridiana
Myair
Virgin Express
Windjet