The Porta Garibaldi, originally built as the Porta Ferdinandea or Porta Ferdinanda, is a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

, built in 1768, located at the end of Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, between the Piazza Palestro and Piazza Crocifisso in the quartiere Fortino of

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy. It was built to celebrate the marriage of the Bourbon king

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...

to the Austrian princess Maria Carolina d'Asburgo-Lorena. The architects of the monument were Francesco Battaglia and

Stefano Ittar Stefano Ittar (March 15, 1724 - January 18, 1790) was a Polish-Italian architect. Biography Ittar was born in Owrucz (then in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, now in Ukraine), where his father, a member of one of Italy's aristocratic fam ...

. The monument is made of alternating white stone from Siracusa and local dark lava blocks. At the top center of the arch is now a clock, surrounded by allegorical symbols, including an eagle and a statue recalling the black elephant ''u Liotru'', symbol of Catania. Originally, instead of a clock, was a marble bust of the Bourbon king. Flanking this tympanum, at the second level are two angels with trumpets. Flanking these are two sculptural depictions of

Trophy of arms A trophy or trophy of arms in art and architecture is a real or depicted artistically assembled display of weaponry and other militaria, often captured from a defeated enemy, as an ornament designed for the purpose of triumphalist display by a ...

.Descrizione di Catania e delle cose notevoli nei dintorni de essa
edited by Francesco Paternò Castello (1841), page 28-29. Underneath these dsplays of weapons and armor are written two phrases: one says ''Litteris armatur'' (armed with letters) and the other ''Armis decoratur'' (decorated with arms). On the east side the tympanum shield depicts a

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

rising with a Latin cartouche stating ''Melior de cinere surgo'' (Better I arise from the ashes), which aptly applies to Catania, that has often required rebuilding due to volcanic activity and earthquakes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garibaldi Catania Buildings and structures in Catania