Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, after

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, which is among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts the main airport of Sicily (fifth-largest in Italy). The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...

. It is the capital of the 58-municipality province known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 297,517, while the population of the metropolitan city is 1,068,563. Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks in

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...

. The city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169. A major eruption and lava flow from nearby

nearly swamped the city in 1669 and it suffered severe devastation from the 1693 Sicily earthquake. During the 14th century, and into the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

period, Catania was one of Italy's most important cultural, artistic and political centres. It was the site of Sicily's first

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, founded in 1434. It has been the native or adopted home of some of Italy's most famous artists and writers, including the composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini, and the writers Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Federico De Roberto and Nino Martoglio. Catania today is the industrial, logistical, and commercial centre of Sicily. Its airport, the Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, is the largest in Southern Italy. The central "old town" of Catania features exuberant late-

baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

, prompted after the 1693 earthquake, and is a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Etymology

The ancient indigenous population of Sicily, the

Sicels The Sicels ( ; or ''Siculī'') were an Indo-European tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily, their namesake, during the Iron Age. They spoke the Siculian language. After the defeat of the Sicels at the Battle of Nomae in 450 BC and the death of ...

, named their villages after geographical attributes of their location. The word ''katane'' means "grater, flaying knife, skinning place" or a "crude tool apt to pare". Other translations of the name are "harsh lands", "uneven ground", "sharp stones", or "rugged or rough soil". The latter etymologies are easily justifiable since, for many centuries following an eruption, the city has always been rebuilt within its black-lava landscape. Around 263 BC, the city was variously known as ''Catĭna'' () and ''Catăna'' (; ). The former has been primarily used for its supposed assonance with ''catina'', the Latin feminization of the name ''catinus''. ''Catinus'' has two meanings: "a gulf, a basin or a bay" and "a bowl, a vessel or a trough", thanks to the city's distinctive topography. Around 900, when Catania was part of the

emirate of Sicily The island of SicilyIn Arabic, the island was known as (). was under Islam, Islamic rule from the late ninth to the late eleventh centuries. It became a prosperous and influential commercial power in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, with ...

, it was known in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

as ''Balad al-fīl'' () and ''Madīnat al-fīl'' (), respectively meaning "the Village (or Country) of the Elephant" and "the City of the Elephant". The Elephant likely referred to the ancient lava sculpture, now placed over the fountain in Piazza Duomo. The sculpture is most likely a prehistoric sculpture that was reforged during the Byzantine Era, prized as a protective talisman against enemies, both human, natural or geologic. Another Arab toponym was ''Qaṭāniyyah'' (), allegedly from the Arabic word for the " leguminous plants". Pulses like

lentil The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

s, beans, peas, broad beans, and

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

s were chiefly cultivated in the plains around the city well before the arrival of Aghlabids. Afterwards, many Arabic agronomists developed these crops and the

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

orchards in the area around the city. The toponym ''Wādī Mūsá'' (), or "the Valley of Moses" (from the Arabic name of the

Simeto The Simeto (; ; ; ) is a long river in Sicily, southern Italy. At , it is the second longest river on the island after the Salso (also known as Southern Imera), but the most important in terms of watershed ().

Geography

As observed by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

, the location of Catania at the foot of

has been both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, violent outbursts of the volcano throughout history have destroyed large parts of the city, while on the other hand the volcanic ashes yield fertile soil, especially suited for the growth of vines. (Strab. vi. p. 269) Two

subterranean river A subterranean river (also known as an underground river) is a river or watercourse that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground, one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow ...

s run under the city; the Amenano, which surfaces at one single point south of Piazza Duomo, and the Longane (or Lognina).

Climate

Catania experiences a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''). The city has hot summers, one of the hottest in the whole country of Italy. Temperatures of are surpassed almost every year a couple of times. Winters are mild, with significant nighttime cooling. Precipitation is concentrated from October to March, leaving late spring and summer virtually dry. The city receives around of rain per year, although the amount can vary greatly from year to year, from over to under . During winter nights, lows can occasionally reach below freezing. Highs under may happen during winter. Snow, due to the presence of Etna that protects the city from the northern winds, is an uncommon occurrence, but occasional snow flurries have been seen over the recent years, especially in the hilly districts. More recently, light snowfalls occurred on 9 February 2015, 6 January 2017 and 5 January 2019, but the last heavy snowfall dates back to 17 December 1988.

Demographics

In January 2015, there were 315,601 people residing in Catania,Official ISTAT figure

of whom 47.2% were male and 52.8% were female. Minors (people under age 18) totalled 20.50 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 18.87 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners).The average age of Catania residents is 41 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Catania declined by 3.35 percent, while

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

as a whole grew by 3.85 percent. The reason for this

population decline Population decline, also known as depopulation, is a reduction in a human population size. Throughout history, Earth's total world population, human population has estimates of historical world population, continued to grow but projections sugg ...

in the ''comune'' di Catania is mainly due to a large segment of the population leaving the city centre to go to live in the uptown residential areas of the ''comuni'' of the Metropolitan area. As a result of this, while the population in the ''comune'' di Catania declines, the population of the hinterland ''comuni'' increases making the overall population of the Metropolitan area increase. The current birth rate of Catania is 10.07 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. , 98.03% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant groups come from

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

: 0.69%,

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

: 0.46%, and from other

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an countries (particularly from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

): 0.33%. There is currently a small community of Samaritans from Israel.

History

Foundation

Around 729 BC, the ancient village of ''Katane'' was occupied by Chalcidian Greek settlers from nearby

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

along the coast. It became the Chalcidian colony of ''Katánē'' under a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus) and the native population was rapidly Hellenised.

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

states that it came into existence slightly later than Leontini (modern Lentini), which he claims was five years after Syracuse, or 730 BC. The settlement's acropolis was on the hill of Monte Vergine, a defensible hill immediately west of the current city centre. The port of Catania appears to have been much frequented in ancient time and was the chief place of export for the corn of the rich neighbouring plains.

Greek Catania

Catania was associated with the ancient legend of Amphinomos 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 honour, 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 Greek polis of Catania appears to have been a local center of learning. The philosopher and legislator Charondas (late 6th c. BC), born in Catania, putatively wrote program of laws used here and in other Chalcidic cities, both in Sicily and through

. suggesting a link between Catania and other cities during this time. The poets

Ibycus Ibycus (; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet, a citizen of Rhegium in Magna Graecia, probably active at Samos during the reign of the tyrant Polycrates and numbered by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria in the canon (fiction), ca ...

and

Stesichorus Stesichorus (; , ''Stēsichoros''; c. 630 – 555 BC) was a Greek Greek lyric, lyric poet native of Metauros (Gioia Tauro today). He is best known for telling epic stories in lyric metres, and for some ancient traditions about his life, such as hi ...

(–555 BC) lived in Catania. The latter putatively was buried in a magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, therefore named ''Porta Stesichoreia''. Xenophanes (–475 BC), one of the founders of the Eleatic school of philosophy, also spent the latter years of his life in the city. The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute was also ascribed to Andron, a citizen of Catania. Catania appears to have remained independent until the conquest by the despot Hieron of Syracuse; in 476 BC, he expelled all the original inhabitants of Catania and replaced them with his subjects from the town of Leontini – said to have numbered no less than 10,000, consisting partly of Syracusans and Peloponnesians. Hieron changed the city's name to (''Aítnē'', Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby

, and proclaimed himself the Oekist or founder of the new city. For this he was celebrated by

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

, and after his death he received heroic honours from the citizens of his new colony. A few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion of Thrasybulus of Syracuse, the Syracusans combined with Ducetius, king of the

, to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who went on to settle in the fortress of Inessa (to which they gave the name Aetna). The old Chalcidic citizens returned to the city in 461 BC. The period that followed appears to have been one of great prosperity for Catania, as well as for the Sicilian cities in general. In 415 BC, Catania became involved with the expedition to Sicily pursued by the

Athenians Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

to punish Syracuse. Initially the Catanaeans refused to allow the Athenians into their city, but after the latter had forced an entrance, the Athenian leader

Alcibiades Alcibiades (; 450–404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently ...

made a famous speech in front of the assembly. Catania became an ally, and the headquarters of the Athenian army for the first year of the expedition, and a base of their subsequent operations against Syracuse. After the defeat of the Athenians, Catania was again threatened by Syracuse. In 403 BC, Dionysius I of Syracuse plundered the city, sold its citizens as slaves, and repopulated the town with

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

n mercenaries. However, the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

would take possession of Catania under Himilco and Mago, after the nearby great naval Battle of Catana (397 BC) where they defeated Leptines of Syracuse, and in 396 BC forcing the local Campanian mercenaries to relocate to

Aetna Aetna Inc. ( ) is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans, ...

. Calippus, the assassin of Dion of Syracuse, held Catania for a time (Plut. ''Dion.'' 58); and when Timoleon landed in Sicily in 344 BC Catania was subject to the despot Mamercus who at first joined the Corinthian leader, but afterwards abandoned this allegiance for that of the Carthaginians. As a consequence he was attacked and expelled by Timoleon in 338 BC. Catania was now restored to a fragile independence; changing sides during the wars starting in 311 BC of Agathocles of Syracuse with the Carthaginians. When Pyrrhus landed in Sicily in 278 BC, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and welcomed him with great splendor.

Roman rule

During the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...

, Catania was one of the first cities of Sicily to submit to the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

after their first successes in 263 BC when it was taken by Valerius Messalla. A sundial was part of the booty which was placed in the Comitium in Rome. Since then the city became a ''civitas decumana'' i.e. was subject to the payment of a tenth of its agricultural income as a tax to Rome. The conqueror of Syracuse,

Marcus Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC) was a Roman general and politician during the 3rd century BC. Five times elected as Roman consul, consul of the Roman Republic (222, 215, 214, 210, and 208 BC). Marcellus gained the most prestigious a ...

, built a gymnasium here. It appears to have continued afterwards to maintain its friendly relations with Rome and though it did not enjoy the advantages of a confederate city (''foederata civitas''), like its neighbours Tauromenium (modern Taormina) and Messana (modern

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

), it rose to a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule. Around 135 BC during the

First Servile War The First Servile War of 135–132 BC was a slave rebellion against the Roman Republic, which took place in Sicily. The revolt started in 135 when Eunus, a slave from Syria who claimed to be a prophet, captured the city of Enna in the middl ...

, it was conquered by rebel slaves. One of the most serious eruptions of

happened in 121 BC, when a great part of Catania 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. Catana was in consequence exempted, for 10 years, from its usual contributions to the Roman state. The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catana (now called the '' Piana 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 Catana and must have furnished abundant supplies of grain.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

repeatedly mentions it as, in his time, a wealthy and flourishing city; it retained its ancient municipal institutions, its

chief magistrate A chief magistrate is a public official, executive or judicial, whose office is the highest in its class. Historically, the two different meanings of magistrate have often overlapped and refer to, as the case may be, to a major political and admi ...

bearing the title of ''Proagorus''; and appears to have been one of the principal ports of Sicily for the export of corn. In the Sicilian revolt from 44 BC Sextus Pompeius selected Sicily as his base and Catania gave in to Sextus' revolt and joined his forces. Sextus amassed a formidable army and a large fleet of warships at his base at Messana, with many slaves joining from the villas of patricians. After the victory of Augustus in 36 BC much of the vast farmland in Sicily was either ruined or left empty, and much of this land was taken and distributed to members of the legions which had fought there. Catania suffered severely from the ravages but was afterwards one of the cities raised to the status of

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

by Augustus which restored its prosperity through the settlement of veterans, so that in

's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was flourishing. Another revolt led by the gladiator Selurus in 35 BC created mayhem for a while. The Roman aqueduct of Catania was the longest in Roman Sicily at , starting from the springs of Santa Maria di Licodia. It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

; so that in the 4th century

Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; ) was a Latin literature, Roman poet and Education in ancient Rome, teacher of classical rhetoric, rhetoric from Burdigala, Gallia Aquitania, Aquitaine (now Bordeaux, France). For a time, he was tutor to the future E ...

in his '' Ordo Nobilium Urbium'', notices Catania and Syracuse alone among the cities of Sicily.

Middle Ages

Catania was sacked by the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

of Gaiseric in 440–441. After a period under the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

, it was reconquered in 535 by the Eastern Roman Empire, under which (aside from a short period in 550–555) it remained until the 9th century. It was the seat of the Byzantine governor of the island. Catania was under an Islamic emirate for two centuries, after which it fell to the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

of Roger I of Sicily. Subsequently, the city was ruled by a bishop-count (1072). In 1194–1197 the city was sacked by German soldiers during after the conquest of the island by emperor Henry VI. In 1232 it rebelled to the former's son, Frederick II, who later built a massive castle, '' Castello Ursino'' and also made Catania a royal city, ending the dominance of the bishops. Catania was one of the main centers of the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers (; ) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou. Since taking control of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266, the Capetian House ...

revolt (1282) against the House of Anjou and was the seat of the coronation of the new Aragonese king of Sicily, Peter I. The city remained a key Sicilian port during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. After a civil revolt in 1299, the city was captured by an Angevin army, which occupied the city until the Angevins evacuated their holdings on Sicily in 1302. In the 14th century it gained importance as it was chosen by the Aragonese as a Parliament and Royal seat. Here, in 1347, it was signed the treaty of peace that ended the long War of the Vesper between Aragonese and Angevines. Catania lost its capital role when, in the early 15th century, Sicily was turned into a member of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

, and kept its autonomy and original privileges specially during the period from 1282 to 1410. In 1434 King Alfonso V founded here the ''Siciliae Studium Generale'', the oldest university in the island.

Early modern times

With the unification of Castile and Aragon (early 16th century), Sicily became part of the Spanish Empire. It rebelled against the foreign government in 1516 and 1647. In 1669 the city's surroundings suffered great material damage from the 1669 Etna eruption. The city itself was largely saved by its walls that diverted most of the lava into the port. Afterwards, in 1693 the city was nearly completely destroyed by a heavy 1693 Sicily earthquake and its aftershocks. The city was then rebuilt in the

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

that nowadays characterizes it.

Unified Italy

Catania was one of the vanguards of the movement for Sicilian autonomy in the early 19th century. In 1860

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

's expedition of the Thousand conquered

for Piedmont from the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

. Since the following year Catania was part of the newly unified Italy, whose history it shares since then. The first half of the twentieth century was a cycle of repeated destruction and rebuilding for the city of Catania. During the years 1923 and 1928, Catania endured two major eruptions of Mt. Etna. The 1923 eruption lasted twenty-nine days, from June 6 until June 29. A large lava flow occurred in the 1928 event and was the first to destroy a population center in over two hundred years. At the onset of World War 1, Italy was part of a defensive alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary referred to as the Triple Alliance. After one year, Italy joined the Allied forces. Many promises made to secure Italy’s help during the war were not kept resulting in stability issues throughout the country leading to the adoption of fascist ideations. As the second World War began, the new regime opted to support Adolf Hitler, resulting in Catania and all the surrounding areas on Sicily being destroyed by Allied bombing. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Catania was heavily bombed by the Allied air forces, owing to the presence of two of the main Axis airfields in Sicily ( Gerbini and Fontanarossa) and for its strategically important port and marshalling yard. Altogether, the city suffered eighty-seven air raids. The heaviest took place in the spring and summer of 1943, before and during the Allied invasion of Sicily; they caused heavy damage to the city (among others, twenty-eight churches and most historic palaces suffered damage), killed 750 inhabitants and prompted most of the population to flee to the countryside. After heavy fighting across eastern Sicily, Catania was eventually captured by the British 8th Army on 5 August 1943. After the conflict, and the constitution of the Italian Republic (1946), Catania attempted to catch up with the economic and social development of Italy's richer northern regions. The problems faced in Catania were emblematic of those faced by other towns in the Mezzogiorno, namely a heavy gap in industrial development and infrastructures, and the threat of the mafia. This notwithstanding, during the 1960s (and partly during the 1990s) Catania enjoyed development and a period of economic, social, and cultural success. In the first decade of the 21st century, Catania's economic and social development somewhat faltered and the city is again facing economic and social stagnation. This was aggravated by the economic crisis left by the administration of mayor Scapagnini in 2008.

Administrative divisions

Metropolitan City

The Metropolitan City of Catania was established in 2015 and replaced the former

Province of Catania The province of Catania (; ) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of and a total population of about 1,116,917 as of 31 December 2014. Historically known also as ...

. It includes the city proper and 57 ''comuni'' (municipalities). The population of the Metropolitan City is 1,107,702.

Metropolitan area

The Metropolitan area of Catania includes the ''comune'' of Catania (311,584 inhabitants) and 26 surrounding ''comuni'' forming an urban belt (498,650 inhabitants). The total population of the Metropolitan area of Catania is therefore 810,234. The ''comuni'' of the Metropolitan area are: * Aci Bonaccorsi * Aci Castello * Aci Catena * Aci Sant'Antonio * Acireale * Belpasso * Biancavilla * Camporotondo Etneo * Catania * Gravina di Catania * Mascalucia * Misterbianco * Motta Sant'Anastasia * Nicolosi * Paternò * Pedara * Ragalna * San Giovanni la Punta * San Gregorio di Catania * San Pietro Clarenza * Sant'Agata li Battiati * Santa Maria di Licodia * Santa Venerina * Trecastagni * Tremestieri Etneo * Valverde * Viagrande * Zafferana Etnea These ''comuni'' form a system with the centre of Catania sharing its economical and social life and creating an organic urban texture.

City proper

The city of Catania proper (''comune di Catania'') is divided in six administrative areas called ''circoscrizioni''. The current administrative setup was established in 2013, modifying previous setups dating back to 1971, 1978 and 1995. The six areas are:

Main sights

The symbol of the city is ''u Liotru'', or the '' Fontana dell'Elefante'', assembled in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. It portrays an ancient lavic stone elephant and is topped by an Egyptian obelisk from Syene. 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 appropriately appended elephantine testicles to the original statue. The Sicilian name ''u Liotru'' is a phonetic change of Heliodorus, a nobleman who, after trying without success to become bishop of the city, became a sorcerer and was therefore condemned to the stake. Legend has it that Heliodorus himself was the sculptor of the lava elephant and that he used to magically ride it in his fantastic travels from Catania to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. Another legend has it that Heliodorus was able to transform himself into an elephant. The presence of an elephant in the history of Catania is surely connected to both zooarcheology and popular creeds. In fact, the prehistoric fauna of Sicily from the Upper

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

, included dwarf elephants. Paleontologist Othenio Abel suggested that the presence of dwarf elephants in

may be the origin of the legend of the Cyclops.

Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

, after finding the skulls of dwarf elephants, about twice the size of a human skull, with a large central

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...

(mistaken for a large single eye socket) supposed that they were skulls of giants with a single eye. The ''Catanian Museum of

Mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

Paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

and Vulcanology'' holds the integral unburied skeleton of an '' Elephas falconeri'' in an excellent state of conservation. The first inhabitants of Etna molded such lavic artifacts to idolize the mythical proboscidian.

Classical buildings

Over the course of recorded history, the city has been buried by lava seventeen times. Beneath the present-day Catania lie the remains of the Roman city that once stood here, and below that, the earlier Greek settlement. Many ancient Roman monuments were destroyed by these repeated eruptions, but today, visitors can explore surviving ruins in the city centre, which are part of the Parco Archeologico Greco-Romano di Catania. Catania Greek-Roman theater.JPG, ''San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata'' backs Cavea of the Greek-Roman Theatre Odeum Catania.JPG, Odeon Catania anfiteatro romano2423.jpg, Roman Amphitheatre Catania terme indirizzo23434.jpg, Roman Thermae of ''Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo'' Ancient edifices include: * Greek-Roman Theatre of Catania and Odeon (2nd to 3rd century CE) * Amphitheatre of Catania * Greek Acropolis of Montevergine *Roman Forum *Christian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

s, hypogea, burial monuments, and

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

*Thermae **Achillean Baths ** Terme dell'Indirizzo **Terme di Santa Maria Odigitria ** Terme della Rotonda **Baths of the Four Quoins **Terme di Palazzo Asmundo **Terme di Casa Gagliano **Terme della Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

Baroque and historical churches

2893 - Catania - Giov. Batt. Vaccarini - Chiesa della Badia di S. Agata (1767) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 4-July-2008.jpg, ''Badìa di Sant'Agata'' ChiesaSFrancescoImmacolataCT.JPG, ''San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata'' SAgataFornaceEst.JPG, ''Sant'Agata alla Fornace'' or ''San Biagio'' Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'aiuto (Catania, XVIII sec.).jpg, ''Santa Maria dell'Aiuto'' Catania Chiesa San Benedetto234232.jpg, ''San Benedetto da Norcia'' Chiesa di San Francesco Borgia a Catania.jpg, ''San Francesco Borgia'' The Baroque heart of Catania belongs to the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, a group of cities in southeastern Sicily celebrated for their post-earthquake reconstruction. Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-32-08 2 fj

* Catania Cathedral (1070–1093, rebuilt after 1693 earthquake) built atop ''Terme Achilliana''. * Sant'Agata, Badia di (1620), church and monastery * Sant'Agata la Vetere (254) church * Sant'Agata al Borgo, built 1669, destroyed 1693, rebuilt 1709). The "Borough" (''il Borgo'') is an inner district of Catania. * Sant'Agata al Carcere or ''Santo Carcere'' (1760). Church built above jail (carcere) where Ste Agatha was allegedly imprisoned during her martyrdom. *Sant'Agata on the Lavic Runnels *Sant'Anna church *San Antonio Abate * San Benedetto (1704–1713) church and adjacent ''Badìa Grande e Piccola del Chiostro delle Monache Benedettine'' * San Biagio, church formerly called ''Sant'Agata alla Fornace'' (1098, rebuilt 1700) * Basilica della Collegiata, Sicilian Baroque façade by Stefano Ittar * San Camillo ai Crociferi, church *Santa Caterina al Rinazzo church * Santa Chiara (1563) church, and former convent of Poor Clares. * San Domenico or Santa Maria la Grande (1224), church and convent. *Sant'Euplio, ruins of church *San Filippo Neri * San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata (1329), Franciscan church with tomb of its founding patron, Queen Eleanor of Sicily. * San Francesco Borgia church and adjacent former Jesuit college. *San Francesco di Paola * San Gaetano alle Grotte (260) church * San Gaetano alla Marina *San Giovanni Battista, in the suburb of San Giovanni di Galermo. * San Giuliano church and convent *San Giuseppe al Duomo church *San Giuseppe al Transito church * Madonna del Carmine (1729) Basilica church and sanctuary * Santa Maria di Gesu church (1465, restored in 1706) *Santa Maria della Guardia church * Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo (1730) church *Santa Maria della Mercede church *Santa Maria di Ogninella * Santa Maria della Purità or ''della Visitazione'' (1775), church and conservatory *Santa Maria della Providenza al Borgo, church * Santa Maria della Rotonda *Santa Maria del Soccorso or Santa Maria della Palma church * Santa Maria dell'Aiuto parish church and sanctuary *Santa Maria dell'Itria or Odigitria, church *Santa Marta * San Martino dei Bianchi church *San Michele the Lesser * San Michele Arcangelo ai Minoriti (Franciscan) church, a second Minoritelli church is nearby. * San Nicolò l'Arena (1687), unfinished basilica church and extensive Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena (1558). *San Nicolas al Borgo * San Placido (1769) church *Madonna delle Grazie Chapel * Santa Rita in Sant'Agostino church *San Sebastiano (1313) * Santa Teresa, Carmelitan church and convent. * Santissima Trinità, church *Santa Ursula * Chiesa delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata *San Vincenzo de' Paoli, church *Santissimo Sacramento al Borgo church *Chapel of the Blind's Housing ("Ospizio dei Ciechi") *Santissimo Sacramento al Duomo, church *Church of the Holy Child *Our Lady of Providence *San Berillo in Santa Maria degli Ammalati, church *Our Lady of the Poor *Little Saviour's

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

chapel *Church of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato (1796) *Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ognina (1308). ''Ognina'' is the maritime quarter and the main fishing port in Catania. Many bareboats and sailing vessels gather here all year round. In its close vicinity is a cylindrical tower known as Saint Mary's Tower (''Torre Santa Maria''), which was restructured in the 16th century to prevent the frequent plundering by the Saracen pirates. The church is the result of the gradual modification of the Greek Temple ''

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

Longatis'' or ''Parthenos Longatis'' that existed on the steep reef. This cult was described by Tzetses as imported from a

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...

n region of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

called ''Longas'', which is otherwise unknown. After the earthquake of 1693 it was rebuilt in the same place, but with a different orientation. * Our Lady of Montserrat (1755) * Saint Mary of La Salette *Our Lady of Concordia *Our Lady of Consolation *Santissimo Crocifisso Maiorana church *Crucifix of Miracles *Crucifix of Good Death *Our Lady of La Mecca *Most Holy Redeemer *Divina Maternità church *Chapel of Mary Auxiliatrix *Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus church *Sacro Cuore al Fortino (1898) church *Saints George and Denis *Sacred Heart Church of the Capuchins *Saint Christopher *Saints Cosmas and Damian *Saint Vitus *Santi Angeli Custodi church *Santissimo Salvatore church

Other

* Ursino Castle, built by emperor Frederick II in the 13th century. * Elephants' Palace ("Palace of the Elephants"), designed by Vaccarini, houses the municipality offices. * University Central Palace, designed by the Battaglia family, is an offices seat and main library of the Catania University. * Biscari Palace * Tezzano Palace *The Medieval Gothic-Catalan Arch of the Friars' Saint John the Baptist (''San Giovanni de' Fleres'') * Porta Garibaldi,

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, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

, originally ''Porta Ferdinandea'' erected in 1768 to celebrate the wedding of King Ferdinand I and Marie Caroline of Austria. *Porta del Fortino ("Redoubt Gate") * Bellini Theatre * Sangiorgi Theatre * Palazzo Rosa ("Pink Palace") *Negozio Frigeri, or Palazzina Frigeri ("Frigeri Shop", or "Frigeri Little Palace") * Palazzo dell'Esposizione *The House of the War Mutilateds (''Casa del Mutilato'') built in Fascist-style architecture. *Catania War Cemetery, a

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Graveyard located in the southern country hamlet of Bicocca. * Palazzo delle Poste ("Post Office Palace") * Palazzo della Borsa ("Stock Exchange Building") * Bellini Garden, or Villa Bellini * Catania Botanical Garden * Pacini Garden, or Villa Pacini *Gioeni Park * Clementi Building * Garage Musumeci *Four sculpture reliefs' street lights, situated in the Piazza Universitaria ("University Square"), depicting legendary characters and events: Peix Nicolau; Amphinomus and Anapias; Gammazita; and the young knight Uzeta.

Economy

Catania is the first economic and industrial hub of Sicily. The city is famous for its mainly petrochemical industry, and the extraction of sulphur. In the year 2000, according to Census, Catania was the 14th richest city in Italy, with a GDP of US$6.6 billion (€6.304 billion), which was 0.54% of the Italian GDP, a GDP per capita of US$21,000 (€20,100) and an average GDP per employee of US$69,000 (€66,100). In the late-19th century and early-20th century, Catania began to be heavily industrialised, with its several factories and chimneys, often being referred to as Southern Italy's "Manchester". The economy of Catania suffered heavily from the bad effects of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was marked by an economic crisis and recession that culminated in the 1920s. Since then, the city lost its industrial and entrepreneurial importance. In the 1930s, Catania remained a small fishing town with derelict and disused industries. However, after the destruction of

, Catania's economy began to re-grow in the late-1950s and early-1960s. The city's economic growth was so rapid and dynamic that it was often nicknamed the ''"Milan of the South"'', or in Italian ''"Milano del Sud"''. This rapid economic growth prompted a great number of Sicilians living in the more rural areas, or smaller towns such as Enna, Ragusa and Caltanissetta, to move to the city to seek new jobs. Today, Catania, despite several problems, has one of the most dynamic economies in the whole of Southern Italy. It still has a strong industrial and agricultural sector, and a fast-growing tourist industry, with many international visitors coming to visit the city's main sights and the nearby Etna volcano. It contains the headquarters or important offices of companies such as STMicroelectronics, and also several chemical and

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

businesses. There have been several new business developments to further boost Catania's economy, including the construction of Etnapolis, a big

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the same architect who designed the FieraMilano industrial fair in Milan, or the Etna Valley, where several high-tech offices are located.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

is a fast-growing industry in Catania. Lately, the administration and private companies have made several investments in the

hospitality industry The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and beverage services, event planning, theme parks, travel agency, tourism, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Sector ...

in order to make tourism a competitive sector in the Metropolitan City. Etnaland, a large amusement and water park located in Belpasso, is in the metropolitan area of Catania, from the city center. It is the largest of its kind in Southern Italy and attracts thousands of tourists, not only from

, but also from the rest of

. According to

Tripadvisor Tripadvisor is an American company that operates online travel agency, travel agencies, comparison shopping websites, and mobile apps with user-generated content. Its namesake brand, Tripadvisor.com, operates in 40 countries and 20 languages, and ...

(2018) it is the third-largest water park in

. The seaport of Catania is linked to the road-rail distribution hub of

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. In September 2020 Mercitalia Logistics opened the first full railway route to link the city to Northern Italy. It replaced an older mixed maritime-railway line.

Education

Established in 1434, the University of Catania is the oldest university in Sicily. Its academic nicknames are: ''Siculorum Gymnasium'' and ''Siciliae Studium Generale''. It hosts 12 faculties and over 62,000 students; and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Catania hosts the '' Scuola superiore di Catania'', linked to the University of Catania, aimed at excellence in education; they offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs for teachers. Catania is home to the prestigious ''Istituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini'' an advanced institute of musical studies (Conservatory) and the ''Accademia di Belle Arti'' an advanced institute of artistic studies. Both institutions offer programs of university level for musical and artistic education.

Culture

Opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Palazzo Gravina-Cruyllas in the city center, the palace now houses a museum about him. The Teatro Massimo Vincenzo Bellini, which opened in 1890, presents a variety of works through a season, which run from December to May, including the works of its namesake. Giovanni Verga was born in Catania in 1840. He became the greatest writer of '' Verismo'', an Italian literary movement akin to Naturalism. His novels portray life among the lower levels of Sicilian society, such as fishermen and stonemasons, and were written in a mixture of both literary language and the local dialect. Francesco Longo Mancini was a painter known for his paintings of nudes, who was born in Catania in 1880. Candelore-1994

The city's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

Saint Agatha Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her Calendar of saints, feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Sicilia (Roman province), Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are ...

, who is celebrated with religious pageantry, the Festival of Saint Agatha, on 5 February every year. The city is the base of the newspaper '' La Sicilia'' and of the TV channel Antenna Sicilia, also known as the Sicilia Channel. Several other local television channels and free-press magazines have their headquarters in Catania. Catania hosts Etna Comics, a successful comic book convention now in its 12th edition, and the Catania Tango Festival, an international Tango event. Its 22nd edition has welcomed tango dancers from 27 different countries, confirming the festival as one of the most important international events in its genre. The city is home to the Catania Jazz Festival, which typically runs for several winter months with concerts in different locations. In the late 1980s and during the 1990s Catania had an energetic and unique

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

scene.

Indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

bands, local radio stations, and dynamic

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a DIY ethic, do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties aff ...

record labels sprung up as a result. As a result, in those years the city experienced a vital and effervescent cultural period. Artists like

Carmen Consoli Carmen Carla Consoli (; born 4 September 1974) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Described as 'a remarkable combination of rocker and intellectual', she has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits, one soundtrack album, two live albums, fo ...

and Mario Venuti, and internationally known indie rock bands like Uzeda came out of this cultural ''milieu''.

Sport

Catania is home to many

sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

s covering a wide range of disciplines. The most famous club is the Catania FC

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

, followed by approximately half a million supporters. Another club standing out from the rest is

AS Orizzonte Catania Associazione Sportiva Orizzonte Catania Waterpolo, also known as Ekipe Orizzonte for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional women's water polo club from Catania. Founded in 1985, Orizzonte has dominated the Serie A (women's water polo), ...

, which is the leading women's

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

club in Italy, with 25 National Championship titles (15 in a row from 1992 to 2006), and also in Europe, with 8 European Champions Cup titles. Catania is the most successful city in team sports in the entire south of Italy (including Sicily and Sardinia), leading (as of June 2025) with 78 National Championships titles, ahead of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and of

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

. As for individual sports, 56 athletes from Catania have won world titles, 54 have won European titles and 139 have won national titles. In the Olympic Games, over the years, Italians, Italian athletes from Catania have won a total of 7 gold medals, 8 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals. National Championships Titles Teams (as of June 2025) Champion Cups Titles Teams (as of June 2025) 1955-09-18_Catania_Etna_WINNER_Maserati_2084_de_Filippis

1955-09-18_Catania_Etna_WINNER_Maserati_2084_de_Filippis

Main Sports Facilities Catania holds the Catania-Etna (Hill Climb), Catania-Etna car competition, organized by the Automobile Club d'Italia. The competition dates back to 1923 and has been taking place on a regular basis (with some gaps) from 1947. Suspended in 2010 due to a serious accident, the 46th edition is planned for the end of June 2021. From 1960 to 2011 Catania held the International event named ''Trofeo Sant'Agata'', a road running competition which took place in the streets of the city center, every year on 3 February (the day the Festival of Saint Agatha begins). The city also hosted a series of International Sports Events: * 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifying, and the associated Etna Cup, which was won by the host Sicily team. * 1994 UCI Road World Championships (together with Palermo and Agrigento). * 1997 Summer Universiade (together with Palermo and Messina). * 2003 Military World Games * 2011 Men's EuroHockey Championship III. * 2011 World Fencing Championships (Italy came out of this competition as the top winning nation with 11 medals, one won by the local fencer Paolo Pizzo). * 2024 World Company Sports Games.

Food and cuisine

Food is an important part of Catania's culture and way of life. Local cuisine emphasizes several traits of Sicilian cuisine, whilst developing some of its own character. Street food is one of the best ways to experience traditional dishes. Arancini are perhaps the city's most iconic: they are stuffed rice balls coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried; in Catania, they are shaped like a cone to remind of

. Typical specialties from the city include ' (puff pastry with onion, tomato, and prosciutto filling), ''bolognese'' (a small pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, and boiled egg, and covered in puff pastry), ' (deep fried dough balls with ricotta or anchovies filling). During street fairs and religious festivals, street stalls sell ' (toasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds). Typical from old street markets are ' (cooked pork blood), ' (pork tripe), ' (pork jelly), ' (edible seaweed), and raw seafood. Horse meat is very traditional and is sold in shops called ' ("roast it and eat it"), which roast the meat in streetside barbecues. Apart from street food, typical dishes from Catania are: ''pasta alla Norma'' (pasta with fried aubergine, tomato sauce and ricotta salata cheese), named after the Norma (opera), namesake opera by Vincenzo Bellini; ' (pasta in cuttlefish ink), ' (fava beans purée), ' or ' (stewed cauliflower or broccoli), ' (sautéed vegetables) and ' (a pie filled with tuma cheese) which is traditional during Christmastime. Catania is also famous for its ''pasticceria'' (pastries and cakes). Pastries vary according to season and to seasonal events: during the Festival of Saint Agatha, patron saint of the city, there are the ' (small cassatas) and ' (olive shaped almond paste). In Easter, there are ' (boiled eggs covered in biscuit). In summer there is granita. During the ''Festa dei morti'' (traditional celebrations in All Souls' Day) there are biscuits called ', ' and '. Drink kiosks are everywhere in town and serve soft drinks. Traditional soft drinks are made by mixing fruit syrups with carbonated water, soda and other flavors such as anisette. Local products include blood oranges, pistachios from Bronte, Sicily, Bronte, extra-virgin olive oil, opuntia, cactus fruit, cherry, cherries, grapes from Mazzarrone, strawberry, strawberries from Maletto, Edible mushroom, mushrooms, honey and wine.

Transport

Catania has a commercial seaport (Catania seaport), an international airport (Catania Fontanarossa), several railway stations (Catania Centrale railway station, Catania Centrale is the main one) and it is the main node of the Sicilian motorway system. The motorways serving Catania are the A18

-Catania and the A19

-Catania; and the prosecution of the A18 going from Catania to Syracuse, Sicily, Syracuse and to Gela. The Ferrovia Circumetnea, Circumetnea is a narrow-gauge railway that runs for from Catania around the base of

. It attains an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level before descending to rejoin the coast at Giarre-Riposto to the north. In the late 1990s, the first line of an Rapid transit, underground railway (''Metropolitana di Catania'') was built. The underground service started in 1999 and it is currently active on a route of , from the station Nesima (west of town), passing through the stations of San Nullo, Cibali, Milo, Borgo, Giuffrida, Italia, Galatea, Giovanni XXIII, to Stesicoro. The last two stations, bringing Catania's underground into the city centre, opened on 20 December 2016.Underground railway of Catania from Subways.ne

and from CityRailways.net i

and (translatio

/ref> The line is planned to be extended from the satellite city of Paternò to Catania Fontanarossa, Fontanarossa Airport.

Catania public transport statistics

The average amount of time people spend commuting on public transit in Catania on a weekday is 56 min. 13% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 23 min, while 46% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is , while 3% travel for over in a single direction.

Notable residents

*Aaron ben Gershon abu al-Rabi, 15th century rabbi *Oriana Bandiera (born 1971), economist and academic *Pippo Baudo (born 1936), TV presenter *Franco Battiato (1945–2021), singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker *Gianni Bella (born 1947), singer-songwriter *Marcella Bella (born 1952), singer * Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835), composer *Ornella Bertorotta (born 1967), politician *Alfredo Bonanno (born 1937), anarchist *Vitaliano Brancati (1907–1954), writer *Giuseppa Bolognara Calcagno (1826–1884), freedom fighter of the Risorgimento * Luigi Capuana (1839–1915), writer * Charondas (6th c. BC), jurist *

(born 1974), singer-songwriter *Angelo d'Arrigo (1961–2006), aviator * Federico De Roberto (1861–1927), writer *Tea Falco (born 1986), actress *Giuseppe Fava (1925–1984), journalist, writer and playwright *Turi Ferro (1921–2001), actor *Rosario Fiorello (1960), comedian, singer, radio and TV presenter *Libero Grassi (1924–1991), businessman *Leo Gullotta (born 1946), actor *Andrea Lo Cicero (born 1976), rugby footballer *Miriam Leone (born 1985), Miss Italia 2008 *Ettore Majorana (1905–?), physicist * Nino Martoglio (1870–1921), writer *Massimo Maugeri (born 1968), writer and journalist *Angelo Musco (actor), Angelo Musco (1872–1937), actor *Tuccio Musumeci (born 1934), actor * Giovanni Pacini (1796–1867), composer *Luca Parmitano (born 1976), astronaut *Ercole Patti (1903–1976), writer and journalist *Goliarda Sapienza (1924–1996), writer *Giuseppe Sciuti (1834–1911), painter *Piermaria Siciliano (born 1974), swimmer *Stefania Spampinato (born 1982), actress *

( – 555 BC), poet * Giovanni Verga (1840–1922), writer *Manlio Vinciguerra (born 1976), scientist

International relations

Consulates

The following countries have a consulate in Catania: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Finland, France, United Kingdom,

, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Switzerland, and

Twin towns – sister cities

Catania is Sister city, twinned with: * Grenoble, France, since 1961 * Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, United States, since 2001 * Ottawa, Canada, since 2002 * Oświęcim County, Poland, since 2010 * Oxford, England, UK, since 2012 * Borgo Maggiore, San Marino, since 2015 * Kaliningrad, Russia, since 2017 * Alexandria, Egypt, since 2019

Influence on the planning of Adelaide, Australia

The site of what was to become the major Australian city of Adelaide was surveyed and laid out by Colonel William Light, the first Surveyor-General of South Australia. In 1823, Light had fondly written of Catania: "The two principal streets cross each other at right angles in the square in the direction of north and south and east and west. They are wide and spacious and about a mile [1.6 km] long". This became the basis for his plan of Adelaide.Johnson and Langmead
''The Adelaide city plan: fiction and fact''
Wakefield Press, 1986.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * Ilaria Di Pietra, ''Catania. Viaggi e viaggiatori nella città del vulcano'', Giuseppe Maimone Editore, Catania 2007 * Antonino Recupero, ''Catania. Città del mediterraneo'', (Fotografia di Alfio Garozzo. Prefazione di Andrea Camilleri), Giuseppe Maimone Editore, Catania 2007, *

External links

* * {{Authority control Catania, Coastal towns in Sicily Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Catania Ancient cities in Sicily Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Italy Populated places destroyed by earthquakes Euboean colonies of Magna Graecia Roman towns and cities in Italy Sicilian Baroque Populated places established in the 8th century BC 8th-century BC establishments in Italy World Heritage Sites in Italy Archaeological sites in Sicily