CATANIA, ON THE SLOPES OF ETNA

The history of the city, like any other place in the Mediterranean, is made up by the sequence of cultures passing through, conquering and being conquered, all leaving their mark in every aspect of life. Founded by the Greeks in 729 BC eventually and inevitably for the times, Catania ended in the hands of first the Romans and subsequently the Byzantines. Next, it was the turn of the Arabs, who arrived in 827 AD followed 200 years later, by the Normans. Under the Spanish Aragonese, Catania underwent a cultural revival, symbolized by the founding of the University of Catania in 1434, then called the “Siculorum Gymnasium”, the first prestigious Sicilian university. Eventually in 1861 Catania became part of the Kingdom of Italy as the rest of Sicily and is now a vibrant centre

of cultural and economic development for the area Catania has always been defined by two unavoidable facts of geography and nature, the ever-present Mt Etna and the sea.  Anywhere you are in the city Etna is always there to remind you that nothing can be taken for granted, while the sea is there to provide an escape to a different world. On several occasions the city was destroyed by volcanic eruptions, the most violent one being in 1669 followed, 24 years later, by a violent earthquake that shook the entire East coast of Sicily. The reconstruction that followed gave the city its baroque nature, recognizable in the street layout with large, wide-open squares and avenues and succession of beautiful churches and palaces. The most significant aspect, however, was that lava and light-colored limestone were used as building material giving it therefore a very distinguished aura and making it unique in the world. The focal points are the Cathedral dedicated to Sant’Agata,

a lava elephant fountain carrying an obelisk in Piazza Duomo (the city’s symbol) and the Teatro Massimo Bellini dedicated to Catania’s most famous son, the composer Vincenzo Bellini. Nearby, Catania’s colourful and bustling fish market, set under the 17th century lava stone archways, takes you to a world with an atmosphere that has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years. The most important event in Catania is in February with the celebrations of Sant'Agata. The festival is a exciting mix of religious fervor and folklore, the highlight being a procession with the statue of the patron saint richly decorated in gold and carried by devotees.

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