- Catania is the second largest city of Sicily and is the capital of the province which bears its name. With 306,000 inhabitants it has the second highest population density on the island.
- The first Sicilian university was founded there in 1434.
- The city's patronal saint is Saint Agata.
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| HISTORY OF CATANIA |
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It is located at 37° 31'N
15° 04'E on the east coast
of the island, half way
between Messina and Siracusa
and is at the foot of the
active volcano Mount Etna.
It was founded in the 8th
century BC by Greek
colonizers from Chalcis in
Euboea led by Euarchos.
Initially called Ętna, after
the volcano, the city was
later known as Katane
(see also List of
traditional Greek place
names). It was extensively
destroyed by earthquakes in
1169 and 1693 and by lava
flows which ran over and
around it into the sea.
The 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. Today, the
tops of the immense Greek
and Roman amphitheatres are
at street level and in
several places the
adventurous can descend into
the numerous and uncharted
tunnels under the city,
although the perils of
finding pockets of poisonous
gas or being found down
there by nasty people make
this highly unadvisable.
Under the city runs the
river Amenano, visible in
just one point, on the south
side of Piazza Duomo
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