Catania

Catania is with 290 678 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) to Palermo, the second largest city of the Italian region of Sicily and the capital of the province of Catania.

Catania is one of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, which have been declared by Unesco as a World Heritage.

• 6.1 churches
• 6.2 Palazzi
• 6.3 Miscellaneous

Geography

Catania is located on the east coast of Sicily, at the foot of some 30 km away Etna, the largest and most active volcano in Europe.

In the agglomeration of Catania, the north of the city extends to the foot of Mount Etna, live more than 650,000 people. For the agglomeration include not only the communities of Catania ( by size ) Acireale, Mister Bianco, Paternò, Gravina di Catania, Aci Catena, Nicolosi, Belper, Tremestieri Etneo, San Giovanni la Punta, Aci Castello, Aci Sant'Antonio, Pedara, San Gregorio di Catania, Motta Santa Anastasia, Sant'Agata li Battiati, Trecastagni, Valverde, Viagrande, Nicolosi, San Pietro Clarenza, Camporotondo Etneo and Aci Bonaccorsi.

The immediate neighboring municipalities of Catania are Belper, Carlentini, Gravina di Catania, Lentini, Nicolosi, Mister Bianco, Motta Santa Anastasia, San Gregorio di Catania, San Pietro Clarenza, Sant'Agata li Battiati and Tremestieri Etneo.

Administrative divisions

Catania since 1995 into ten administrative districts ( Municipalità ) divided (before the older subdivisions from 1971 and 1978 were considered ):

• I. Centro
• II Ognina - Picanello
• III. Borgo - Sanzio
• The Barricade IV - Canalicchio
• V. San Giovanni Galermo
• VI. Trappeto - Cibali
• VII Monte Po - Nesima
• VIII San Leone - Rapisardi
• IX. San Giorgio - Librino
• X. San Giuseppe La Rena - Zia Lisa

Climate

The climate is Mediterranean from Catania to subtropical, with hot summers and mild winters. Most of the rain falls between October and April. Catania is one of the places with the most sunshine hours per year in Europe. Temperatures can rise during the day in winter when the sun shines on springtime values ​​and sink through the clear sky at night to freezing.

History

Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonists from Naxos. In the 3rd century BC, the city developed under Roman domination to the main trading base of the then Sicily. The port enabled brisk trade throughout the Mediterranean. Another big growth experienced the city by the Arabs, who took advantage of the fertile soil in the area for the cultivation of citrus fruits. Catania was thus one of the major centers of agriculture. Catania was destroyed, according to Ibn al - Athir 884 of the Muslims and destroyed everything in its vicinity.

In 1669 parts of the city were buried by a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna lava flows under. A severe earthquake in 1693 destroyed Catania almost completely. In the following decades, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style, which dominates the town today. Since many buildings are made of lava rock, referred to the city as the black daughter of Etna. Great economic importance Catania reached again only in the 19th century, when it became the provincial capital.

Economy

Catania is the most important economic region of Sicily. In and around Catania companies in the semiconductor industry and the IT industry are located. The largest industrial employer in the electronics company STMicroelectronics has approximately 4600 employees.

Other important industries are the plastics industry, the food industry, agriculture and tourism.

Traffic

Catania airport Fontana Rossa is measured by the volume of traffic the fifth largest in Italy. The city has direct access to the highways and the A18/E45 A19/E932 and is connected to the network of Ferrovie dello Stato ( railway lines Messina - Catania - Syracuse and Agrigento ). The distances are about 100 kilometers to Messina, Syracuse nearly 60 kilometers to Palermo about 250 kilometers. The ferrovia circumetnea operates alongside a narrow gauge railroad around Mount Etna and the Metropolitana di Catania.

Education and Science

The Università degli Studi di Catania was founded in 1434 by Alfonso of Aragon, making it the oldest university in Sicily.

Internationally known is also the observatory Astrofisico Osservatorio di Catania.

The State Art School Istituto Statale d' Arte di Catania offers courses of study sculpture and painting.

Cityscape and monuments

The old town is known since 2002 along with eight other Baroque towns of the Val di Noto on the list of UNESCO world heritage. After the almost complete destruction by the volcanic eruption in 1669 and the earthquake in 1693 Catania was built mainly in the style of the Roman Baroque, under the auspices of the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini again.

Local attractions include many buildings and monuments of this epoch.

Churches

• The Catania Cathedral is the Saint Agatha, the patron saint of the city, consecrated. The original church was built in the late 11th century as a Norman fortified church. Today little remains of this building. After the devastating earthquake, a new baroque façade was created by Vaccarini. In the cathedral is the burial site of the composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania.
• The Badia di Sant 'Agata, a former abbey with a baroque church was also built under the direction of Vaccarini again.
• The church of San Benedetto in Via dei Crociferi, the nicest baroque street of Catania, is an example of the Barocco siciliano. It is decorated with frescoes by Giovanni Tuccari from Messina.
• The former Benedictine monastery of San Nicola is now home to the University of Catania. The monastery belongs to the church of San Nicolò. After 1693 several times started to rebuild. He was never completed due to financial reasons, the facade of the baroque building is therefore incomplete.
• The Collegiate in the style of Sicilian Baroque was originally the royal palace chapel. The facade dates from Stefano Ittar.

Palazzi

• The Biscari is the most important palace of Catania. It was built by order of the Paternò Castello di principi Biscari family. The interior of the palace reflects elements of the Rococo style.
• The Palazzo degli Elefanti, situated on the Piazza del Duomo, now houses the Town Hall of Catania.
• The Palazzo Valle, built by Vaccarini between 1740 and 1750.
• The Palace of Justice, the Justice Palace, was built 1937-1953 under the direction of architect Francesco Fichera. The facade is decorated in the late Baroque. In the entrance hall there is a bronze statue of Justice, the work of MM Lazzaro.
• The Palazzo Reburdone is a late work Vaccarini and was built for the Guttadauro di Reburdone family. The noble palace is assigned to the late Baroque in Catania.
• The Palazzo del Toscano, built in 1870 by architect Enrico Alvino, served as the town residence of the noble family of Paternò del Toscano marchesi.

Others

• Prior to the Cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo is the built by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini Elephants Fountain, the symbol of Catania. The elephant made ​​of black lava stone bears an ancient Egyptian obelisk of light-colored granite. The obelisk was probably erected in Roman times as the target column in the amphitheater, the hieroglyphs refer to the goddess Isis.
• The amphitheater, built of marble and lava stone, was in ancient times with 7000 seats, one of the largest in Sicily. Today it is partly built over by Baroque buildings.
• Worth seeing are the birthplace of the writer Giovanni Verga and the birthplace of the composer Vincenzo Bellini. Both museums were established.
• The Casa Museo Giovanni Verga is a literary museum in the birthplace of Giovanni Verga, which, being a novelist and short story writer of the most important representatives of Italian naturalism.
• The Via Etnea, Catania's main street with many shops and places, is about three miles long and runs straight from the Piazza del Duomo in the direction of Mount Etna.
• Castello Ursino, built around 1240 on the instruction of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II was in the 14th century residence of the Aragonese kings. Presumably, at the time of the Spanish rule in the 16th century, the top floor was removed and made ​​the current stage of construction. Currently, it houses the Museo Civico, which has, among other things, a collection of Greek sculptures.
• At the Porta Judice llo you get to the surviving Jewish cemetery of the Giudecca and the Jewish baths.

Culture

Culturally Catania can not only look back to its baroque architecture. The opera composer Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini also belong to the sons of the city as the writer Giovanni Verga. Bellini, the most popular Catanesen, Teatro Massimo Bellini, the elaborately built Villa Bellini in the city center, the airport and a pasta dish called Pasta alla Norma are dedicated.

From the 3rd to the 5th of February in Catania held one of the biggest festivals in Sicily, which attracts over 200,000 people annually. This festival is held in honor of St. Agatha. On the first day huge candles are carried on the shoulders of dozens of volunteers through the streets of Catania. In the following days a reliquary statue and some silver sedan chairs are pulled through the streets. On the last day of the statutes is re- carried into the cathedral and remains well protected until next year.

Sports

The most popular sport in the city 's football. The club Catania Calcio was founded in 1946, has increased in recent years from the Serie C2 and plays since the 2006/07 season in Serie A. The Stadio Angelo Massimino holds 21,000 seats. On 2 February 2007, it came to the derby against Palermo (1:2) to tangible riots between hooligans and the police, where a policeman was killed. Other games in the series A were then exposed for an indefinite period.

In water polo, the ladies of the club Orizzonte Geymonat Catania with 14 Italian championships and six national champion trophies are very successful. Italian league title also reached the men in volleyball by Paoletti Catania, in hockey by Cus Catania Catania and the women in volleyball by Torre Tabita Catania, in football by Jolly Componibili Catania.

The national rugby union team Amatori Catania is represented in the highest Italian league Super 10.

Catania was three times destination of a stage of the Giro d' Italia: 1989 ( Stage 1 ), 1999 (2nd stage ), 2003 ( 5th stage ).

Twin Cities

• Catania has twinned with Phoenix, Arizona.

Personalities

Famous people of the city are included in the list of personalities of the city of Catania.

Movies

• On Sicily Cyclops. From Taormina to Catania. Documentation, 45 min A film by Brigitte Ashoff, Production: SR, broadcast: June 6, 2007, Summary of hr