Catania (/kəˈtɑːniə/,[3]UK also/-ˈteɪn-/,US also/-ˈtæn-/,[4][5][6]Sicilian andItalian:[kaˈtaːnja]ⓘ) is the second-largest municipality inSicily, afterPalermo, both by area and by population.[7] Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the centre of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation,[8] which is among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hoststhe main airport of Sicily (fifth-largest in Italy). The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing theIonian Sea at the base of the active volcanoMount Etna. It is the capital of the 58-municipality province known as theMetropolitan 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.[2]
Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks inMagna Graecia.[9] The city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in1169.[9] A major eruption and lava flow from nearbyMount Etna nearly swamped the city in1669 and it suffered severe devastation from the1693 Sicily earthquake.[9]
Catania today is the industrial, logistical, and commercial centre of Sicily. Its airport, theCatania–Fontanarossa Airport, is the largest in Southern Italy. The central "old town" of Catania features exuberant late-baroque architecture, prompted after the 1693 earthquake, and is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ancientindigenous population of Sicily, theSicels, named their villages after geographical attributes of their location. TheSiculian wordkatane 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.[10]
Around 263 BC, the city was variously known asCatĭna (Latin:[ˈkatɪna]) andCatăna (Latin:[ˈkatana];Ancient Greek:Κατάνη[katánɛː]).[a] The former has been primarily used for its supposed assonance withcatina, the Latin feminization of the namecatinus.[11]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 theemirate of Sicily, it was known inArabic asBalad al-fīl (بلد الفيل) andMadīnat al-fīl (مدينة الفيل), respectively meaning "the Village (or Country) of the Elephant" and "the City of the Elephant".[12] 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 wasQaṭāniyyah (قطانية), allegedly from the Arabic word for the "leguminous plants".[13] Pulses likelentils, beans, peas,broad beans, andlupins were chiefly cultivated in the plains around the city well before the arrival ofAghlabids. Afterwards, many Arabic agronomists developed these crops and thecitrus orchards in the area around the city. The toponymWādī Mūsá (وادي موسى), or "the Valley of Moses" (from the Arabic name of theSimeto River), was rarely used.[13][14][15]
Around 729 BC, the ancient village ofKatane was occupied byChalcidian Greek settlers from nearbyNaxos along the coast. It became the Chalcidian colony ofKatánē under a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus) and the native population was rapidlyHellenised.[16][17]
Thucydides states that it came into existence slightly later than Leontini (modernLentini), which he claims was five years afterSyracuse, or 730 BC.[18]
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.
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 theCampus 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 theLatin poets, of whom the youngerLucilius andClaudian have dwelt upon it at considerable length.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
Catania appears to have remained independent until the conquest by the despotHieron 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 ofSyracusans andPeloponnesians. Hieron changed the city's name toΑἴτνη (Aítnē, Aetna or Ætna, after the nearbyMount Etna, and proclaimed himself theOekist or founder of the new city. For this he was celebrated byPindar, and after his death he received heroic honours from the citizens of his new colony.[33]
A few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion ofThrasybulus of Syracuse, the Syracusans combined withDucetius, king of theSicels, to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who went on to settle in the fortress ofInessa (to which they gave the name Aetna). The old Chalcidic citizens returned to the city in 461 BC.[34]
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 theexpedition to Sicily pursued by theAthenians to punish Syracuse. Initially the Catanaeans refused to allow the Athenians into their city, but after the latter had forced an entrance, the Athenian leaderAlcibiades 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.[35] 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 withCampanian mercenaries. However, theCarthaginians would take possession of Catania underHimilco andMago, after the nearby great navalBattle of Catana (397 BC) where they defeatedLeptines of Syracuse, and in 396 BC forcing the local Campanian mercenaries to relocate toAetna.[36]
Calippus, the assassin ofDion of Syracuse, held Catania for a time (Plut.Dion. 58); and whenTimoleon landed in Sicily in 344 BC Catania was subject to the despotMamercus who at first joined theCorinthian leader, but afterwards abandoned this allegiance for that of the Carthaginians. As a consequence he was attacked and expelled by Timoleon in 338 BC.[37]
Catania was now restored to a fragile independence; changing sides during the wars starting in 311 BC ofAgathocles of Syracuse with the Carthaginians. WhenPyrrhus landed in Sicily in 278 BC, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and welcomed him with great splendor.[38]
During theFirst Punic War, Catania was one of the first cities of Sicily to submit to theRoman Republic after their first successes in 263 BC when it was taken byValerius Messalla.[39][40] A sundial was part of the booty which was placed in theComitium in Rome.[41] Since then the city became acivitas 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, built a gymnasium here.[42]
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 (modernTaormina) and Messana (modernMessina), it rose to a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule.
One of the most seriouseruptions ofMount Etna 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.[44] The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catana (now called thePiana di Catania, a district of great fertility), appears to have belonged, inancient times, to Leontini or Centuripa (modernCenturipe), 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 repeatedly mentions it as, in his time, a wealthy and flourishing city; it retained its ancient municipal institutions, itschief magistrate bearing the title ofProagorus; and appears to have been one of the principal ports of Sicily for the export of corn.[45]
In theSicilian revolt from 44 BCSextus 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 atMessana, 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 ofcolony by Augustus which restored its prosperity through the settlement of veterans, so that inStrabo's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was flourishing.[46]
Another revolt led by the gladiator Selurus in 35 BC created mayhem for a while.[47]
The Roman aqueduct of Catania was the longest in Roman Sicily at 24 kilometres (15 mi), starting from the springs of Santa Maria di Licodia.
It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of theRoman Empire; so that in the 4th centuryAusonius in hisOrdo Nobilium Urbium, notices Catania and Syracuse alone among the cities of Sicily.[48]
Catania was sacked by theVandals ofGaiseric in 440–441. After a period under theOstrogoths, it was reconquered in 535 by theEastern 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 anIslamic emirate for two centuries, after which it fell to theNormans ofRoger 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 emperorHenry 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 theSicilian Vespers revolt (1282) against theHouse 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 theWar of the Sicilian Vespers. After a civil revolt in 1299, the city was captured by an Angevin army, whichoccupied the city until the Angevins evacuated their holdings on Sicily in 1302.[49]
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 longWar 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 theCrown of Aragon, and kept its autonomy and original privileges specially during the period from 1282 to 1410.
With the unification of Castile and Aragon (early 16th century[50]), Sicily became part of the Spanish Empire. It rebelled against the foreign government in 1516 and 1647.[51]
In 1669 the city's surroundings suffered great material damage from the1669 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 heavy1693 Sicily earthquake and its aftershocks. The city was then rebuilt in theBaroque architecture that nowadays characterizes it.
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.[52]
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.[53] 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.
DuringWorld War II, Catania was heavily bombed by the Allied air forces, owing to the presence of two of the main Axis airfields in Sicily (Gerbini andFontanarossa) and for its strategically important port andmarshalling yard. Altogether, the city suffered eighty-seven air raids. The heaviest took place in the spring and summer of 1943, before and during theAllied 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.[54][55][56][57] After heavy fighting across eastern Sicily, Catania was eventually captured by theBritish 8th Army on 5 August 1943.[58]
After the conflict, and the constitution of theItalian 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 theMezzogiorno, namely a heavy gap in industrial development and infrastructures, and the threat ofthe 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 theForza Italia administration of mayor Scapagnini in 2008.[59]
As observed byStrabo, the location of Catania at the foot ofMount Etna 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)
Twosubterranean rivers run under the city; the Amenano, which surfaces at one single point south of Piazza Duomo, and the Longane (or Lognina).[60]
Catania experiences ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa).[61] The city has hot summers, one of the hottest in the whole country of Italy. Temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) are surpassed almost every year a couple of times.[citation needed]
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 500 millimetres (20 inches) of rain per year, although the amount can vary greatly from year to year, from over 1,200 mm (47 in) to under 250 mm (9.8 in).
During winter nights, lows can occasionally reach below freezing. Highs under 10 °C (50 °F) may happen during winter.[62] Snow, due to the presence ofEtna 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.
Climate data for Catania-Sigonella, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present
As of 2025, there are 297,517 people residing in Catania, of whom 48.3% were male and 51.7% were female. Minors total 16.6% of the population compared to pensioners who number 23.5%. This compares with the Italian average of 14.9% minors and 24.7 percent pensioners.[2]
The average age of Catania residents is 41 compared to the Italian average of 42.[citation needed] In the 10 years between 2011 and 2021, the population of Catania increased by 2.5%, whileItaly as a whole declined by 0.7%.[67]
The currentbirth rate of Catania is 10.07 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. As of 2006[update], 98.03% of the population wasItalian. The largest immigrant groups come fromSub-Saharan Africa: 0.69%,South Asia: 0.46%, and from otherEuropean countries (particularly fromUkraine andPoland): 0.33%. There is currently a small community of Samaritans from Israel.
The City proper (in red, first image) and the Metropolitan area (in red, second image) within theMetropolitan City
The subdivision of the City proper in sixcircoscrizioni
TheMetropolitan City of Catania was established in 2015 and replaced the formerProvince of Catania. It includes the city proper and 57comuni (municipalities). The population of the Metropolitan City is 1,107,702.[68]
The Metropolitan area of Catania includes thecomune of Catania (311,584 inhabitants[68]) and 26 surroundingcomuni[69] forming an urban belt (498,650 inhabitants[68]). The total population of the Metropolitan area of Catania is therefore 810,234. Thecomuni of the Metropolitan area are:
The city of Catania proper (comune di Catania) is divided in sixadministrative areas calledcircoscrizioni. The current administrative setup was established in 2013, modifying previous setups dating back to 1971, 1978 and 1995.
The six areas are:
Centro storico
Picanello-Ognina/Barriera-Canalicchio
Borgo-Sanzio
San Giovanni Galermo-Trappeto-Cibali
Monte Po-Nesima/San Leone-Rapisardi
San Giorgio-Librino/San Giuseppe La Rena-Zia Lisa-Villaggio Sant'Agata
The symbol of the city isu Liotru, or theFontana dell'Elefante, assembled in 1736 byGiovanni Battista Vaccarini. It portrays an ancient lavic stone elephant and is topped by an Egyptian obelisk fromSyene. 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.
TheSicilian nameu 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 thatHeliodorus himself was the sculptor of the lava elephant and that he used to magically ride it in his fantastic travels from Catania toConstantinople.[70] 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 UpperPaleolithic, includeddwarf elephants. PaleontologistOthenio Abel suggested that the presence ofdwarf elephants inSicily may be the origin of the legend of theCyclops.Ancient Greeks, after finding the skulls ofdwarf elephants, about twice the size of ahuman skull, with a large centralnasal cavity (mistaken for a large single eye socket) supposed that they were skulls of giants with a single eye.
TheCatanian Museum ofMineralogy,Paleontology andVulcanology holds the integral unburied skeleton of anElephas falconeri in an excellent state of conservation. The first inhabitants of Etna molded such lavic artifacts to idolize the mythical proboscidian.
Over the course of recorded history, the city has been buried by lava seventeen times. Beneath the present-day Catania lie the remains of theRoman city that once stood here, and below that, the earlierGreek settlement. Many ancientRoman 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.
San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata backs Cavea of the Greek-Roman Theatre
The Baroque heart of Catania belongs to the Late Baroque Towns of theVal di Noto, a group of cities in southeastern Sicily celebrated for their post-earthquake reconstruction.
Church of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato (1796)[71]
Sanctuary ofOur Lady of Ognina (1308).[72]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),[73] 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 TempleAthena Longatis orParthenos Longatis that existed on the steep reef. This cult was described byTzetses as imported from aBoeotian region ofGreece calledLongas, which is otherwise unknown.[74] After the earthquake of 1693 it was rebuilt in the same place, but with a different orientation.
Catania is the first economic and industrial hub of Sicily. The city is famous for its mainlypetrochemical industry, and the extraction ofsulphur. 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).[79]
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".[citation needed] The economy of Catania suffered heavily from the bad effects ofWorld War I, and was marked by an economic crisis and recession that culminated in the 1920s.[citation needed] Since then, the city lost its industrial and entrepreneurial importance.[citation needed] In the 1930s, Catania remained a small fishing town with derelict and disused industries. However, after the destruction ofWorld War II, Catania's economy began to re-grow in the late-1950s and early-1960s.[citation needed] 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".[citation needed] 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 asSTMicroelectronics, and also several chemical andpharmaceutical businesses. There have been several new business developments to further boost Catania's economy, including the construction of Etnapolis,[80] a bigshopping mall designed byMassimiliano Fuksas, the same architect who designed theFieraMilano industrial fair in Milan, or the Etna Valley,[81] where several high-tech offices are located.
Tourism is a fast-growing industry in Catania. Lately, the administration and private companies have made several investments in thehospitality industry in order to make tourism a competitive sector in the Metropolitan City.Etnaland, a largeamusement andwater park located inBelpasso, is in the metropolitan area of Catania, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the city center. It is the largest of its kind in Southern Italy and attracts thousands of tourists, not only fromSicily, but also from the rest ofItaly. According toTripadvisor (2018) it is the third-largest water park inEurope.[82]
The seaport of Catania is linked to the road-rail distribution hub ofBologna. In September 2020Mercitalia Logistics opened the first full railway route to link the city to Northern Italy. It replaced an older mixed maritime-railway line.[83]
Established in 1434, theUniversity of Catania is the oldest university in Sicily.[84] Its academic nicknames are:Siculorum Gymnasium andSiciliae Studium Generale. It hosts 12 faculties and over 62,000 students;[85] and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Catania hosts theScuola superiore di Catania, linked to the University of Catania, aimed at excellence in education; they offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs for teachers.[86]
Catania is home to the prestigiousIstituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini[87] an advanced institute of musical studies (Conservatory) and theAccademia di Belle Arti an advanced institute of artistic studies.[88] Both institutions offer programs of university level for musical and artistic education.
Stesicoro Square and Bellini's Monument (Piazza Stesicoro – Monumento a Vincenzo Bellini)Teatro Massimo Bellini
Opera composerVincenzo Bellini was born inPalazzo Gravina-Cruyllas in the city center, the palace now houses a museum about him. TheTeatro 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.[89] He became the greatest writer ofVerismo, an Italianliterary movement akin toNaturalism.[90] 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.[89]Francesco Longo Mancini was a painter known for his paintings of nudes, who was born in Catania in 1880.
Catania hostsEtna Comics, a successfulcomic book convention now in its 12th edition, and theCatania Tango Festival, an internationalTango 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 theCatania Jazz Festival, which typically runs for several winter months with concerts in different locations.[91] In the late 1980s and during the 1990s Catania had an energetic and uniquepopular music scene.Indie pop andindie rock bands, local radio stations, and dynamicindependent music record labels sprung up as a result. As a result, in those years the city experienced a vital and effervescent cultural period. Artists likeCarmen Consoli andMario Venuti, and internationally known indie rock bands likeUzeda came out of this culturalmilieu.
Catania is home to manysports clubs covering a wide range of disciplines. The most famous club is theCatania FCfootball team, followed by approximately half a million supporters.[92] Another club standing out from the rest isAS Orizzonte Catania, which is the leading women'swater polo 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 August 2025) with 80 National Championships titles, ahead ofNaples and ofBari.
As for individual sports, 56 athletes from Catania have won world titles, 54 have won European titles and 139 have won national titles.
In theOlympic Games, over the years,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 August 2025)
Number of Titles
Club
Sport
Gender
Years
Notes
25
Orizzonte Catania
Water Polo
Female
1992 to 2006, 2008 to 2011, 2019, 2021 to 2025
15 years in a row (highest record in all Sports and both genders)
10
Polisportiva Canottieri Catania
Canoe Polo
Female
2011, 2013 to 2022
9 years in a row (in 2020 the title was not assigned due to thecoronavirus pandemic and the related sanitary restrictions)
Catania holds theCatania-Etna car competition, organized by theAutomobile 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.[93]
From 1960 to 2011 Catania held the International event namedTrofeo Sant'Agata, aroad running competition which took place in the streets of the city center, every year on 3 February (the day theFestival of Saint Agatha begins).
The city also hosted a series of International Sports Events:
Food is an important part of Catania's culture and way of life. Local cuisine emphasizes several traits ofSicilian 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 ofMount Etna. Typical specialties from the city includecipollina (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),crispelle (deep fried dough balls withricotta or anchovies filling).
During street fairs and religious festivals, street stalls sellcalia e simenza (toasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds). Typical from old street markets aresangeli (cooked pork blood),quarumi (pork tripe),zuzzu (pork jelly),mauru (edible seaweed), and raw seafood.Horse meat is very traditional and is sold in shops calledarrusti e mancia ("roast it and eat it"), which roast the meat in streetside barbecues.[94]
Apart from street food, typical dishes from Catania are:pasta alla Norma (pasta with fried aubergine, tomato sauce and ricotta salata cheese), named after thenamesake opera byVincenzo Bellini;pasta cco niuru (pasta in cuttlefish ink),maccu (fava beans purée),bastaddi affucati orbrocculi affucati (stewed cauliflower or broccoli),caponata (sautéed vegetables) andscacciata (a pie filled with tuma cheese) which is traditional duringChristmastime.[95]
Catania is also famous for itspasticceria (pastries and cakes). Pastries vary according to season and to seasonal events: during theFestival of Saint Agatha, patron saint of the city, there are thecassatelle (smallcassatas) andolivette (olive shapedalmond paste). InEaster, there areaceddi ccu l'ovu (boiled eggs covered in biscuit). Insummer there isgranita. During theFesta dei morti (traditional celebrations inAll Souls' Day) there are biscuits calledossa di mortu,rame di Napoli andnsuddi.
Drinkkiosks are everywhere in town and servesoft drinks. Traditional soft drinks are made by mixing fruit syrups withsoda and other flavors such asanisette.
The motorways serving Catania are the A18Messina-Catania and the A19Palermo-Catania; and the prosecution of the A18 going from Catania toSyracuse and toGela.
In the late 1990s, the first line of anunderground railway (Metropolitana di Catania) was built. The underground service started in 1999 and it is currently active on a route of 8.8 km (5.5 mi), 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.[97] The line is planned to be extended from thesatellite city ofPaternò toFontanarossa Airport.
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 4.7 km (2.9 mi), while 3% travel for over 12 km (7.5 mi) in a single direction.[98]
The site of what was to become the majorAustralian city ofAdelaide 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.[102]
^Roman writers fluctuate between the two forms Catana and Catina, of which the latter is, perhaps, the most common, and is supported by inscriptions (Orell. 3708, 3778); but the analogy of the GreekΚατάνη, and the modern Catania, would point to the former as the more correct.
^Pliny iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9; Itin. Ant. pp. 87,90, 93, 94.
^Stanton, Charles D. “LAURIA’S LAST GREAT CAMPAIGN (SUMMER 1299–SPRING 1300).” InRoger of Lauria (c.1250-1305): “Admiral of Admirals,” NED-New edition., 271–88. Boydell & Brewer, 2019.doi:10.2307/j.ctvd58tqg.23.
^La Mecca is not named after the Saudiholy city, but a vernacular Catanian word that identifies a "silk mill" that existed, in effect, in its vicinity.
^CommonwealthWar Graves Commission – Catania War Cemetery[3]
^Veterans Affairs Canada – Anciens Combattants Canada – Catania War Cemetery[4]
^Underground railway of Catania from Subways.net[5]Archived 29 June 2009 at theWayback Machine and from CityRailways.net in(in Italian)[6] and (translation)[7]
Correnti, Santi; Santino Spartà (2007).Le strade di Catania. Rome: Newton & Compton.
Various.Enciclopedia di Catania. Tringale.
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,ISBN978-88-7751-273-4
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