Catania
Second-largest Sicilian city by population, at the base of Mount Etna.
Catania is the second-largest city in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy by population, after Palermo, though Messina has a larger area. It is the centre of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, which is among the largest in Italy, and hosts one of the main airports of Sicily (typically ranking around 7th or 8th in Italy by passenger traffic). The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks in Magna Graecia and has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes, including a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, a major eruption and lava flow from Mount Etna in 1669, and severe devastation from the 1693 Sicily earthquake. During the 14th century and into the Renaissance period, Catania was one of Italy's most important cultural, artistic and political centres, and it was the site of Sicily's first university, founded in 1434.
Quick Facts
- Official Name
- Comune di Catania
- Metropolitan City
- Catania (CT)
- Frazioni
- Bicocca, Codavolpe, Junghetto, Pantano d'Arci, Paradiso degli Aranci, Passo Cavaliere, Passo del Fico, Passo Martino, Primosole, Reitano, Vaccarizzo, Villaggio Delfino
- Mayor
- Enrico Trantino
- Mayor Party
- Brothers of Italy
- Elevation M
- 7
- Population As Of
- 2026
- Population Total
- 296984
- Population Demonym
- Catanese
- Telephone
- 095
- Postalcode
- 95131
- Istat
- 087015
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Catania was founded around 729 BC by Chalcidian Greek settlers from nearby Naxos, under a leader named Euarchos. The native Sicel population was rapidly Hellenised. The city's acropolis was on the hill of Monte Vergine. In 476 BC, the despot Hieron of Syracuse expelled the original inhabitants and repopulated the city with his subjects, renaming it Aetna. After Hieron's death, the old Chalcidic citizens returned in 461 BC. Catania became involved with the Athenian expedition against Syracuse in 415 BC, serving as the Athenian headquarters for the first year. In 403 BC, Dionysius I of Syracuse plundered the city and sold its citizens as slaves, repopulating it with Campanian mercenaries. The Carthaginians later took possession under Himilco and Mago after the naval Battle of Catana in 397 BC. During the First Punic War, Catania was one of the first Sicilian cities to submit to the Roman Republic in 263 BC.
Reader's Guide
Catania's significance lies in its long history as a major urban centre in Sicily, from its Greek foundation through Roman rule and into the modern era. It has been a cultural and artistic hub, home to composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini, and writers Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Federico De Roberto and Nino Martoglio. The city's university, founded in 1434, was Sicily's first. Catania's late-baroque old town, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Catania is the industrial, logistical, and commercial centre of Sicily, with the largest airport in Southern Italy. Its location at the base of Mount Etna has shaped its history through repeated geologic catastrophes, including the 1669 lava flow and the 1693 earthquake. The city's name may derive from the Siculian word katane, meaning 'grater' or 'rough soil,' reflecting its black-lava landscape.
Did You Know?
- Catania was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169.
- A major eruption and lava flow from Mount Etna nearly swamped the city in 1669.
- The city's central old town features exuberant late-baroque architecture constructed after the 1693 earthquake and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Catania's airport, Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, typically ranks around 7th or 8th in Italy by passenger traffic, behind Naples and Bari airports in Southern Italy.
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