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81-542: The creation of what was to finally become the Teatro Massimo Bellini took almost two hundred years, beginning with discussions following the disastrous 1693 earthquake which completely destroyed Catania. The construction of a public theatre was discussed, and a foundation stone was finally laid in 1812. Architect Salvatore Zahra Buda began to prepare a plan for a theatre in the Piazza Nuovaluce, in front of

162-460: A hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ). 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. 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

243-628: 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 the emirate of Sicily , it was known in Arabic as Balad al-fīl ( بلد الفيل ) and Madīnat al-fīl ( مدينة الفيل ), respectively meaning "the Village (or Country) of the Elephant" and "the City of the Elephant". The Elephant likely referred to the ancient lava sculpture, now placed over

324-470: A civil one made up of nobles, and another that was ecclesiastical made up of senior church officials. They were directed to meet twice weekly, and were charged with the drawing up of plans for the reconstruction of the worst affected towns and cities. The initial reconstruction efforts concentrated on restoring the military defences of Syracuse, Augusta, Catania and Acireale, due to their strategic importance. The reconstruction plans were of three types: move

405-535: 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) Two subterranean rivers run under the city; the Amenano, which surfaces at one single point south of Piazza Duomo, and the Longane (or Lognina). Catania experiences

486-472: A lake a few kilometres long. Several large northwest-southeast trending fractures were created up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) long and 2 metres (6.6 ft) wide, on the plains just south of Catania. In the same area, sand volcanoes were formed by jets of water spurting as much as several metres into the air, with similar phenomena being reported from the Lentini plain and along some river valleys. At Augusta

567-452: A large fleet of warships at his base at Messana , 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

648-787: A later phase trending SSW-NNE that clearly offsets the first group, including the Avola fault and the Rosolini-Ispica fault system. A destructive earthquake occurred two days before the mainshock at 21:00 local time, centered in the Val di Noto. It had an estimated magnitude of 6.2 and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII–XI on the Mercalli intensity scale . Intensities of VIII or higher have been estimated for Augusta , Avola Vecchia , Floridia , Melilli , Noto Antica , Catania , Francofonte , Lentini , Scicli , Sortino and Vizzini . Augusta lies well outside

729-462: A local center of learning. The philosopher and legislator Charondas (late 6th c. BC), born in Catania, putatively wrote program of laws used here and in other Chalcidic cities, both in Sicily and through Magna Graecia . suggesting a link between Catania and other cities during this time. The poets Ibycus and Stesichorus ( c.  630 –555 BC) lived in Catania. The latter putatively was buried in

810-455: A magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, therefore named Porta Stesichoreia . Xenophanes ( c.  570 -475 BC), one of the founders of the Eleatic school of philosophy, also spent the latter years of his life in the city. The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute was also ascribed to Andron , a citizen of Catania. Catania appears to have remained independent until

891-619: 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 the Sicilian Vespers revolt (1282) against the House 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 the War of the Sicilian Vespers . After a civil revolt in 1299,

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972-565: A position of great prosperity under the Roman rule. Around 135 BC during the First Servile War , it was conquered by rebel slaves. One of the most serious eruptions of Mount 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

1053-533: A smaller theatre - the "Provisional Municipal Theatre" – was built instead, and it opened in 1822 (but was destroyed during the Second World War). Meanwhile, the Teatro Nuovaluce, after being partially completed and converted into a multi-purpose hall, was devoted mainly to summer use until 1865 when it was sold privately to finance the construction of a new theatre. In 1870, the theatre architect Carlo Sada

1134-734: A territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria , and Malta on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on 9 January. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale , the most powerful in Italian recorded history, and a maximum intensity of XI ( Extreme ) on the Mercalli intensity scale , destroying at least 70 towns and cities, seriously affecting an area of 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and causing

1215-550: A time (Plut. Dion. 58); and when Timoleon landed in Sicily in 344 BC Catania was subject to the despot Mamercus who at first joined the Corinthian leader, but afterwards abandoned this allegiance for that of the Carthaginians. As a consequence he was attacked and expelled by Timoleon in 338 BC. Catania was now restored to a fragile independence; changing sides during the wars starting in 311 BC of Agathocles of Syracuse with

1296-455: A wealthy and flourishing city; it retained its ancient municipal institutions, its chief magistrate bearing the title of Proagorus ; and appears to have been one of the principal ports of Sicily for the export of corn. In the Sicilian revolt from 44 BC Sextus Pompeius selected Sicily as his base and Catania gave in to Sextus' revolt and joined his forces. Sextus amassed a formidable army and

1377-438: Is an example of a city rebuilt entirely to its existing plan. Ragusa was partly rebuilt on its old site to the medieval plan ( Ragusa Ibla ) and partly on a new, but neighbouring site, to a 'modern' plan ( Ragusa Superiore ). The degree and extent of the damage caused by the earthquake prompted an architectural revival in the towns of Sicily and Malta , a style that has become known as Sicilian Baroque . At this time many of

1458-629: Is available. This earthquake caused widespread damage, particularly in Augusta where almost half of the houses were destroyed. Most of the buildings in two districts of Avola collapsed and many buildings were also destroyed in Noto, Floridia, Lentini and Mellili. Some buildings collapsed in Catania, Vizzini and Sortini. There were an estimated 200 deaths in both Augusta and Noto . The area of severe damage covered most of southeastern Sicily, an area of about 14,000 square kilometres (5,400 sq mi), including all

1539-537: Is supported by the observation of possible landslide bodies along the Hyblean-Malta escarpment. Historic documents in the Archivo General de Simancas mention dozens of aftershocks, some as late as August 1694, and some reportedly as strong as the initial quake of 11 January 1693. Aftershocks continued until at least 1696, with their effects concentrated in towns along the coast, supporting an epicentre either near

1620-663: The Metropolitan City of Catania , which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702. Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks in Magna Graecia . The city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169 . A major eruption and lava flow from nearby Mount Etna nearly swamped

1701-488: The Mezzogiorno , namely a heavy gap in industrial development and infrastructures, and the threat of the 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

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1782-579: The Siculo-Calabrian rift zone. This zone of extensional faulting runs for about 370 kilometres (230 mi), forming three main segments through Calabria, along the east coast of Sicily and immediately offshore, and finally forming the southeastern margin of the Hyblaean Plateau . Faults in the Calabrian segment were responsible for the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes sequence. In the southern part of

1863-402: The 'rift zones' that extend out to north and south from the summit. Estimates of Coulomb stress transfer due to the dyke intrusion in the rift zones associated with the 1669 eruption, suggest that this could have helped to trigger the 1693 earthquake, by increasing stress levels on the faults. Despite the difficulty of separating the effects of this event from the mainshock, some information

1944-695: The 150th anniversary of the birth of Bellini, Maria Callas sang Norma , repeating her success in 1952 and 1953. In recent years, there has been an infusion of about $ 2 million, leading to the celebration of the Bellini bicentennial during the 2001 season and to a major renovation of the house. The theater also operates the nearby smaller Teatro Sangiorgi , used for recitals, operetta, cinema, and drama. 37°30′15″N 15°05′24″E  /  37.50417°N 15.09000°E  / 37.50417; 15.09000 1693 Sicily earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily , then

2025-553: The 1693 earthquake, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The ancient indigenous population of Sicily, the Sicels , named their villages after geographical attributes of their location. The Siculian word katane 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,

2106-424: The 1693 tsunami. Offshore from Augusta, a sequence identified using chirp sonar data was sampled with a 6.7 metres (22 ft) gravity core in 72 metres (236 ft) of water. Following detailed analysis of both grain size and foraminifera assemblages, eleven possible high-energy events were found based on the presence of large numbers of shallow water forams combined with a greater proportion of fine sand in

2187-640: The Carthaginians. When Pyrrhus landed in Sicily in 278 BC, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and welcomed him with great splendor. During the First Punic War , Catania was one of the first cities of Sicily to submit to the Roman Republic after their first successes in 263 BC when it was taken by Valerius Messalla . A sundial was part of the booty which was placed in the Comitium in Rome. Since then

2268-406: The Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Catania residents is 41 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Catania declined by 3.35 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.85 percent. The reason for this population decline in the comune di Catania is mainly due to a large segment of

2349-447: The Italian average of 9.45 births. As of 2006 , 98.03% of the population was Italian . The largest immigrant groups come from Sub-Saharan Africa : 0.69%, South Asia : 0.46%, and from other European countries (particularly from Ukraine and Poland ): 0.33%. There is currently a small community of Samaritans from Israel. Around 729 BC, the ancient village of Katane was occupied by Chalcidian Greek settlers from nearby Naxos along

2430-550: The Roman state. The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catana (now called the Piana di Catania , a district of great fertility), appears to have belonged, in ancient times , to Leontini or Centuripa (modern Centuripe ), 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,

2511-465: The Santa Maria di Nuovaluce monastery, the location of the present-day theatre. It was decided that a "Great Municipal Theatre" worthy of an expanding city should be created; the plan of the "Teatro Nuovaluce" (New Light Theatre) was a grandiose one in all respects, and was conceived to create one of the most innovative works in Italy. Due to funding problems, work had to stop for some years. Meanwhile,

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2592-559: 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. 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. During World War II , Catania

2673-662: The Val Demone and Val di Noto regions of Sicily respectively. Due to illness, both the Prince of Aragon and his replacement the bishop of Syracuse were unable to take up the position of Vicar General for Val di Noto and the Duke of Camastra was forced to take on the responsibility for both areas. Camastra already had considerable experience as an administrator, having served in a number of senior military and judicial positions. The Viceroy also appointed three generals as commissioners in order to organise

2754-517: The Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) , inscribed in 1992, referring to the "exceptional quality" of the region's art and architecture. Catania Catania ( / k ə ˈ t ɑː n i ə / , also UK : /- ˈ t eɪ n -/ , US : /- ˈ t æ n -/ ; Sicilian and Italian: [kaˈtaːnja] ) is the second-largest municipality in Sicily , after Palermo , both by area and by population. Despite its reputation as

2835-411: 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. Snow, due to the presence of Etna that protects the city from the northern winds, is an uncommon occurrence, but occasional snow flurries have been seen over

2916-530: The associated tsunami, involving either rupture along a normal fault, part of the Siculo-Calabrian rift zone, or rupture along the subduction zone beneath the Ionian Sea. An analysis of the distribution of tsunami run-ups along the coast suggests that a submarine landslide triggered by the earthquake is the most likely source, in which case the tsunami provides no constraint on the epicenter. A landslide origin

2997-486: The central arches. The beautiful red-plush interior includes the main floor seating and four tiers of boxes. Surrounding them, on the upper level, are unusual arched arcades. The painted ceiling by Ernesto Bellandi depicts scenes from four of Bellini's most well-known operas. Throughout its history, the opera house has performed almost all of Bellini's work. From its beginnings, a wide variety of operas have been performed by some highly renowned singers. In 1951, to mark

3078-475: The city became a civitas 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. 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 (modern Taormina ) and Messana (modern Messina ), it rose to

3159-467: The city has always been rebuilt within its black-lava landscape. Around 263 BC, the city was variously known as Catĭna ( Latin: [ˈkatɪna] ) and Catăna ( Latin: [ˈkatana] ; Ancient Greek : Κατάνη [katánɛː] ). The former has been primarily used for its supposed assonance with catina , the Latin feminization of the name catinus . Catinus has two meanings: "a gulf,

3240-456: The city in 1669 and it suffered 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. It was the site of Sicily's first university , founded in 1434. It has been the native or adopted home of some of Italy's most famous artists and writers, including

3321-413: 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. At the onset of World War 1, Italy was part of a defensive alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary referred to as

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3402-553: The city was captured by an Angevin army, which occupied the city until the Angevins evacuated their holdings on Sicily in 1302. 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 long War of the Vesper between Aragonese and Angevines. Catania lost its capital role when, in

3483-485: The city, sold its citizens as slaves, and repopulated the town with Campanian mercenaries. However, the Carthaginians would take possession of Catania under Himilco and Mago , after the nearby great naval Battle of Catana (397 BC) where they defeated Leptines of Syracuse , and in 396 BC forcing the local Campanian mercenaries to relocate to Aetna . Calippus , the assassin of Dion of Syracuse , held Catania for

3564-481: The coast or offshore. The tsunami triggered by the earthquake affected most of the Ionian Sea coast of Sicily, about 230 kilometres (140 mi) in all. The first thing that was noted at all localities affected was a withdrawal of the sea. The strongest effects were concentrated around Augusta, where the initial withdrawal left the harbour dry, followed by a wave of at least 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) height, possibly as much as 8 metres (26 ft), that inundated part of

3645-461: The coast. It became the Chalcidian colony of Katánē under a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus) and the native population was rapidly Hellenised . Thucydides states that it came into existence slightly later than Leontini (modern Lentini ), which he claims was five years after Syracuse , or 730 BC. The settlement's acropolis was on the hill of Monte Vergine, a defensible hill immediately west of

3726-537: The composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini , and the writers Giovanni Verga , Luigi Capuana , Federico De Roberto and Nino Martoglio . Catania today is the industrial, logistical, and commercial centre of Sicily. Its airport, the Catania–Fontanarossa Airport , is the largest in Southern Italy. The central "old town" of Catania features exuberant late- baroque architecture , prompted after

3807-473: The conquest by the despot Hieron 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 of Syracusans and Peloponnesians . Hieron changed the city's name to Αἴτνη ( Aítnē , Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby Mount Etna , and proclaimed himself the Oekist or founder of

3888-409: 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

3969-515: The death of about 60,000 people. The earthquake was followed by tsunamis that devastated the coastal villages on the Ionian Sea and in the Straits of Messina . Almost two-thirds of the entire population of Catania were killed. The epicentre of the disaster was probably close to the coast, possibly offshore, although the exact position remains unknown. The extent and degree of destruction caused by

4050-540: The early 15th century, Sicily was turned into a member of the Crown of Aragon , and kept its autonomy and original privileges specially during the period from 1282 to 1410. In 1434 King Alfonso V founded here the Siciliae Studium Generale , the oldest university in the island. With the unification of Castile and Aragon (early 16th century ), Sicily became part of the Spanish Empire. It rebelled against

4131-620: The earthquake resulted in the extensive rebuilding of the towns and cities of southeastern Sicily, particularly the Val di Noto , in a homogeneous late Baroque style , described as "the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe". According to a contemporary account of the earthquake by Vincentius Bonajutus, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society , "It

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4212-499: The eastern coast of Sicily, investigations have identified a series of active normal faults , dipping to the east. Most of these lie offshore and some control basins that contain large thicknesses of Quaternary sediments. The two largest faults, known as the western and eastern master faults, border half-grabens with fills of up to 700 metres (2,300 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) respectively. Onshore, two ages of faulting have been recognised, an earlier phase trending NW-SE and

4293-495: The foreign government in 1516 and 1647. In 1669 the city's surroundings suffered great material damage from the 1669 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 heavy 1693 Sicily earthquake and its aftershocks. The city was then rebuilt in the Baroque architecture that nowadays characterizes it. Catania

4374-573: 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 was Qaṭāniyyah ( قطانية ), allegedly from the Arabic word for the " leguminous plants ". Pulses like lentils , beans, peas, broad beans , and lupins were chiefly cultivated in

4455-500: The immediate relief efforts in the worst affected cities. One of the Duke of Camastra's first acts was to temporarily exempt the worst affected areas from taxes. Amongst other administrators sent to the damaged area was Colonel Don Carlos de Grunenbergh , royal engineer to the King of Spain, who had experience in planning and building fortifications. In Palermo, the Viceroy formed two councils,

4536-506: The latter had forced an entrance, the Athenian leader Alcibiades 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. After the defeat of the Athenians, Catania was again threatened by Syracuse. In 403 BC, Dionysius I of Syracuse plundered

4617-408: The main zone of severe shaking; its extensive damage is probably due to its construction on unconsolidated sediments. From the shape and location of the area of maximum damage, the earthquake is thought to have been caused by movement on the Avola fault. The earthquake lasted for four minutes, according to contemporary accounts. The estimated magnitude of 7.4 is taken from the extent and degree of

4698-562: The name Aetna). The old Chalcidic citizens returned to the city in 461 BC. 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 the expedition to Sicily pursued by the Athenians to punish Syracuse. Initially the Catanaeans refused to allow the Athenians into their city, but after

4779-463: The new city. For this he was celebrated by Pindar , and after his death he received heroic honours from the citizens of his new colony. A few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion of Thrasybulus of Syracuse , the Syracusans combined with Ducetius , king of the Sicels , to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who went on to settle in the fortress of Inessa (to which they gave

4860-504: The palazzi, public buildings, cathedrals and churches were reconstructed in this style. Towns that suffered serious damage from the earthquake in which many of their structures were rebuilt, include Syracuse , Ragusa , Catania , Caltagirone , Palazzolo Acreide , Modica , Comiso , Scicli and Mdina on Malta . Many of these towns now form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Late Baroque Towns of

4941-634: The period of the Roman Empire ; so that in the 4th century Ausonius in his Ordo Nobilium Urbium , notices Catania and Syracuse alone among the cities of Sicily. Catania was sacked by the Vandals of Gaiseric in 440–441. After a period under the Ostrogoths , it was reconquered in 535 by the Eastern Roman Empire , under which (aside from a short period in 550–555) it remained until the 9th century. It

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5022-506: The plains around the city well before the arrival of Aghlabids . Afterwards, many Arabic agronomists developed these crops and the citrus orchards in the area around the city. The toponym Wādī Mūsá ( وادي موسى ), or "the Valley of Moses" (from the Arabic name of the Simeto River), was rarely used. As observed by Strabo , the location of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna has been both

5103-466: The population leaving the city centre to go to live in the uptown residential areas of the comuni of the Metropolitan area. As a result of this, while the population in the comune di Catania declines, the population of the hinterland comuni increases making the overall population of the Metropolitan area increase. The current birth rate of Catania is 10.07 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to

5184-537: The population to flee to the countryside. After heavy fighting across eastern Sicily, Catania was eventually captured by the British 8th Army on 5 August 1943. After the conflict, and the constitution of the Italian 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

5265-402: The present provinces of Catania , Ragusa and Syracuse . At least 70 cities, towns and villages were devastated, with some examples of at least partial building collapse as far afield as Messina , Agrigento , Palermo , Reggio Calabria and Malta . The earthquake also triggered large landslides, such as at Noto Antica and Sortino, and in one case a large rockslide dammed a stream, forming

5346-460: 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. In January 2015, there were 315,601 people residing in Catania, of whom 47.2% were male and 52.8% were female. Minors (people under age 18) totalled 20.50 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 18.87 percent. This compares with

5427-468: The recorded damage, with a very large area that reached X ( Extreme ) or more on the Mercalli scale. The maximum shaking reached XI in the towns of Buscemi , Floridia , Melilli , Occhiola and Sortino . The source of the 11 January earthquake is debated. Some catalogues give an onshore epicentre without any direct association with a known structure, while others propose that the source was offshore due to

5508-449: The same interval. The uppermost two events correlate well with the tsunamis from the 1908 Messina earthquake and the 1693 earthquake. Although there are reports of an eruption at the time of the earthquake, most sources suggest that the volcano had been inactive since the destructive eruption of 1669 . Analysis of the relationship between eruptions and earthquakes has found that earthquakes are followed by long periods without activity in

5589-417: The same source was recorded as 54,000 with other sources referring to totals of about 60,000. In 1853, Mallet recorded 93,000 deaths, in his catalogue of earthquakes. Sicily was at the time ruled as part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain . The Viceroy in Madrid, the Duke of Uceda , reacted by appointing Giuseppe Lanza , the Duke of Camastra, and the Prince of Aragon as Vicars General for

5670-403: The second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, and among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts the main airport in Sicily (fifth-largest in Italy). The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna . It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as

5751-496: The status of colony by Augustus which restored its prosperity through the settlement of veterans, so that in Strabo 's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was flourishing. Another revolt led by the gladiator Selurus in 35 BC created mayhem for a while. 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

5832-562: The structure should be made into a single-purpose opera house. Finally, work proceeded well, and the theatre was completed in seven years, opening in May 1890. The style of the Catania theater is inspired by the French eclecticism of the second empire imposed on Paris by Charles Garnier with the Paris Opera. Its marble foyer, the “Ridotto”, is ornate and stuccoed, and a statue of Bellini is located between

5913-403: The town to a new site, rebuild at the same site with a completely new town plan or rebuild using the existing town plan. Examples of towns that fell in the first category were Avola and Noto, their former locations now being known as Avola Antica and Noto Antica. Catania is an example of a city that was rebuilt on the same site to a new plan while adapting some of the existing structures. Syracuse

5994-599: The town. The maximum inundation of about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) was recorded at Mascali . Tsunami deposits linked to the 1693 tsunami have been found both onshore and offshore. At Ognina, just south of Syracuse, at the head of a ria , a sequence containing several coarse clastic layers has been found, inconsistent with its lagoonal setting. The uppermost coarse layer, which has a strongly erosive base, consists of coarse sand with up to granule size clasts. The layer has been dated as 17th to 18th century based on pottery shards and one well-preserved clay pipe, consistent with

6075-666: The tsunami damaged galleys of the Knights of Malta that were anchored in the harbour when they were grounded during the initial withdrawal of the sea. The number of deaths recorded at the time in official sources were about 12,000 in Catania (63% of the population), 5,045 in Ragusa (51%), 3,500 in Syracuse (23%) 3,000 in Noto (25%), 1,840 in Augusta (30%) and 3,400 in Modica (19%). The total death toll in

6156-490: Was appointed to find a suitable site for the new theatre. Many location options were considered for the long desired "Massimo" theatre. One location was chosen only to be turned down with the original site being brought back into the picture. This time it was to be the location for a large, multi-purpose hall. Again, funding problems arose, and the plan was taken over by the Municipality. A Municipal committee then decided that

6237-626: Was heavily bombed by the Allied air forces, owing to the presence of two of the main Axis airfields in Sicily ( Gerbini and Fontanarossa ) and for its strategically important port and marshalling yard . Altogether, the city suffered eighty-seven air raids. The heaviest took place in the spring and summer of 1943, before and during the Allied 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

6318-591: Was in this country impossible to keep upon our legs, or in one place on the dancing Earth; nay, those that lay along on the ground, were tossed from side to side, as if on a rolling billow." Sicily lies on part of the complex convergent boundary where the African plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate . This subduction zone is responsible for the formation of the stratovolcano Mount Etna and considerable seismic activity. Most damaging earthquakes however, occur on

6399-583: Was one of the vanguards of the movement for Sicilian autonomy in the early 19th century. In 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi 's expedition of the Thousand conquered Sicily for Piedmont from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies . Since the following year Catania was part of the newly unified Italy , whose history it shares since then. The first half of the twentieth century was a cycle of repeated destruction and rebuilding for

6480-586: 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 the Campus 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 the Latin poets , of whom the younger Lucilius and Claudian have dwelt upon it at considerable length. The Greek polis of Catania appears to have been

6561-522: Was the seat of the Byzantine governor of the island. Catania was under an Islamic emirate for two centuries, after which it fell to the Normans of Roger 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 emperor Henry VI . In 1232 it rebelled to the former's son, Frederick II , who later built

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