Catania

Catania (Italian: [kaˈtaːnja]) is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and is the second-largest city in Sicily, the tenth in Italy, and the hundredth-largest city in the European Union.

Catania is known for its seismic history, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighboring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669.

Catania has had a long and eventful history, having been founded in the 8th century BC. In 1434, it witnessed the opening of the first university in Sicily. Then in the 14th century and into the Renaissance period, Catania was one of Italy's most important and flourishing cultural, artistic, and political centers.

Geography

Catania is located on the east coast of the main island of Sicily, at the foot of the Mount Etna.

As observed by Strabo the location of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna was both a source of benefits and of evils. On the one hand, the violent outbursts of the volcano from time to time desolated great parts of the city's territory. On the other, the volcanic ashes produced fertile soil, especially suitable for the growth of vines. (Strab. vi. p. 269.)

Province of Catania

Catania (Italian: Provincia di Catania; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Catania) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania.

It has an area of 3,552 square kilometres (1,371 sq mi) and a total population of about 1.1 million. There are 58 comunes (Italian: comuni) in the province , see Comunes of the Province of Catania. The main comunes by population are:

Territory

The province faces the Ionian Sea to the east, the Province of Messina to the north, the Province of Enna and the Province of Caltanissetta to the west, the Province of Siracusa and the Province of Ragusa to the south. Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano is located in the province.

Major roads

There are many major roads that cross the territory of the province. The S.S 114 (Messina-Catania-Siracusa) links many of the coastal towns from Messina to Siracusa, the S.S 121 (Catania-Caltanissetta-Palermo), which links the east coast to Palermo through the major towns of Misterbianco, Paternò and Adrano. There are also the A18 Messina-Catania and A19 Catania-Palermo motorways that pass through the province.