View source for Catania

{{Short description|City in Sicily, Italy}}
{{About||other uses|Province of Catania|and|Catania FC|and|Catania (surname)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name = Catania
| native_name =
| official_name = Comune di Catania
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
 |border = infobox
 |total_width = 282
 |image_style=border:1;
 |caption_align=center
 |perrow = 1/3/2
 |image1 = Catania vista dall'alto e il vulcano Etna a sovrastarla.jpg
 |caption1 = Skyline of the city with [[Mount Etna]] in the background
 |image2 = Catania - Chiesa di San Giuliano - 2024-10-14 08-28-47 038.JPG
 |caption2 = [[Badia di Sant'Agata]]
 |image3 = Basilica della Collegiata Catania 25-3-23.jpg
 |caption3 = [[Basilica della Collegiata]]
 |image4 = Teatro Massimo Vincenzo Bellini 2-11-24.jpg
 |caption4 = [[Teatro Massimo Bellini|T. Massimo Bellini]]
 |image5 = Teatro Romano di Catania 2024e.jpg
 |caption5 = [[Roman Theatre of Catania]]
 |image6 = Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-32-08 2 fj.JPG
 |caption6 = [[Catania Cathedral|Cathedral]] and [[Elephant Fountain]]
}}
| pushpin_label_position =
| region = {{RegioneIT|sigla=SIC}}
| metropolitan_city = [[Metropolitan City of Catania|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_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 7
| area_footnotes =<ref name="area">{{cite web|url=https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/156224|title=Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011|language=it|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 182.90
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>
| population_as_of = 2026
| population_total = 296,984
| population_demonym = Catanese
| telephone = 095
| postalcode = 95131
| istat = 087015
| saint = [[Agatha of Sicily|St. Agatha]]
| day = 5 February
| website = {{URL|http://www.comune.catania.it/}}
| module = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child = yes
| part_of = Late Baroque Towns of the [[Val di Noto]] (South-Eastern [[Sicily]])
| includes =
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i)(ii)(iv)(v)}}(i)(ii)(iv)(v)
| ID = 1024rev-002
| year = 2002
| area = {{convert|38.5|ha|sqft|abbr=on}}
| buffer_zone = {{convert|80.13|ha|sqft|abbr=on}}
}}
| image_flag = Catania-Bandiera (senza stemma).svg
| image_shield = Catania-Stemma.svg
| imagesize = 270px
| image_alt =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map = Sicily#Italy#Europe
| coordinates = {{coord|37|30|0|N|15|5|25|E|region:IT-CT_type:city(300601)|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| twin1 =
| twin1_country =
| postal_code = 95100
| area_code = 095
}}
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'''Catania''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|t|ɑː|n|i|ə}},<ref>{{cite EPD|18|Catania|page=79}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|UKalso|-|ˈ|t|eɪ|n|-}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|-|ˈ|t|æ|n|-}},<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190126220736/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Catania "Catania"] (US) and {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Catania |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Catania |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182138/https://www.lexico.com/definition/catania |archive-date=22 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Catania|access-date=8 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Catania |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/catania |access-date=26 July 2019 |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]]}}</ref> {{small|Sicilian and}} {{IPA|it|kaˈtaːnja|lang|It-Catania.ogg}}) is the second-largest city in the autonomous island region of [[Sicily]] in [[Italy]], after [[Palermo]], both by area and by population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sicilia / Sicily (Italy): Provinces, Major Cities & Communes – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/en/italy/cities/sicilia/ |access-date=2 June 2023 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> Despite being the second largest city of the island, Catania is the centre of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catania |url=https://www.studyinsicily.eu/it/destination/catania-2/ |access-date=23 April 2025 |website=Study in Sicily |publisher=INDIRE |language=it}}</ref> which is among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts [[Catania Airport|the main airport of 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 province known as the [[Metropolitan City of Catania]], which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 296,984, while the population of the metropolitan city is 1,067,550.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>

Catania was founded in the 8th century BC by Chalcidian Greeks in [[Magna Graecia]].<ref name="travelplan.it">{{cite web |title=Catania history – Catania culture – Catania – attractions in Catania – art Catania – history guide Catania – Italy Katane |url=http://www.travelplan.it/catania_guide_history_culture.htm |access-date=1 June 2010 |publisher=Travelplan.it}}</ref> The city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in [[1169 Sicily earthquake|1169]].<ref name="travelplan.it"/> A major eruption and lava flow from nearby [[Mount Etna]] nearly swamped the city in [[1669 eruption of Mount Etna|1669]] and it suffered severe devastation from the [[1693 Sicily earthquake]].<ref name="travelplan.it"/>

During the 14th century, and into the [[Renaissance]] period, Catania was one of Italy's most important cultural, artistic and political centres.<ref name="travelplan.it"/> It was the site of Sicily's first [[University of Catania|university]], founded in 1434.<ref name="travelplan.it"/> It has been the native or adopted home of some of Italy's most famous artists and writers, including 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]], constructed following the 1693 earthquake, and is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].[[File:Cataniavistaarea.jpg|thumb|upright|An aerial view of the port of Catania]]

== Etymology ==
The ancient [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous population]] of Sicily, the [[Sicels]], named their villages after geographical attributes of their location. The {{not a typo|[[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, the city has always been rebuilt within its black-lava landscape.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 November 2006 |title=The meaning of the name Catania |url=http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/ct/catania/catania.html |access-date=5 April 2011 |publisher=Sicilia.indettaglio.it}}</ref>

Around 263 BC, the city was variously known as ''Catĭna'' ({{IPA|la|ˈkatɪna|lang}}) and ''Catăna'' ({{IPA|la|ˈkatana|lang}}; {{langx|grc|Κατάνη}} {{IPA|el|katánɛː|}}).{{efn|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 Greek {{lang|grc|Κατάνη}}, and the modern Catania, would point to the former as the more correct.}} The former has been primarily used for its supposed assonance with ''catina'', the Latin feminization of the name ''catinus''.<ref>Holm Adolf (1925), ''Catania Antica'', G. Libertini</ref> ''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 the [[emirate of Sicily]], it was known in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] as ''Balad al-fīl'' ({{lang|ar|بلد الفيل}}) and ''Madīnat al-fīl'' ({{lang|ar|مدينة الفيل}}), respectively meaning "the Village (or Country) of the Elephant" and "the City of the Elephant".<ref>{{cite book |last=Amari |first=Michele |title=Edrisi, Il Libro di Re Ruggero |volume=I |page=71 |language=it}}</ref> 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 was ''Qaṭāniyyah'' ({{lang|ar|قطانية}}), allegedly from the Arabic word for the "[[Legume|leguminous plants]]".<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book |title=Enciclopedia di Catania |publisher=Tringale |year=1987 |language=it}}</ref> Pulses like [[lentil]]s, beans, peas, [[Vicia faba|broad beans]], and [[lupin]]s were chiefly cultivated in the plains around the city well before the arrival of [[Aghlabid]]s. Afterwards, many Arabic agronomists developed these crops and the [[citrus]] orchards in the area around the city. The toponym ''Wādī Mūsá'' ({{lang|ar|وادي موسى}}), or "the Valley of Moses" (from the Arabic name of the [[Simeto]] River), was rarely used.<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Correnti |first=Santi |title=La Città Semprerifiorente |publisher=Greco |year=1981 |location=Catania |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Correnti |first1=Santi |title=Le Strade di Catania |last2=Spartà |first2=Santino |publisher=Newton Compton |year=2007 |location=Rome |language=it}}</ref>

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Foundation ===
Around 729 BC, the ancient village of ''Katane'' was occupied by [[Chalcis|Chalcidian]] Greek settlers from nearby [[Naxos (Sicily)|Naxos]] along the coast. It became the Chalcidian colony of ''Katánē'' under a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus) and the native population was rapidly [[Hellenization|Hellenised]].<ref>Thucydides, Peloponnesian War [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0200%3Abook%3D6 book 6]</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Thucydides |date=1843 |title=The hystory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhmYR8uNs40C&dq=%22euarchus%22+%22catana%22&pg=PA115}}</ref>

[[Thucydides]] states that it came into existence slightly later than Leontini (modern [[Lentini]]), which he claims was five years after [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]], or 730 BC.<ref>Thuc. vi. 3; [[Strabo]] vi. p. 268; [[Scymnus of Chios|Scymnus]] 286; [[Scylax]] § 13; [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] ''s. v.''</ref>

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.

=== Greek Catania ===
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 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 [[List of Latin language poets|Latin poets]], of whom the younger [[Lucilius]] and [[Claudian]] have dwelt upon it at considerable length.<ref>Strabo vi. p. 269</ref><ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] x. 28. § 4</ref><ref>Conon, ''Narr''. 43</ref><ref>Philostr. ''Vit. Apoll''. v. 17</ref><ref>[[Gaius Julius Solinus]] 5. § 15</ref><ref>Gaius Julius Hyginus 25</ref><ref>[[Valerius Maximus]] v. 4. Ext. § 4</ref><ref>Lucil. ''Aetn''. 602-40</ref><ref>Claudian. ''Idyll''. 7</ref><ref>[[Silius Italicus]] xiv. 196</ref><ref>Auson. ''Ordo Nob. Urb''. 11.</ref>

The Greek polis of Catania appears to have been 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]].<ref>[[Aristotle]], ''Pol''. ii. 9.</ref> 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 a magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, therefore named ''Porta Stesichoreia''. [[Xenophanes]] ({{c.|570}}–475 BC), one of the founders of the [[Velia (town)|Eleatic]] school of philosophy, also spent the latter years of his life in the city.<ref>Diog. Laert. ix. 2. § 1.</ref> The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute was also ascribed to [[Andron of Catania|Andron]], a citizen of Catania.<ref>Athen. i. p.{{nbs}}22, c.</ref>

Catania appears to have remained independent until the conquest by the despot [[Hiero I of Syracuse|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 [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracusans]] and [[Peloponnese|Peloponnesians]]. Hieron changed the city's name to '''{{lang|grc|Αἴτνη}}''' (''Aítnē'', Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby [[Mount Etna]], and proclaimed himself the [[Oekist]] or founder of 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.<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] xi. 49, in 66; Strabo l.c.; Pind. ''Pyth''. i., and Schol. ''ad loc.''</ref>

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 [[Aetna (city)|Inessa]] (to which they gave the name Aetna). The old Chalcidic citizens returned to the city in 461 BC.<ref>Diod. xi. 76; Strabo ''l. c.'')</ref>

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 [[Sicilian Expedition|expedition to Sicily]] pursued by the [[Classical Athens|Athenians]] to punish Syracuse. Initially the Catanaeans refused to allow the Athenians into their city, but after 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.<ref>Thuc. vi. 50–52, 63, 71, 89; Diod. xiii. 4, 6, 7; [[Plutarch|Plut.]] ''Nic''. 15, 16.</ref> 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 with [[Campania]]n mercenaries. However, the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]] would take possession of Catania under [[Himilco (general)|Himilco]] and [[Mago (fleet commander)|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 (city)|Aetna]].<ref>Diod. xiv. 15, 58, 60.</ref>

[[Calippus of Syracuse|Calippus]], the assassin of [[Dion of Syracuse]], held Catania for a time (Plut. ''Dion''. 58); and when [[Timoleon]] landed in Sicily in 344 BC Catania was subject to the despot [[Mamercus of Catane|Mamercus]] who at first joined the [[Ancient Corinth|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.<ref>Diod. xvi. 69; Plut. ''Timol''. 13, 30–34.</ref>

Catania was now restored to a fragile independence; changing sides during the wars starting in 311 BC of [[Agathocles of Syracuse]] with the Carthaginians. When [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]] landed in Sicily in 278 BC, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and welcomed him with great splendor.<ref>Diod. xix. 110, xxii. 8, Exc. Hoesch. p. 496.</ref>

=== Roman rule ===
[[File:Acquedotto romano Valcorrente2.jpg|thumb|250px|Roman Aqueduct at Valcorrente]]
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 [[Manius Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla|Valerius Messalla]].<ref>Eutrop. ii. 19.</ref><ref>Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia, vii. 60</ref> A sundial was part of the booty which was placed in the [[Comitium]] in Rome.<ref>Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia, VII 214</ref> Since then 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.<ref>Plutarch, Life of Marcellus, 30</ref>

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 a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule.

Around 135 BC during the [[First Servile War]], it was conquered by rebel slaves.<ref>Strabo, VI 2, 6</ref>

One of the most serious [[Volcanic eruption|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 the Roman state.<ref>Oros. v. 13.</ref> 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 history|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, 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.<ref>Cicero ''[[In Verrem]]'' iii. 4. 3, 83, iv. 23, 45; [[Livy]] xxvii. 8.</ref>

In the [[War between Sextus Pompey and the Second Triumvirate|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 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 the status of [[Colonia (Roman)|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.<ref>Strabo vi. pp. 268, 270, 272; [[Dion Cassius]] iv. 7.</ref>

Another revolt led by the gladiator Selurus in 35 BC created mayhem for a while.<ref>Strabo 6.2.6</ref>

The Roman aqueduct of Catania was the longest in Roman Sicily at {{Convert|24|km|mi}}, starting from the springs of Santa Maria di Licodia.

It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of the [[Roman Empire]]; so that in the 4th century [[Ausonius]] in his ''[[Ordo urbium nobilium|Ordo Nobilium Urbium]]'', notices Catania and Syracuse alone among the cities of Sicily.<ref>Pliny iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9; Itin. Ant. pp. 87,90, 93, 94.</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:OldCatania.png|thumb|right|Picture of Catania in 1575]]
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 was the seat of the Byzantine governor of the island.

Catania was under an [[Emirate of Sicily|Islamic emirate]] for two centuries, after which it fell to the [[Italo-Normans|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, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]. In 1232 it rebelled to the former's son, [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|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 the [[Sicilian Vespers]] revolt (1282) against the [[Capetian House of Anjou|House of Anjou]] and was the seat of the coronation of the new Aragonese king of Sicily, [[Peter I of Sicily|Peter I]]. The city remained a key Sicilian port during the [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]]. After a civil revolt in 1299, the city was captured by an Angevin army, which [[Angevin invasion of Sicily|occupied the city]] until the Angevins evacuated their holdings on Sicily in 1302.<ref>Stanton, Charles D. "LAURIA'S LAST GREAT CAMPAIGN (SUMMER 1299–SPRING 1300)." In ''Roger of Lauria ({{c.|1250}}–1305): "Admiral of Admirals,"'' NED-New edition., 271–88. Boydell & Brewer, 2019. {{doi|10.2307/j.ctvd58tqg.23}}.</ref>

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 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 of Aragon|Alfonso V]] founded here [[University of Catania|the ''Siciliae Studium Generale'']], the oldest university in the island.

=== Early modern times ===
[[File:Etna eruzione 1669 platania.jpg|thumb|right|Mount Etna erupting in 1669]]
With the unification of Castile and Aragon (early 16th century),<ref>[[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] became [[King of Naples]] as Ferdinand III, reuniting Naples with Sicily permanently and for the first time since 1458.</ref> Sicily became part of the Spanish Empire. It rebelled against the foreign government in 1516 and 1647.<ref>{{Citation |title=Translation of an eye-witness account of the 1647 rebellion |url=http://freaknet.org/martin/libri/Longo/revolution.html}}</ref>

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.

=== Unified Italy ===
Catania 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 [[unification of Italy|unified Italy]], whose history it shares since then.

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 6 June until 29 June. A large lava flow occurred in the 1928 event and was the first to destroy a population center in over two hundred years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ponte |first=Gaetano |title=The Recent Eruption of Etna |publisher=Nature |year=1923 |edition=112 |pages=546–548}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pryce |first=Roy |title=Italy and the Outbreak of the First World War |publisher=Cambridge Historical Journal |year=1954 |pages=219–227}}</ref> 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.

{{anchor|Allied air attacks}} During [[World 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 Airfield|Gerbini]] and [[Catania-Fontanarossa Airport|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 the population to flee to the countryside.<ref>{{Citation |title=Enciclopedia Treccani |url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/catania_res-6c14df7d-87e5-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Bombardamenti di Catania |url=http://bombesullitalia.blogspot.com/2019/04/bombardamenti-di-catania.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Bombardate l'Italia: 1943 |url=http://rcslibri.corriere.it/bombardatelitalia/bombardate1943.pdf |access-date=19 March 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202213215/http://rcslibri.corriere.it/bombardatelitalia/bombardate1943.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=I bombardamenti aerei nel Mezzogiorno d'Italia |url=http://anpi-lissone.over-blog.com/article-i-bombardamenti-aerei-nel-mezzogiorno-d-italia-60089978.html}}</ref> After heavy fighting across eastern Sicily, Catania was eventually captured by the [[British 8th Army]] on 5 August 1943.<ref>The Invasion of Sicily 1943 By Jon Diamond, pp. 212–214</ref>

After the conflict, and the constitution of the [[Italy|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 the [[Southern Italy|Mezzogiorno]], namely a heavy gap in industrial development and infrastructures, and the threat of [[Sicilian Mafia|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 was aggravated by the economic crisis left by the {{lang|it|[[Forza Italia (1994)|Forza Italia]]|italic=no}} administration of mayor Scapagnini in 2008.<ref>[http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-6b76e15d-a80b-465e-9531-131a194e030b.html?p=0 Documentary about the conditions of the city after the financial turmoil] {{in lang|it}}</ref>

== Geography ==
As observed by [[Strabo]], the location of Catania at the foot of [[Mount 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.{{nbs}}269)

Two [[subterranean river]]s run under the city; the Amenano, which surfaces at one single point south of Piazza Duomo, and the Longane (or Lognina).<ref>Giuffrida Tino, ''Catania dalle origini alla dominazione normanna'', Catania, Bonaccorso. Excerpt here {{in lang|it}} [http://www.cataniaperte.com/cronologia/saggi/topografia_antica.pdf]</ref>

=== Climate ===
Catania experiences a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa'').<ref>{{Citation |title=Climate Summary from Weatherbase.com (Catania, Italy) |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=6461&cityname=Catania%2C+Sicilia%2C+Italy&units=}}</ref> The city has hot summers, one of the hottest in the whole country of Italy. Temperatures of {{convert|40|°C|0}} are surpassed almost every year a couple of times.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

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 {{convert|500|mm|abbr=off}} of rain per year, although the amount can vary greatly from year to year, from over {{convert|1,200|mm|abbr=on}} to under {{convert|250|mm|abbr=on}}.

During winter nights, lows can occasionally reach below freezing. Highs under {{convert|10|°C|0}} may happen during winter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Che tempo faceva a Catania – Archivio Meteo Catania » ILMETEO.it |url=https://www.ilmeteo.it/portale/archivio-meteo/Catania}}</ref> Snow, due to the presence of [[Mount Etna|Etna]] 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.

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Catania-[[Naval Air Station Sigonella|Sigonella]], 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 25.2
| Feb record high C = 26.0
| Mar record high C = 34.4
| Apr record high C = 34.4
| May record high C = 38.4
| Jun record high C = 44.2
| Jul record high C = 46.7
| Aug record high C = 45.0
| Sep record high C = 41.0
| Oct record high C = 38.0
| Nov record high C = 30.6
| Dec record high C = 27.2
| year record high C = 46.7
| Jan high C = 15.9
| Feb high C = 16.2
| Mar high C = 18.6
| Apr high C = 21.4
| May high C = 26.1
| Jun high C = 31.0
| Jul high C = 34.1
| Aug high C = 34.5
| Sep high C = 30.5
| Oct high C = 25.8
| Nov high C = 21.0
| Dec high C = 17.0
| year high C = 24.3
| Jan mean C = 10.2
| Feb mean C = 10.3
| Mar mean C = 12.4
| Apr mean C = 14.9
| May mean C = 19.2
| Jun mean C = 23.8
| Jul mean C = 26.7
| Aug mean C = 27.3
| Sep mean C = 24.1
| Oct mean C = 20.0
| Nov mean C = 15.4
| Dec mean C = 11.6
| year mean C = 18.1
| Jan low C = 4.8
| Feb low C = 4.8
| Mar low C = 6.4
| Apr low C = 8.6
| May low C = 12.3
| Jun low C = 16.6
| Jul low C = 19.4
| Aug low C = 20.3
| Sep low C = 18.2
| Oct low C = 14.6
| Nov low C = 10.0
| Dec low C = 6.5
| year low C = 11.9
| Jan record low C = -5.0
| Feb record low C = -5.6
| Mar record low C = -3.2
| Apr record low C = 0.0
| May record low C = 3.0
| Jun record low C = 8.4
| Jul record low C = 11.6
| Aug record low C = 13.8
| Sep record low C = 10.0
| Oct record low C = 4.0
| Nov record low C = -1.1
| Dec record low C = -2.2
| year record low C = -5.6
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 64.1
| Feb precipitation mm = 46.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 42.6
| Apr precipitation mm = 29.9
| May precipitation mm = 17.9
| Jun precipitation mm = 11.0
| Jul precipitation mm = 7.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 9.8
| Sep precipitation mm = 50.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 59.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 66.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 78.5
| year precipitation mm = 483.8
| unit precipitation days = 1{{nbs}}mm
| Jan precipitation days = 6.3
| Feb precipitation days = 5.7
| Mar precipitation days = 5.6
| Apr precipitation days = 4.7
| May precipitation days = 2.6
| Jun precipitation days = 1.4
| Jul precipitation days = 0.7
| Aug precipitation days = 1.5
| Sep precipitation days = 4.6
| Oct precipitation days = 5.2
| Nov precipitation days = 6.2
| Dec precipitation days = 7.8
| year precipitation days = 52.1
| humidity colour = green
| Jan humidity = 75.2
| Feb humidity = 72.3
| Mar humidity = 71.4
| Apr humidity = 70.4
| May humidity = 67.2
| Jun humidity = 64.6
| Jul humidity = 63.1
| Aug humidity = 64.2
| Sep humidity = 69.4
| Oct humidity = 73.8
| Nov humidity = 76.1
| Dec humidity = 76.4
| year humidity = 70.3
| Jan dew point C = 3.8
| Feb dew point C = 3.3
| Mar dew point C = 5.1
| Apr dew point C = 7.2
| May dew point C = 10.7
| Jun dew point C = 13.6
| Jul dew point C = 15.8
| Aug dew point C = 16.6
| Sep dew point C = 14.8
| Oct dew point C = 12.1
| Nov dew point C = 8.6
| Dec dew point C = 5.4
| Jan sun = 172.1
| Feb sun = 183.4
| Mar sun = 235.3
| Apr sun = 266.1
| May sun = 318.4
| Jun sun = 381.6
| Jul sun = 368.9
| Aug sun = 359.9
| Sep sun = 278.1
| Oct sun = 211.7
| Nov sun = 172.2
| Dec sun = 182.3
| year sun = 3129.9
| source 1 = NOAA,<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web |title=Catania Sigonella Climate Normals 1991–2020 |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/CataniaSigonella_16459.csv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831025904/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/CataniaSigonella_16459.csv |archive-date=31 August 2023 |access-date=31 August 2023 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]}}</ref> (Dew Point for 1981–2010)<ref>{{cite web |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010: Catania-Sigonella (WMO number: 16459) |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Italy/WMO_Normals_CliNo81-10.xls |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=[[NOAA]] |format=XLS |quote=Parameter Code: 39-Dew Point Temperature |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317065214/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Italy/WMO_Normals_CliNo81-10.xls |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| source 2 = Temperature estreme in Toscana<ref>{{cite web |title=Catania Sigonella |url=http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/catania-sigonella/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831025948/http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/catania-sigonella/ |archive-date=31 August 2023 |access-date=31 August 2023 |publisher=Temperature estreme in Toscana |language=it}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|70608|1871|83680|1881|101135|1901|147700|1911|207848|1921|252840|1931|225169|1936|244972|1951|299629|1961|363928|1971|400048|1981|380328|1991|333075|2001|313110|2011|293902|2021|301104|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251112200324/https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf |archive-date=2025-11-12|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref name="timeseries">{{cite web |title=Resident population - Time series|url=https://esploradati.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censpop/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>|align=right|cols=1}}

As of 2026, the population is 296,984, of which 48.3% are male, and 51.7% are female. Minors make up 16.4% of the population, and seniors make up 24%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>

=== Immigration ===
As of 2025, of the known countries of birth of 294,174 residents, the most numerous are: [[Italy]] (280,325 – 95.3%), [[Romania]] (1,856 – 0.6%), [[Bangladesh]] (1,665 – 0.6%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title= Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=RCS&a=&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2025-02-27}} (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title= Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/rcs/Dati_RCS_nascita_2025.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2025-02-27}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>

== Administrative divisions ==
=== Metropolitan City ===
{{multiple image
| align=right
| image1 = Map of comune of Catania (metropolitan city of Catania, region Sicily, Italy).svg
| width1 = 150
| caption1 =
| image2 = Catania area metropolitana.svg
| width2 = 186
| caption2 =
| footer = The City proper (in red, first image) and the Metropolitan area (in red, second image) within the [[Metropolitan City of Catania|Metropolitan City]]
}}

[[File:Circoscrizioni di Catania.png|thumb|150px|The subdivision of the City proper in six ''circoscrizioni'']]
The [[Metropolitan City of Catania]] was established in 2015 and replaced the former [[Province of Catania]]. It includes the city proper and 57 ''comuni'' (municipalities). The population of the Metropolitan City is 1,067,550.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>

=== Metropolitan area ===
The Metropolitan area of Catania includes the ''comune'' of Catania (311,584 inhabitants<ref name="istat">Official [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]] figures [http://www.demo.istat.it/index.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503083522/http://www.demo.istat.it/index.html|date=3 May 2020}}</ref>) and 26 surrounding ''comuni''<ref>{{cite web |title=The Metropolitan Area of Catania defined by ANCI Sicilia (National Association of Comuni Italiani) |url=http://www.anci.sicilia.it/aree/area_ct.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208223915/http://www.anci.sicilia.it/aree/area_ct.htm |archive-date=8 December 2010 |access-date=5 April 2011 |publisher=Anci.sicilia.it}}</ref> forming an urban belt (498,650 inhabitants<ref name=istat/>). The total population of the Metropolitan area of Catania is therefore 810,234. The ''comuni'' of the Metropolitan area are:
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Aci Bonaccorsi]]
* [[Aci Castello]]
* [[Aci Catena]]
* [[Aci Sant'Antonio]]
* [[Acireale]]
* [[Belpasso]]
* [[Biancavilla]]
* [[Camporotondo Etneo]]
* Catania
* [[Gravina di Catania]]
* [[Mascalucia]]
* [[Misterbianco]]
* [[Motta Sant'Anastasia]]
* [[Nicolosi]]
* [[Paternò]]
* [[Pedara]]
* [[Ragalna]]
* [[San Giovanni la Punta]]
* [[San Gregorio di Catania]]
* [[San Pietro Clarenza]]
* [[Sant'Agata li Battiati]]
* [[Santa Maria di Licodia]]
* [[Santa Venerina]]
* [[Trecastagni]]
* [[Tremestieri Etneo]]
* [[Valverde, Sicily|Valverde]]
* [[Viagrande]]
* [[Zafferana Etnea]]
{{div col end}}
These ''comuni'' form a system with the centre of Catania sharing its economical and social life and creating an organic urban texture.

=== City proper ===
The city of Catania proper (''comune di Catania'') is divided in six [[Local government|administrative areas]] called ''circoscrizioni''. The current administrative setup was established in 2013, modifying previous setups dating back to 1971, 1978 and 1995.

The six areas are:
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
{{ordered list|list_style_type=upper-roman
| 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
}}
{{div col end}}

== Main sights ==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2014}}
[[File:Catane Fontana Dell elefante.jpg|thumb|''u Liotru'', symbol of Catania]]
The symbol of the city is ''u Liotru'', or the ''[[Elephant Fountain|Fontana dell'Elefante]]'', assembled in 1736 by [[Giovanni Battista Vaccarini]]. It portrays an ancient lavic stone elephant and is topped by an Egyptian obelisk from [[Aswan|Syene]]. 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.

The [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] name ''u 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 that [[Heliodorus of Catania|Heliodorus]] himself was the sculptor of the lava elephant and that he used to magically ride it in his fantastic travels from Catania to [[Constantinople]].<ref>Amari Michele (1933), ''Storia dei Musulmani di Sicilia'', Catania, Nallino, Vol. I, pp. 344–345</ref> 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 Upper [[Paleolithic]], included [[dwarf elephant]]s. Paleontologist [[Othenio Abel]] suggested that the presence of [[dwarf elephant]]s in [[Sicily]] may be the origin of the legend of the [[Cyclopes|Cyclops]]. [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]], after finding the skulls of [[dwarf elephant]]s, about twice the size of a [[human skull]], with a large central [[nasal cavity]] (mistaken for a large single eye socket) supposed that they were skulls of giants with a single eye.

The ''Catanian Museum of [[Mineralogy]], [[Paleontology]] and [[Vulcanology]]'' holds the integral unburied skeleton of an ''[[Elephas falconeri]]'' in an excellent state of conservation. The first inhabitants of Etna molded such lavic artifacts to idolize the mythical proboscidian.

=== Classical buildings ===
Over the course of recorded history, the city has been buried by lava seventeen times. Beneath the present-day Catania lie the remains of the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] city that once stood here, and below that, the earlier [[Greek colonisation|Greek settlement]]. Many ancient [[Roman architecture|Roman 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.

<gallery>
Catania Greek-Roman theater.JPG|''San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata'' backs Cavea of the Greek-Roman Theatre
Odeum Catania.JPG|Odeon
Catania anfiteatro romano2423.jpg|Roman Amphitheatre
Catania terme indirizzo23434.jpg|Roman Thermae of ''Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo''
</gallery>

Ancient edifices include:

* [[Greek-Roman Theatre of Catania]] and Odeon (2nd to 3rd century CE)
* [[Amphitheatre of Catania]]
* [[Piazza Dante, Catania|Greek Acropolis of Montevergine]]
*Roman Forum
* Christian [[basilica]]s, [[Hypogeum|hypogea]], burial monuments, and [[catacombs]]
* Thermae
** Achillean Baths
** [[Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo, Catania|Terme dell'Indirizzo]]
** Terme di Santa Maria Odigitria
** [[Terme della Rotonda (Catania)|Terme della Rotonda]]
** Baths of the Four Quoins
** Terme di Palazzo Asmundo
** Terme di Casa Gagliano
** Terme della Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

=== Baroque and historical churches ===
<gallery>
2893 - Catania - Giov. Batt. Vaccarini - Chiesa della Badia di S. Agata (1767) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 4-July-2008.jpg|''Badìa di Sant'Agata''
ChiesaSFrancescoImmacolataCT.JPG|''San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata''
SAgataFornaceEst.JPG|''Sant'Agata alla Fornace'' or ''San Biagio''
Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'aiuto (Catania, XVIII sec.).jpg|''Santa Maria dell'Aiuto''
Catania Chiesa San Benedetto234232.jpg|''San Benedetto da Norcia''
Chiesa di San Francesco Borgia a Catania.jpg|''San Francesco Borgia''
</gallery>

The Baroque heart of Catania belongs to the Late Baroque Towns of the [[Val di Noto]], a group of cities in southeastern Sicily celebrated for their post-earthquake reconstruction.
[[File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-32-08 2 fj.JPG|thumb|[[Giovanni Battista Vaccarini]]'s Duomo façade (1736) is an example of the city's [[Sicilian Baroque]] architecture.]]
* [[Catania Cathedral]] (1070–1093, rebuilt after 1693 earthquake) built atop ''Terme Achilliana''.
* [[Badia di Sant'Agata|Sant'Agata, Badia di]] (1620), church and monastery
* [[Sant'Agata la Vetere, Catania|Sant'Agata la Vetere]] (254) church
* [[Sant'Agata al Borgo, Catania|Sant'Agata al Borgo]], built 1669, destroyed 1693, rebuilt 1709). The "Borough" (''il Borgo'') is an inner district of Catania.
* [[Sant'Agata al Carcere, Catania|Sant'Agata al Carcere]] or ''Santo Carcere'' (1760). Church built above jail (carcere) where Ste Agatha was allegedly imprisoned during her martyrdom.
* Sant'Agata on the Lavic Runnels
* Sant'Anna church
* San Antonio Abate
* [[San Benedetto, Catania|San Benedetto]] (1704–1713) church and adjacent ''Badìa Grande e Piccola del Chiostro delle Monache Benedettine''
* [[San Biagio, Catania|San Biagio]], church formerly called ''Sant'Agata alla Fornace'' (1098, rebuilt 1700)
* [[Basilica della Collegiata]], [[Sicilian Baroque]] façade by [[Stefano Ittar]]
* [[San Camillo ai Crociferi]], church
* Santa Caterina al Rinazzo church
* [[Santa Chiara, Catania|Santa Chiara]] (1563) church, and former convent of Poor Clares.
* [[San Domenico, Catania|San Domenico]] or Santa Maria la Grande (1224), church and convent.
* Sant'Euplio, ruins of church
* San Filippo Neri
* [[San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata, Catania|San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata]] (1329), Franciscan church with tomb of its founding patron, Queen [[Eleanor of Sicily]].
* [[San Francesco Borgia, Catania|San Francesco Borgia]] church and adjacent former Jesuit college.
* San Francesco di Paola
* [[San Gaetano alle Grotte, Catania|San Gaetano alle Grotte]] (260) church
* [[San Gaetano alla Marina, Catania|San Gaetano alla Marina]]
* San Giovanni Battista, in the suburb of San Giovanni di Galermo.
* [[San Giuliano, Catania|San Giuliano]] church and convent
* San Giuseppe al Duomo church
* San Giuseppe al Transito church
* [[Santuario della Madonna del Carmine, Catania|Madonna del Carmine]] (1729) Basilica church and sanctuary
* [[Santa Maria di Gesu, Catania|Santa Maria di Gesu]] church (1465, restored in 1706)
* Santa Maria della Guardia church
* [[Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo, Catania|Santa Maria dell'Indirizzo]] (1730) church
* Santa Maria della Mercede church
* Santa Maria di Ogninella
* [[Santa Maria della Purità, Catania|Santa Maria della Purità]] or ''della Visitazione'' (1775), church and conservatory
* Santa Maria della Providenza al Borgo, church
* [[Santa Maria della Rotonda, Catania|Santa Maria della Rotonda]]
* Santa Maria del Soccorso or Santa Maria della Palma church
* [[Santa Maria dell'Aiuto, Catania|Santa Maria dell'Aiuto]] parish church and sanctuary
* Santa Maria dell'Itria or Odigitria, church
* Santa Marta
* [[San Martino dei Bianchi, Catania|San Martino dei Bianchi]] church
* San Michele the Lesser
* [[San Michele Arcangelo ai Minoriti, Catania|San Michele Arcangelo ai Minoriti]] (Franciscan) church, a second [[Immacolata Concezione dei Minoritelli, Catania|Minoritelli church]] is nearby.
* [[San Nicolò l'Arena, Catania|San Nicolò l'Arena]] (1687), unfinished basilica church and extensive Benedictine [[Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena]] (1558).
* San Nicolas al Borgo
* [[San Placido, Catania|San Placido]] (1769) church
* Madonna delle Grazie Chapel
* [[Santa Rita in Sant'Agostino, Catania|Santa Rita in Sant'Agostino]] church
* San Sebastiano (1313)
* [[Santa Teresa, Catania|Santa Teresa]], Carmelitan church and convent.
* [[Santissima Trinità, Catania|Santissima Trinità]], church
* Santa Ursula
* [[Conservatorio delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata|Chiesa delle Verginelle di Sant'Agata]]
* San Vincenzo de' Paoli, church
* Santissimo Sacramento al Borgo church
* Chapel of the Blind's Housing ("Ospizio dei Ciechi")
* Santissimo Sacramento al Duomo, church
* Church of the [[Child Jesus|Holy Child]]
* Our Lady of [[Divine Providence|Providence]]
* San Berillo in Santa Maria degli Ammalati, church
* Our Lady of the Poor
* Little Saviour's [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] chapel
* Church of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato (1796)<ref>{{cite web |date=16 March 2009 |title=Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato – Home |url=http://www.sacramentoritrovato.com/index.php |access-date=25 July 2009 |publisher=Sacramentoritrovato.com |archive-date=31 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031070537/http://www.sacramentoritrovato.com/index.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Sanctuary of [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Our Lady]] of Ognina (1308).<ref>{{cite web |title=Santa Maria di Lognina |url=http://www.etnalandonline.it/catania/chiese/smlognina/smlognina.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528075055/http://www.etnalandonline.it/catania/chiese/smlognina/smlognina.html |archive-date=28 May 2009 |access-date=20 August 2008 |website=Etanland on line |language=it}}</ref> ''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''),<ref>{{cite web |title=Catania, Torre di Ognina |trans-title=Saint Mary's Tower of Ognina |url=http://www.mondimedievali.net/Castelli/Sicilia/catania/ognina.htm |website=Mondi medievali |publisher=Archeoambiente e Giuseppe Tropea |language=it}}</ref> 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 Temple ''[[Athena]] Longatis'' or ''Parthenos Longatis'' that existed on the steep reef. This cult was described by [[John Tzetzes|Tzetses]] as imported from a [[Boeotia]]n region of [[Greece]] called ''Longas'', which is otherwise unknown.<ref>{{cite DGRBM| title=Longatis}}</ref> After the earthquake of 1693 it was rebuilt in the same place, but with a different orientation.
* [[Virgin of Montserrat|Our Lady of Montserrat]] (1755)<ref>{{cite web |title=Home Page Parrocchia N.S. di Monserrato |url=http://www.parrocchie.it/catania/monserrato/ |access-date=25 July 2009 |publisher=Parrocchie.it}}</ref>
* [[Our Lady of La Salette|Saint Mary of La Salette]]
* Our Lady of Concordia
* Our Lady of Consolation
* Santissimo Crocifisso Maiorana church
* Crucifix of Miracles
* Crucifix of Good Death
* Our Lady of La Mecca<ref>''La Mecca'' is not named after the Saudi [[holy city]], but a vernacular Catanian word that identifies a "[[silk]] mill" that existed, in effect, in its vicinity.</ref>
* Most Holy Redeemer
* Divina Maternità church
* Chapel of [[Mary Help of Christians|Mary Auxiliatrix]]
* Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus church
* Sacro Cuore al Fortino (1898) church
* Saints [[Saint George|George]] and [[Saint Denis of Paris|Denis]]
* Sacred Heart Church of the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchins]]
* Saint Christopher
* Saints Cosmas and Damian
* Saint Vitus
* Santi Angeli Custodi church
* Santissimo Salvatore church

=== Other ===
[[File:Catania - Palazzo Biscari - 2.jpg|thumb|''Palazzo Biscari'']]
[[File:Catania BW 2025-04-25 14-50-19 fr (cropped).jpg|thumb|''Palazzo San Demetrio'']]
[[File:Negozio Frigeri, Via Manzoni, Catania, arch. Tommaso Malerba.png|thumb|''Negozio Frigeri'']]
* [[Castello Ursino|Ursino Castle]], built by emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] in the 13th century.
* [[Palazzo degli Elefanti|Elephants' Palace]] ("Palace of the Elephants"), designed by Vaccarini, houses the municipality offices.
* [[Palazzo dell'Università, Catania|University Central Palace]], designed by the Battaglia family, is an offices seat and main library of the [[University of Catania|Catania University]].
* [[Palazzo Biscari|Biscari Palace]]
* [[Palazzo Tezzano|Tezzano Palace]]
* The Medieval Gothic-Catalan Arch of the Friars' Saint John the Baptist (''San Giovanni de' Fleres'')
* [[Porta Garibaldi, Catania|Porta Garibaldi]], [[triumphal arch]], originally ''Porta Ferdinandea'' erected in 1768 to celebrate the wedding of King [[Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies|Ferdinand I]] and [[Marie Caroline of Austria]].
* Porta del Fortino ("Redoubt Gate")
* [[Teatro Massimo Bellini|Bellini Theatre]]
* [[Teatro Sangiorgi, Catania|Sangiorgi Theatre]]
* [[Palazzo Rosa, Catania|Palazzo Rosa]] ("Pink Palace")
* Negozio Frigeri, or Palazzina Frigeri ("Frigeri Shop", or "Frigeri Little Palace")
* [[Palazzo dell'Esposizione]]
* The House of the War Mutilateds (''Casa del Mutilato'') built in [[Fascist architecture|Fascist-style architecture]].
* Catania War Cemetery, a [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] Graveyard located in the southern country hamlet of Bicocca.<ref>Commonwealth [[War Grave]]s Commission – Catania War Cemetery [http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2006200]</ref><ref>Veterans Affairs Canada – Anciens Combattants Canada – Catania War Cemetery [http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/italy99/backgrounders/catania] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219045630/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/italy99/backgrounders/catania |date=19 December 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Palazzo delle Poste, Catania|Palazzo delle Poste]] ("Post Office Palace")
* [[Palazzo della Borsa, Catania|Palazzo della Borsa]] ("Stock Exchange Building")
* [[Giardino Bellini|Bellini Garden, or Villa Bellini]]
* [[Orto Botanico dell'Università di Catania|Catania Botanical Garden]]
* [[Giardino Pacini|Pacini Garden]], or Villa Pacini
* Gioeni Park
* [[Clementi Clinic building, Catania|Clementi Building]]
* [[Garage Musumeci, Catania|Garage Musumeci]]
* Four sculpture reliefs' street lights, situated in the [[Piazza Universitaria, Catania|Piazza Universitaria]] ("University Square"), depicting legendary characters and events: [[Peix Nicolau]]; [[Amphinomus|Amphinomus and Anapias]]; Gammazita; and the [[Opera dei Pupi|young knight]] Uzeta.

== Economy ==
{{More citations needed section|section|date=February 2014}}
[[File:Catania Parco Villa Bellini.jpg|thumb|''Villa Bellini'', one of the most visited places]]
Catania is the first economic and industrial hub of Sicily. The city is famous for its mainly [[petrochemical industry]], and the extraction of [[sulphur]]. 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).<ref>{{cite web |title=La ricchezza del territorio italiano |url=http://www.regione.basilicata.it/dipattivitaproduttive/default.cfm?fuseaction=linkdoc&doc=519&link=527 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040318203933/http://www.regione.basilicata.it/dipattivitaproduttive/default.cfm?fuseaction=linkdoc&doc=519&link=527 |archive-date=18 March 2004 |access-date=1 June 2010 |publisher=www.regione.basilicata.it}}</ref>

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|date=February 2014}} The economy of Catania suffered heavily from the bad effects of [[World War I]], and was marked by an economic crisis and recession that culminated in the 1920s.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} Since then, the city lost its industrial and entrepreneurial importance.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} In the 1930s, Catania remained a small fishing town with derelict and disused industries. However, after the destruction of [[World War II]], Catania's economy began to re-grow in the late-1950s and early-1960s.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} 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|date=February 2014}} 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 as [[STMicroelectronics]], and also several chemical and [[pharmaceutical]] businesses. There have been several new business developments to further boost Catania's economy, including the construction of Etnapolis,<ref>{{cite web |title=home |url=http://www.centroetnapolis.it/etnapolis/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617005527/http://www.centroetnapolis.it/etnapolis/index.html |archive-date=17 June 2010 |access-date=1 June 2010 |publisher=Centroetnapolis.it}}</ref> a big [[shopping mall]] designed by [[Massimiliano Fuksas]], the same architect who designed the [[FieraMilano]] industrial fair in Milan, or the Etna Valley,<ref>{{cite web |date=29 April 2010 |title=Oggi la chiamano Etna Valley: i progetti, le aziende, il lavoro nel territorio di Catania |url=http://www.etnavalley.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527005056/http://www.etnavalley.com/ |archive-date=27 May 2010 |access-date=1 June 2010 |publisher=Etnavalley.com}}</ref> 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 the [[hospitality industry]] in order to make tourism a competitive sector in the Metropolitan City. [[Etnaland]], a large [[amusement park|amusement]] and [[water park]] located in [[Belpasso]], is in the metropolitan area of Catania, {{Convert|12|km|mi}} from the city center. It is the largest of its kind in Southern Italy and attracts thousands of tourists, not only from [[Sicily]], but also from the rest of [[Italy]]. According to [[Tripadvisor]] (2018) it is the third-largest water park in [[Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |title=TripAdvisor Announces the Top Amusement Parks and Water Parks Around the Globe in Travellers' Choice Awards |url=https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/press-releases?item=126033}}</ref>

The seaport of Catania is linked to the road-rail distribution hub of [[Bologna]]. In September 2020 [[Mercitalia Logistics]] opened the first full railway route to link the city to Northern Italy. It replaced an older mixed maritime-railway line.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 February 2021 |title=Chep for sustainable freight transport |url=https://www.efanews.eu/item/16869-chep-for-sustainable-freight-transport.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606213233/https://www.efanews.eu/item/16869-chep-for-sustainable-freight-transport.html |archive-date=6 June 2021 |website=European Food Agency}}</ref>

== Education ==
[[File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-26-20.JPG|thumb|[[Palazzo dell'Università, Catania|Palazzo Centrale dell'Universita]], in city centre, houses the rector's office.]]
Established in 1434, the [[University of Catania]] is the oldest university in Sicily.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Giuseppe Giarrizzo]] |title=La nostra storia |trans-title=Our History |url=http://www.unict.it/Pagina/Portale/Ateneo/La_nostra_storia.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830083957/http://www.unict.it/Pagina/Portale/Ateneo/La_nostra_storia.aspx |archive-date=30 August 2012 |language=it}}</ref> Its academic nicknames are: ''Siculorum Gymnasium'' and ''Siciliae Studium Generale''. It hosts 12 faculties and over 62,000 students;<ref>{{cite web |title=La storia dell'Ateneo scritta da Giarrizzo |trans-title=The History of the University by Giarrizzo |url=http://www.unict.it/Pagina/Portale/Ateneo/La_nostra_storia/La_storia_dell_Ateneo_scritta_da_Giarrizzo/0/articolo_535/pagina_6_.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720084904/http://www.unict.it/Pagina/Portale/Ateneo/La_nostra_storia/La_storia_dell_Ateneo_scritta_da_Giarrizzo/0/articolo_535/pagina_6_.aspx |archive-date=20 July 2012 |language=it}}</ref> and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Catania hosts the ''[[Scuola superiore di Catania]]'', linked to the University of Catania, aimed at excellence in education; they offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs for teachers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scuola Superiore di Catania |url=http://www.scuolasuperiorecatania.it/include/cambialingua.php?idpagina=1&lingua=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803122114/http://www.scuolasuperiorecatania.it/index.php |archive-date=3 August 2009 |language=it}}</ref>

Catania is home to the prestigious ''Istituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini''<ref>{{cite web |title=Musical Institute Vincenzo Bellini – Official site |url=http://www.istitutobellini.it/eng/home.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718101614/http://www.istitutobellini.it/eng/home.php |archive-date=18 July 2011 |access-date=5 April 2011 |publisher=Istitutobellini.it}}</ref> an advanced institute of musical studies (Conservatory) and the ''Accademia di Belle Arti'' an advanced institute of artistic studies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Academy of Fine Arts of Catania |url=http://www.accademiadicatania.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040226203128/http://accademiadicatania.com/ |archive-date=26 February 2004 |access-date=5 April 2011 |publisher=Italian official site}}</ref> Both institutions offer programs of university level for musical and artistic education.

== Culture ==
[[File:MonumentoBelliniCT.jpg|thumb|Stesicoro Square and Bellini's Monument (Piazza Stesicoro – Monumento a Vincenzo Bellini)]]
[[File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-11-06.jpg|thumb|left|[[Teatro Massimo Bellini]]]]
Opera composer [[Vincenzo Bellini]] was born in [[Palazzo Gravina-Cruyllas]] in the city center, the palace now houses a museum about him. The [[Teatro Massimo Bellini|Teatro 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.<ref name="Verga">{{Cite book |last=Drabble |first=Margaret |author-link=Margaret Drabble |title=The Oxford Companion to English Literature |publisher=Guild Publishing |year=1985 |edition=5th |location=London |page=1026 |chapter=Verga, Giovanni}}</ref> He became the greatest writer of ''[[Verismo (literature)|Verismo]]'', an Italian [[List of literary movements|literary movement]] akin to [[Naturalism (literature)|Naturalism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Drabble |first=Margaret |author-link=Margaret Drabble |title=The Oxford Companion to English Literature |publisher=Guild Publishing |year=1985 |edition=5th |location=London |page=1026 |chapter=Verismo}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Verga"/> [[Francesco Longo Mancini]] was a painter known for his paintings of nudes, who was born in Catania in 1880.
[[File:Candelore-1994.gif|thumb|upright|right|Saint [[Agatha of Sicily|Agatha]] Festival in February 1994]]
[[File:Catania I cannalori.jpg|thumb|left|[[Festival of Saint Agatha (Catania)|Festival of Saint Agatha]] in 1915]]
The city's [[patron saint]] is [[Agatha of Sicily|Saint Agatha]], who is celebrated with religious pageantry, the [[Festival of Saint Agatha (Catania)|Festival of Saint Agatha]], on 5 February every year.

The city is the base of the newspaper ''[[La Sicilia]]'' and of the TV channel [[Antenna Sicilia]], also known as the [[Sicilia Channel]]. Several other [[Television channel|local television]] channels and free-press magazines have their headquarters in Catania.

Catania hosts [[Etna Comics]], a successful [[comic book convention]] now in its 12th edition, and the [[Catania Tango Festival]], an international [[Tango]] 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 the [[Catania Jazz Festival]], which typically runs for several winter months with concerts in different locations.<ref>{{citation |title=Catania Jazz Festival |url=http://www.traghettiper-sicilia.it/en/tp-magazine/catania-jazz-festival-2017/ |access-date=5 February 2017 |publisher=Traghettiper-sicilia.it |ref={{harvid|Catania Jazz Festival – Traghettiper-sicilia}} |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513183115/https://www.traghettiper-sicilia.it/en/tp-magazine/catania-jazz-festival-2017/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the late 1980s and during the 1990s Catania had an energetic and unique [[popular music]] scene. [[Indie pop]] and [[indie rock]] bands, local radio stations, and dynamic [[independent music]] record labels sprung up as a result. As a result, in those years the city experienced a vital and effervescent cultural period. Artists like [[Carmen Consoli]] and [[Mario Venuti]], and internationally known indie rock bands like [[Uzeda]] came out of this cultural ''milieu''.

== Sport ==
[[File:Stadio Massimino.jpg|thumb|right|Angelo Massimino Football Stadium]]
Catania is home to many [[sports club]]s covering a wide range of disciplines. The most famous club is the [[Catania FC]] [[football team]], followed by approximately half a million supporters.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 April 2013 |title=I dati della Lega Calcio sulla Tifoseria Italiana di Serie A |url=https://tifosobilanciato.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/i-dati-della-lega-calcio-sulla-tifoseria-italiana-di-serie-a/ |language=it}}</ref> Another club standing out from the rest is [[AS Orizzonte Catania]], which is the leading women's [[water 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 of [[Naples]] and of [[Bari]].

As for individual sports, 56 athletes from Catania have won world titles, 54 have won European titles and 139 have won national titles.

In the [[Olympic Games]], over the years, [[Italians|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)
{| {{Table|sort}}
! 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 the [[coronavirus pandemic]] and the related sanitary restrictions)
|-
! 6
| CUS Catania
| Field Hockey Indoor
| Female
| 1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1997
|
|-
! 6
| CUS Catania
| Field Hockey
| Female
| 1990 to 1994, 1996
| 5 years in a row
|-
! 5
| New Squash Club Catania
| Squash
| n/a
| 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
|
|-
! 4
| Pink Elephants Catania
| American Football
| Female
| 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021
|
|-
! 3
| Catania Beach Soccer
| Beach Soccer
| Male
| 2008, 2018, 2024
|
|-
! 3
| Polisportiva Canottieri Catania
| Canoe Polo 3X3
| Female
| 2016 to 2018
|
|-
! 2
| Polisportiva I Cirnerchi Catania
| Cricket
| Female
| 2001, 2002
|
|-
! 2
| Islanders Catania
| Softball
| Male
| 2018, 2019
|
|-
! 2
| Polisportiva Canottieri Catania
| Canoe Polo
| Male
| 2018, 2023
|
|-
! 2
| Meta Catania
| 5-a-side Football
| Male
| 2024, 2025
|
|-
! 1
| Jolly Componibili Catania
| Football
| Female
| 1978
|
|-
! 1
| Paoletti Catania
| Volleyball
| Male
| 1978
|
|-
! 1
| Alidea Catania
| Volleyball
| Female
| 1980
|
|-
! 1
| CUS Catania
| Canoe Polo
| Female
| 1999
|
|-
! 1
| Romolo Murri Catania
| Cricket Indoor
| Male
| 2002
|-
! 1
| Pol. Nautica Katana / CK Academy
| Canoe Polo
| Female
| 2007
|
|-
! 1
| Circolo Canoa Catania
| Canoe Polo
| Female
| 2009
|
|-
! 1
| HCU Catania
| Field Hockey
| Female
| 2014
|
|-
! 1
| Red Sox Paternò
| Baseball
| Male
| 2016
|
|-
! 1
| Canottieri Jonica Catania
| Canoe Polo
| Female
| 2025
|
|-
! Total: 80
|}

'''Champion Cups Titles Teams''' (as of August 2025)
{| {{Table|sort}}
! Number of Titles !! Club !! Sport !! Gender !! Years
|-
! 8
| Orizzonte Catania
| Water polo
| Female
| 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 to 2006, 2008
|-
! 2
| Polisportiva Canottieri Catania
| Canoe polo
| Female
| 2019, 2022
|-
! 1
| Catania Beach Soccer
| Beach Soccer
| Male
| 2025
|-
! Total: 11
|}

[[File:1955-09-18 Catania Etna WINNER Maserati 2084 de Filippis.jpg|thumb|right|[[Maria Teresa de Filippis]] winning the Catania-Etna in 1955]]
'''Main Sports Facilities'''
{| {{Table|sort}}
! Name !! Capacity !! Type !! Year !! Tenants !! Notes
|-
| '''Stadio Angelo Massimino'''
| 21000
| Football Stadium
| 1937
| Calcio Catania
|
|-
| '''PalaNesima'''
| 6500
| Sports Arena
| 2003
| n/a
| Restoration works planned
|-
| '''Piscina Comunale di Nesima'''
| 1000
| Swimming Pool
| 1996
| Orizzonte Catania
|
|-
| '''PalaCatania'''
| 4500
| Sports Arena
| 1997
| ASD Meta
|
|-
| '''PalaNitta'''
| 600
| Sports Arena
| 1997
|
|
|-
| '''PalaGalermo'''
| 500
| Sports Arena
| 1997
| ASD Blue Angels
|
|}

Catania holds the [[Catania-Etna (Hill Climb)|Catania-Etna]] car competition, organized by the [[Automobile 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=46a Catania-Etna |url=https://www.cronoscalate.it/events/event/46a-catania-etna/ |language=it}}</ref>

From 1960 to 2011 Catania held the International event named ''Trofeo Sant'Agata'', a [[road running]] competition which took place in the streets of the city center, every year on 3 February (the day the [[Festival of Saint Agatha (Catania)|Festival of Saint Agatha]] begins).

The city also hosted a series of International Sports Events:
* [[1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifying]], and the associated [[Etna Cup]], which was won by the host Sicily team.
* [[1994 UCI Road World Championships]] (together with Palermo and Agrigento).
* [[1997 Summer Universiade]] (together with Palermo and Messina).
* [[2003 Military World Games]]
* [[2011 Men's EuroHockey Championship III]].
* [[2011 World Fencing Championships]] (Italy came out of this competition as the top winning nation with 11 medals, one won by the local fencer [[Paolo Pizzo]]).
* [[2024 World Company Sports Games]].

== Food and cuisine ==
[[Image:Arancini .jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Arancini]]]]
[[Image:Pasta alla Norma (2563876877).jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Pasta alla Norma]]'']]
Food is an important part of Catania's culture and way of life. Local cuisine emphasizes several traits of [[Sicilian 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 invoke [[Mount Etna]]. Typical specialties from the city include ''{{lang|scn|cipollina}}'' (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), ''{{lang|scn|crispelle}}'' (deep fried dough balls with [[ricotta]] or anchovies filling).

During street fairs and religious festivals, street stalls sell ''{{lang|scn|calia e simenza}}'' (toasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds). Typical from old street markets are ''{{lang|scn|sangeli}}'' (cooked pork blood), ''{{lang|scn|quarumi}}'' (pork tripe), ''{{lang|scn|zuzzu}}'' (pork jelly), ''{{lang|scn|mauru}}'' (edible seaweed), and raw seafood. [[Horse meat]] is traditional and is sold in shops called ''{{lang|scn|arrusti e mancia}}'' ("roast it and eat it"), which roast the meat in streetside barbecues.<ref>{{citation |title=Catania, patria della carne di cavallo |date=19 September 2016 |url=http://www.notiziecatania.it/notizie/catania/cibo-catanese-catania-e-la-patria-della-carne-di-cavallo/ |access-date=3 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906162256/http://www.notiziecatania.it/notizie/catania/cibo-catanese-catania-e-la-patria-della-carne-di-cavallo/ |archive-date=6 September 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Apart from street food, typical dishes from Catania are: ''[[pasta alla Norma]]'' (pasta with fried aubergine, tomato sauce and ricotta salata cheese), named after the [[Norma (opera)|namesake opera]] by [[Vincenzo Bellini]]; ''{{lang|scn|pasta cco niuru}}'' (pasta in cuttlefish ink), ''{{lang|scn|maccu}}'' (fava beans purée), ''{{lang|scn|bastaddi affucati}}'' or ''{{lang|scn|brocculi affucati}}'' (stewed cauliflower or broccoli), ''{{lang|scn|caponata}}'' (sautéed vegetables) and ''{{lang|scn|scacciata}}'' (a pie filled with tuma cheese) which is traditional during [[Christmas]]time.<ref>{{citation |title=La scacciata catanese, le origini del piatto natalizio per eccellenza della tradizione etnea |date=26 December 2018 |url=https://newsicilia.it/cultura/la-scacciata-catanese-le-origini-del-piatto-natalizio-per-eccellenza-della-tradizione-etnea/377264/ |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>

Catania is also famous for its ''pasticceria'' (pastries and cakes). Pastries vary according to season and to seasonal events: during the [[Festival of Saint Agatha (Catania)|Festival of Saint Agatha]], patron saint of the city, there are the ''{{lang|scn|cassatelle}}'' (small [[cassata]]s) and ''{{lang|scn|olivette}}'' (olive shaped [[almond paste]]). In [[Easter]], there are ''{{lang|scn|aceddi ccu l'ovu}}'' (boiled eggs covered in biscuit). In [[summer]] there is [[granita]]. During the ''Festa dei morti'' (traditional celebrations in [[All Souls' Day]]) there are biscuits called ''{{lang|scn|ossa di mortu}}'', ''{{lang|scn|rame di Napoli}}'' and ''{{lang|scn|nsuddi}}''.

Drink [[kiosks]] are everywhere in town and serve [[soft drink]]s. Traditional soft drinks are made by mixing fruit syrups with [[carbonated water|soda]] and other flavors such as [[anisette]].

Local products include [[blood orange]]s, [[pistachio]]s from [[Bronte, Sicily|Bronte]], extra-virgin [[olive oil]], [[opuntia|cactus fruit]], [[cherry|cherries]], [[grape]]s from [[Mazzarrone]], [[strawberry|strawberries]] from [[Maletto]], [[Edible mushroom|mushrooms]], [[honey]] and [[wine]].<ref>{{citation |title=Elenco dei prodotti siciliani di qualità |date=3 April 2016 |url=https://www.agricolturafinanziamenti.com/elenco-dei-prodotti-siciliani-di-qualita/ |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>

== Transport ==
[[File:GiovanniXXIII-metro.jpg|thumb|[[Catania Metro]]]]
Catania has a commercial seaport ([[Catania seaport]]), an [[international airport]] ([[Catania Fontanarossa]]), several [[railway station]]s ([[Catania Centrale railway station|Catania Centrale]] is the main one) and it is the main node of the Sicilian motorway system.

The motorways serving Catania are the A18 [[Messina]]-Catania and the A19 [[Palermo]]-Catania; and the prosecution of the A18 going from Catania to [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] and to [[Gela]].

The [[Ferrovia Circumetnea|Circumetnea]] is a [[narrow-gauge]] railway that runs for {{convert|110|km|0|abbr=on}} from Catania around the base of [[Mount Etna]]. It attains an elevation of {{convert|976|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] before descending to rejoin the coast at [[Giarre]]-[[Riposto]] to the north.

In the late 1990s, the first line of an [[Rapid transit|underground railway]] (''[[Metropolitana di Catania]]'') was built. The underground service started in 1999 and it is currently active on a route of {{convert|8.8|km|1|abbr=on}}, 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.<ref name="Subway">Underground railway of Catania from Subways.net [http://www.subways.net/italy/catania.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629142207/http://www.subways.net/italy/catania.htm|date=29 June 2009}} and from CityRailways.net in {{in lang|it}}[http://www.cityrailways.net/metroitaliane/catania.html] and (translation)[https://translate.google.com/translate?client=tmpg&hl=en&u=http://www.cityrailways.net/metroitaliane/catania.html&langpair=it%7Cen]</ref> The line is planned to be extended from the [[satellite city]] of [[Paternò]] to [[Catania Fontanarossa|Fontanarossa Airport]].

=== Catania public transport statistics ===
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 {{Convert|4.7|km|mi|abbr=on}}, while 3% travel for over {{Convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} in a single direction.<ref>{{cite web |title=Catania Public Transportation Statistics |url=https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Italy_Catania-2806 |access-date=19 June 2017 |publisher=Global Public Transit Index by Moovit}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>

== Notable residents ==
{{multiple image
| align=right
| image1 = Caronda.JPG
| width1 = 125
| caption1 = [[Charondas]]
| image2 = Pincio - busti - Stesicoro 1280023.JPG
| width2 = 125
| caption2 = [[Stesichorus]]
| image3 = Vincenzo bellini.jpg
| width3 = 125
| caption3 = [[Vincenzo Bellini]]
| image4 = Giovanni-Verga.jpg
| width4 = 121
| caption4 = [[Giovanni Verga]]
}}

{{multiple image
| align=right
| image1 = Giuseppe Fava.png
| width1 = 130
| caption1 = [[Giuseppe Fava]]
| image2 = F Battiato.jpg
| width2 = 125
| caption2 = [[Franco Battiato]]
| image3 = Carmen Consoli.jpg
| width3 = 125
| caption3 = [[Carmen Consoli]]
| image4 = Luca Parmitano 2013.jpg
| width4 = 135
| caption4 = [[Luca Parmitano]]
}}

* [[Aaron ben Gershon abu al-Rabi]], 15th century rabbi
* [[Oriana Bandiera]] (born 1971), economist and academic
* [[Pippo Baudo]] (1936–2025), TV presenter
* [[Franco Battiato]] (1945–2021), singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker
* [[Gianni Bella]] (born 1947), singer-songwriter
* [[Marcella Bella]] (born 1952), singer
* [[Vincenzo Bellini]] (1801–1835), composer
* [[Ornella Bertorotta]] (born 1967), politician
* [[Alfredo Bonanno]] (born 1937), anarchist
* [[Vitaliano Brancati]] (1907–1954), writer
* [[Giuseppa Bolognara Calcagno]] (1826–1884), freedom fighter of the [[Risorgimento]]
* [[Luigi Capuana]] (1839–1915), writer
* [[Charondas]] (6th c. BC), jurist
* [[Carmen Consoli]] (born 1974), singer-songwriter
* [[Angelo d'Arrigo]] (1961–2006), aviator
* [[Federico De Roberto]] (1861–1927), writer
* [[Tea Falco]] (born 1986), actress
* [[Giuseppe Fava]] (1925–1984), journalist, writer and playwright
* [[Gotamī]], (1999-),  Buddhist nun and writer
* [[Turi Ferro]] (1921–2001), actor
* [[Rosario Fiorello]] (1960), comedian, singer, radio and TV presenter
* [[Libero Grassi]] (1924–1991), businessman
* [[Leo Gullotta]] (born 1946), actor
* [[Andrea Lo Cicero]] (born 1976), rugby footballer
* [[Miriam Leone]] (born 1985), [[Miss Italia]] 2008
* [[Ettore Majorana]] (1905–?), physicist
* [[Nino Martoglio]] (1870–1921), writer
* [[Massimo Maugeri]] (born 1968), writer and journalist
* [[Angelo Musco (actor)|Angelo Musco]] (1872–1937), actor
* [[Tuccio Musumeci]] (born 1934), actor
* [[Giovanni Pacini]] (1796–1867), composer
* [[Luca Parmitano]] (born 1976), astronaut
* [[Ercole Patti]] (1903–1976), writer and journalist
* [[Goliarda Sapienza]] (1924–1996), writer
* [[Giuseppe Sciuti]] (1834–1911), painter
* [[Piermaria Siciliano]] (born 1974), swimmer
* [[Stefania Spampinato]] (born 1982), actress
* [[Stesichorus]] ({{c.|630}} – 555 BC), poet
* [[Giovanni Verga]] (1840–1922), writer
* [[Manlio Vinciguerra]] (born 1976), scientist

== International relations ==
=== Consulates ===
The following countries have a [[consulate]] in Catania: [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Belgium]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Greece]], [[Malta]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Romania]], [[Senegal]], [[Spain]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[South Africa]], [[Switzerland]], and [[Ukraine]].<ref>{{Citation |title=MAECI, Cerimoniale diplomatico della Repubblica, Consolati di carriera ed onorari esteri in Italia. Roma, 21 novembre 2018 |url=https://www.esteri.it/mae/doc/ldc.pdf}}</ref>

=== Twin towns – sister cities ===
Catania is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |date=15 July 2019 |title=Catania Amica Del Mondo, Ecco Tutti I Gemellaggi Della Città Etnea |url=http://www.cataniaup.it/curiosita/catania-amica-del-mondo-ecco-tutti-i-gemellaggi-della-citta-etnea/ |access-date=13 December 2019 |website=cataniaup.it |publisher=Catania Up |language=it}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Grenoble]], France, since 1961
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], United States, since 2001
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Ottawa]], Canada, since 2002
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Oświęcim County]], Poland, since 2010
* {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Oxford]], England, UK, since 2012
* {{flagicon|SMR}} [[Borgo Maggiore]], San Marino, since 2015<ref>{{cite web |title=Catania e Borgo Maggiore (San Marino): un gemellaggio all'insegna di Sant'Agata |url=https://www.comune.catania.it/informazioni/cstampa/default.aspx?cs=41221 |access-date=13 January 2024 |language=it}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kaliningrad]], Russia, since 2017
* {{flagicon|EGY}} [[Alexandria]], Egypt, since 2019
{{div col end}}

=== Influence on the planning of Adelaide, Australia ===
The site of what was to become the major [[Australia]]n city of [[Adelaide]] 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{{nbs}}km] long". This became the basis for his plan of Adelaide.<ref>Johnson and Langmead, [http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/record=b1082509 ''The Adelaide city plan: fiction and fact''], Wakefield Press, 1986.</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Italy|European Union|Cities}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Amico |first=Vito Maria |url=https://archive.org/details/b30414210_0001 |title=Catana Illustrata |year=1740}}
* {{Cite book |last=Correnti |first=Santi |title=La Città Semprerifiorente |publisher=Greco |year=1981 |location=Catania}}
* {{Cite book |last=Correnti |first=Santi |title=Cataniamia |publisher=Greco |year=2001 |location=Catania}}
* {{Cite book |last=Correnti |first=Santi |title=Le strade di Catania |author2=Santino Spartà |publisher=Newton & Compton |year=2007 |location=Rome}}
* {{Cite book |last=Various |title=Enciclopedia di Catania |publisher=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, {{ISBN|978-88-7751-273-4}}
* {{SmithDGRG}}

== Further reading ==
{{See also|Timeline of Catania#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Catania}}
* {{Citation |title=Italy: Handbook for Travellers: Third Part, Southern Italy, Sicily |year=1867 |chapter=Catania |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/italyhandbookfo12firgoog#page/n359/mode/2up |publisher=Karl Baedeker |oclc=4158305 |ol=20556096M}}
* {{Citation |title=Southern Italy and Sicily |year=1908 |chapter=Catania |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/southernitalysic00karl#page/386/mode/2up |edition=15th |location=Leipzig |publisher=Karl Baedeker |ol=24396430M}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{wikivoyage|Catania}}
{{EB1911 poster|Catania}}
* {{Official website|http://www.comune.catania.it/}}

{{Catania landmarks}}
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