Sicilia: Entry 5

Catania is probably one of the more unique cities in Sicily because it combines the modern with the ancient. The tallest and most active volcano in Europe lurks in the shadows of Catania and is always a threat to destroy the city. Combined with the fact that Catania is prone to natural disasters are both the reasons Catania is more modern than the rest of Sicily. It is has had more than one rebuilding . Earlier in the week we had a very rare opportunity to climb Mt. Etna. To characterize climbing an active volcano as a once in a lifetime experience is an understatement. We went close to 3000 meters high and with the temperature change and wind blowing it felt like a different world. The only downside was that it cost 80 euros. This is something that I am having a hard time getting used to. Tourists getting charged extra because we don't know better. Oh well, it only happens once.

Between eruptions and earthquakes, mother nature has not been kind to Catania which has forced the city to rebuild. There are not many cities in the world where the city is built over Ancient Roman ruins. There is a spot in the middle of the city where the road splits up to show the remains of a Roman amphitheater. It is a really unique sight to see. While we were reading the information plaque in front of the ruins a nice Italian lady starts speaking to my roommate in Italian. Of course my roommate does not speak or understand Italian so I have to do the translating and she starts giving us a little history of Catania followed by a marriage proposal. We were shocked to say the least and realized maybe it was time to move on to the next sight which was the main piazza. All the main squares in Italy are usually centered around a church, however the main piazza in Catania is centered around a church and a university. The University of Catania is the oldest in Sicily and is very prominent around the city. Also in the piazza was a giant elephant statue that is topped by an obelisk. The elephant is a symbol of Catania which dates back to the Arab rule of Sicily.

The biggest disaster that Catania suffered was the earthquake of 1693. Even Etna did not damage the city as much as this earthquake did. Stephen Tobringer's article describes the destruction and the process the people took to rebuild the city. The earthquake did so much devastation that the city was “flattened” so major changes had to be made in order to regain some kind of life in the city. The major changes that were made were creating wide and straight streets so people can evacuate quickly and creating large piazzas so people had a place to evacuate to. Another big change was in the architecture. Catania is the only city in Sicily to employ a Baroque style of architecture. Looking back at my time in Catania and comparing it to the other major city in Sicily, Palermo, the style of architecture, wide streets and large piazzas are much more prominent. It all just adds to the unique feel of Catania. I wish we spent more time there instead of just going for the day.

Reference: Tobringer, Stephen. "Earthquakes and Planning in the 17th and 18th Centuries." Journal of Architectural Education Disaster 33.4 (1980): 11-15.