Catania

Catania stands on Sicily's eastern coast beneath Mount Etna, where the fertile volcanic slopes meet the Ionian Sea. Founded by Greek settlers from Naxos, the city passed through Roman, Byzantine, Islamic and Norman hands. Its cathedral and the massive Castello Ursino recall the medieval city, while its university, founded in the fifteenth century, made it a centre of learning.

In 1669 lava from Etna reached Catania, surrounded the castle and advanced into the sea. The city walls diverted much of the flow, though some lava entered the town and the harbour was damaged. A still greater disaster followed in 1693, when an earthquake devastated Catania. Reconstruction transformed its streets and churches, using dark volcanic stone in the buildings of a new Baroque city.