Gulf of Catania

The Gulf of Catania opens along Sicily's eastern shore, beneath the great mass of Mount Etna. The city of Catania stands at its northern side, while rivers cross the plain to meet the Ionian Sea. In 1669 a lava flow from Etna reached the city, passed around Castello Ursino and entered the water. The advancing lava altered the shoreline and damaged the harbour, leaving a new volcanic edge to the bay.