Sicily
Catania
HISTORY
The second largest city in Sicily by population, Catania spreads out over the Plain of Catania, between the Ionian Sea and the slopes of Etna. The surrounding countryside, which the volcanic eruptions have made very fertile, is mainly given up to the cultivation of citrus fruit. The close link between the city and the volcano is also visible in the buildings, many of which are constructed in lava stone. According to Thucydides, Katane was founded after 729 BC by the Chalcidian settlers from Naxos, on the hill now known as the "Colle dei Benedettini". In the 7th c. the legislator Caronda gave the city a moderately inspired government, half-way between oligarchy and democracy. In 476 BC Catania was conquered by Hieron of Syracuse, and the inhabitants were deported, only to return after 15 years. During the Punic Wars the town was conquered by the Romans (263 BC) and it succeeded in maintaining a position of considerable affluence until the Imperial Age. After the decadence caused by the invasions of the Barbarians and the Byzantine conquest, the town was occupied by the Arabs, who redistributed the land and promoted agriculture and commerce. In 1071, after the Norman conquest, construction began on the cathedral, and numerous country villages were founded, each under the jurisdiction of a monastery . Under the Swabians, Frederick II built the Castello Ursino here, in order to complete his fortifications in this part of Sicily. The arrival of the Aragonese in Catania, which the Court often chose as a centre for its activity, led to the foundation of the Siculorum Gymnasium, the first prestigious Sicilian university. The great eruption of 1669 and the terrible earthquake in 1693, which affected all E Sicily and destroyed most of the city, annihilated an economy that was already in a critical state. Catania was eventually rebuilt, and it spread considerably; it then suffered the effect of a new agricultural crisis, before recovering yet again. It was elected provincial capital in the 19th c. and again began to expand towards new zones, until it achieved in our own days its present-day image of a modem city.
MONUMENTS
The city centre; this was the nucleus of the ancient city and it is where the Cathedral stands. We are in Piazza Duomo, created after 1693 on the site of the pre-existing "platea magna" (main square). At the centre is the Elephant Fountain, the symbol of Catania, designed by Gian Battista Vaccarini, restored in 1998: on the pedestal, with its putti and bas-reliefs, the scu1ptor placed an elephant of the Roman Age, locally known as "liotri" from the name of a Byzantine necromancer from Catania, whosename was either Heliodorus or Diodorus. Above the elephant there is an Egyptian obelisk which may have come from the Roman circus in Catania. The Cathedral, dedicated to St Agata, was built by Count Roger between 1078 and 1093. Of the originai building we can still see the apse and the transept, flanked by two imposing towers (the first orders still remain) which bestowed upon the church the appearance of an ecclesia munita, i.e. a fortified church. The façade, extremely agile and scenographic, was built in the 18th c. to a design by Vaccarini. The cupola was also built in the 18th c., and the campanile in the following century. In the N prospect is a 16th c. portal by G. B. Mazzolo da Carrara. The Cathedral is of considerable length and is divided into a nave and two aisles, with an ample transept with three apses. In the area of the sanctuary it is possible to see the remaining parts of the original Norman church. The restoration work carried out in the 1950s removed the 19th c. stucco additions. There are some interesting paintings in the left-hand aisle: St Antonio Abate by Guglielmo Borremans (fourth chapel) and The Martyrdom of St Agata by Filippo Paladino (fifth chapel). The Chapel of the Crucifix, on the left of the transept, stili preserves some Norman structures. The presbytery contains some 17th c. frescoes, among which one in the apse, representing the Martyrdom of St Agata, is by Gian Battista Corradini. The precious wooden choir with stories of St Agata was carved at the end of the 16th c., to the design of Sapione di Guido. On the right of the presbytery is the Chapel of St Agata which, beyond a splendidly decorated little portal contains a silver urn by Vincenzo Archifel, with the remains of the saint. In the Chapel of the Madonna, on the right of the transept, is the tomb of Constance, wife of Frederick III of Aragon, and in a Roman sarcophagus are the remains of the royal family of Aragon. The sacristy (1675) contains a fresco representing the eruption of Etna in 1669. The Treasury displays numerous items of great value, especially silver- work, including the arm of St George (1576), the elegant enamel bust of Cataldo, and the crown and gilded enamel bust of St Agata. Through a door in the comer to the right of the façade we can reach the Roman Terme Achilliane, over which the church was built. The Town Hall stands on the N side of Piazza Duomo. Building on it started in 1695 and continued until the following century .The main façade is by Vaccarini. The 18th c. Seminario dei Chierici is on the S side of Piazza del Duomo. This clerical seminary has a massive façade, framed by pilaster-strips, as well as omately rusticated walls, decorated windows and portal, and balconies with figured corbels. The Seminario houses the Diocesan Museum from April 2001. On the right of the seminary is the Fontana dell'Amenano, a 19th c. work by Tito Angelini. (Immediately beyond the fountain is the open space of Piazza Alonzo di Benedetto, where the picturesque and characteristic Fish Market is held.) From here, following Via Dusmet, we reach the port, the second busiest in Sicily after that of Palermo. Nearby is Palazzo Biscari, a splendid 18th c. mansion built by Vincenzo Paternò, Prince of Biscari, and modified later in the same century. The SW façade, looking towards the sea, is abundantly decorated with sculpted festoons and grotesques. The ball room is also finely decorated, with rocailles, frescoes and mirrors, testifying to the high degree of refinement of the aristocratic society of 18th c. Catania. Retracing our steps, we see at the corner of Via Garibaldi and Via Cristoforo Colombo, Palazzo Pardo, an elegant 18th c. building. Now, along Via Plebiscito we come to Piazza Federico di Svevia and the Castello Ursino, a powerful building erected between 1239 and 1250 by Federick II. The castle has the typical structure of the fortified buildings of the Swabian period, with a square ground-plan distributed around a central court and circular turrets. The Castle houses the Museo Civico, which was created in 1934 by combining the collection of the Benedectine monks with that of the Prince of Biscari. The Museum contains works of extraordinary value: an outstanding archaeological collection together with works of art from the Middle Ages and the 16th c., as well as works by De Saliba, Novelli, Stomer and Paladino. Opposite the Castello Ursino is the Chiesa di San Sebastiano, which has a fine 18th c. portal originally in the church of San Nicola dei Trixini, now demolished. From here we can walk along Via Castello Ursino. On the comer with Via Garibaldi we see the Chiesa di Santa Chiara (sec. half 18th c.) by the architect Giuseppe Palazzotto, characterized by an ampie octagonal open gallery that almost completely encircles it. It contains a painting by Paola Vasta, St Laurence, another by Olivio Sozzi, The Blessed Mary, and a splendid crucifix. Between Via Garibaldi and Via Sant'Anna, in an 18th c. palazzo, is the house of Giovanni Verga, furnished almost entirely as it used to be during his lifetime. The house is open to the public every morning. Further along Via Garibaldi we come to Palazzo Trewhella (19th c.). Nearby is the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Aiuto, which has a single nave and a richly scenographic façade (18th c.). Retracing our steps, along Via Garibaldi, we come to the Bourbon barracks (19th c.), now used as a tobacco factory. Via Garibaldi ends at Porta Garibaldi, formerly Ferdinanda, which was erected in 1768 in honour of the wedding of Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina of Austria. This city-gate was designed by the architects Francesco Battaglia (inner part) and Stefano Ittar (the elegantly decorated outer part). Leaving Via Garibaldi we can take Via Plebiscito, following its circular route which was traced out in 1674 along the lava flows of 1669, and in this way reach the long thoroughfare of Corso Vittorio Emanuele which bisects the city from W to E and terrninates in Piazza Duomo. Several Palaces (Gravina, Valdisavoia and others), evidence of the elevated quality of baroque Catania, look out over the Corso, as this street used to be called. But we move now to the part of the city, piazza Dante, dominated by the hill on which stands the old Benedictine Convent, one of the largest in Europe: it covers an area of 100,000 sq metres and is now the seat of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Catania. Theinitial project (1703) wasassigned to Antonio Amato, who was later followed by the leading local architects: Di Benedetto, Palazzotto, Battaglia, Vaccarini and Ittar. The convent is distributed around two cloisters. The E and S façade are two spendid examples of Catania baroque, with decorations, stone carvings, ashlars and fine capitals. The first cloister is classical in structure with Roman arches; the second, elegant and lively, captures the typical features of the Catania baroque style. In the N wing of the convent is the Library , the work of G. B. Vaccarini, with elegant shelves. The ceiling frescoes by G. B. Piparo represent the Triumph of faith and the cardinal and theological virtues. The library contains numerous very valuable volumes. The Church is dedicated to St Nicholas. The façade is extremely agile. The extensive internal space is dominated by powerful columns and exalted by the magnificence of the vaults. Among the more interesting works there are the Martyrdom of St Agata by Mariano Rossi (18th c.), the Martyrdom of St Andrew by Ferdinando Boutard (18th c.) and numerous other 18th c. paintings. Along the walls of the presbytery there is a magnificent choirwith splendid carvings and, in the apse, a beautiful gilded organ, the work of Donato del Piano (1755). The sacristy, at the end of the nave, is richly adorned with decorations of refined design. There are some fine cabinets embellished with exquisite little wooden statues. Returning to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, we see the Convento and Chiesa della Santissima Trinità and the Convento and Chiesa di Sant'Agostino that contains some paintings by Olivio Sozzi and an 18th c. Madonna with St John by Sebastiano Conca. From here, turning into Via Trinità, we can see the remains of the Roman Forum, often referred to as the "Greek theatre". Nearby is the Odeum, a semicircular building also used for public spectacles. Following Via Rotonda we come to the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Rotonda, built on the site of a Roman thermal building. We return to Corso Vittorio Emanuele and proceed to Palazzo Gravina-Cruyllas, with its magnificent rusticated portal, which now houses the Bellini Museum. Here we can admire various relics, documents and objects related to Vincenzo Bellini, including the cembalo on which the composer performed his Norma in Catania (1832). The most representative religious buildings are also to be found in this area of the city: the Chiesa di San Francesco, in Piazza San Francesco, a monumental scenographic church built to the design of Francesco Battaglia and completed by Stefano Ittar which contains a copy of Raphael's Spasimo by Jacopo Vignerio (1541) and some valuable l8th c. paintings. In Piazza San Francesco we see the Monument to Cardinal Dusmet (1935). From here we enter Via Crociferi, created in the l8th c. and best visited at times when there is less traffic about, as it contains some of the most fascinating examples of baroque architecture, and not just in Sicily. In the lower part the San Benedetto complex, consisting of the church and the buildings of the Badia Grande (by Francesco Battaglia) and the Badia Piccola (possibly by Vaccarini), is distributed on both sides of the street, joined by an arch known as the arco di San Benedetto. The Church (early l8th c.) has a single nave and magnificent stucco and fresco decorations by Giovanni Tuccari (1726), with the Life of St Benedict and the Glory of the Saint. The high altar and the inlaid marble floor are also outstanding. Not far away, overlooking Piazza Asmundo, is Palazzo Asmundo, a notable example of l8th c. aristocratic architecture. Near San Benedetto is the severe Chiesa di San Francesco Borgia and the Collegio dei Gesuiti. The Church, built towards the end of the l8th c., was designed by Fra' Angelo Italia. There are a nave and two aisles. The frescoes in the cupola, with the History of the Company of Jesus, are by Olivio Sozzi. Opposite is the Chiesa di San Giuliano, one of the tallest baroque buildings in Catania, built in the l8th c. and designed by Gian Battista Vaccarini. The façade is convex and measured in form. The inlaid marble floor of the church is very elegant. The high altar is an admirable piece of sculpture with precious marbles and gilded bronzes. Also interesting are a sculpted group of the Crucifixion and a good painting by Olivio Sozzi: The Madonna delle Grazie and Saints Joseph and Benedict. Along Via Crociferi, we see on the corner with Via Cappuccini the ruins of the fortress built by Charles V (1556) which incorporate the baroque Santuario di Sant'Agata al Carcere (Church of St Agata in Prison), so called because according to tradition St Agata was imprisoned here. The actual structure of the church is older (15th c.). Above the high altar there is a fine 16th c. panel painting, the Martyrdom of St Agata, signed "Bernardino Niger grecus". Some relics of St Agata are kept here: two slabs of lava stone (her footprints are said to be visible on one of them) and the lid of the coffin which once contained her body. A small room of Roman age, which is entered by a little door , is traditionally said to have been the saint's prison, before her martyrdom. The Chiesa di Sant'Agata la Vetere is a 19th c. building, standing on the site of an ancient early Christian basilica. A painting by Giuseppe Sciuti, the Madonna dei Bambini (1898), in the second altar on the left, and a Roman sarcophagus on the main altar are of great interest. Proceeding further along Via Crociferi, we arrive at the San Dornenico quarter, which contains some significant buildings. The Conservatorio della Purità (sec. half 18th c.) has a severe smooth façade; the adjacent Chiesa della Purità, with its convex façade, was designed by Antonino Battaglia (18th c.). Retuming along Via Cappuccini, we come to the Chiesa di San Domenico (18th c.), which is decorated by two statues of St Dominic and St Vincenzo Ferreri and, to the side, by a fine richly omamented little baroque portal. Inside the church is a painting by Olivio Sozzi, representing St Vincenzo Ferreri resuscitating a child, and a marble statue by Antonello Gagini, the Madonna and Child. The Convento dei Domenicani, which has a library with precious 16th and 17th c. volumes, stands in Via della Maddalena. Proceeding further along Via Androne, we come to the elegant Villa Majorana, built between 1911 and 1913 by the architect Francesco Fichera. We continue uphill and near the corner with Viale Regina Margherita come to the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù, which was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt in the early 18th c. Further along Viale Regina Margherita we arrive at Piazza Roma, with its Monument to Umberto I, by Mario Rutelli; opposite is the entrance to Villa Bellini, once private and now public gardens of extraordinary beauty. Viale Regina Margherita intersects the long straight thoroughfare Via Etnea, which was created in the 18th c.: it bisects the city from N to the S, reaching as far as Piazza Duomo. In Piazza Stesicoro we can see the Monument to Vincenzo Bellini, by Giulio Monteverde (1880-82) and, opposite, the ruins of the 2nd c. BC Roman Amphitheatre, built in lava stone faced with marble (now open). At the other end of the square is the Chiesa di San Biagio, also known as the Chiesa di Sant'Agata alla Fornace (Church of St Agata at the Furnace): common beliefhas it that this is the place of St Agata's martyrdom. This hall church, built in the early 19th c. by Antonino Battaglia, is typically neoclassical in appearance. The square is completed by the old Ospedale di San Marco (1724) and the Pa1azzo Paternò del Toscano (1870). From Piazza Stesicoro we go up Via San Gaetano alla Grotta, where the Chiesa di San Gaetano alla Grotta stands, and come to the Santuario del Carmine, built after 1729. It has a monumental façade, with two powerful jutting half-columns Inside there are some interesting 18th c. canvases and a painting by Andrea Pastura of the Madonna del Cannelo (1501). From here we can return up Via Etnea to the crossroads with Via San Giuliano, where we have the Quattro Canti (Four Comers), built in accordance with the town plan designed by Camastra after the 1693 earthquake. Before the Cathedral, we come to La Collegiata, built by Angelo Amato to the design of Angelo Italia. The highly imaginative and richly decorated façade is by Stefano Ittar. Inside, the church has a nave and two aisles and is decorated with frescoes by Giuseppe Sciuti and a number of paintings, including Sant'Apollonia by Olivio Sozzi (18th c.). Nearby is the Palazzo dell'Università (18th-19th c.), the central university building, which stands on the site of the "Almo Studio", founded by Alfonso the Magnanimous in 1444. In the Corso stands the Chiesa di Sant'Agata, designed by G.B. Vaccarini (18th c.). The Chiesa di San Placido (18th c.) stands in Piazzetta San Placido. The façade of this church, by Stefano Ittar, has the typical exquisite elegance of baroque architecture in Catania. Crossing Corso Vittorio Emanuele again, we proceed to Piazza Bellini and the Teatro Massimo Bellini, designed by Carlo Scala, for which the project was a combination of previous projects by other architects. The theatre was inaugurated in 1880 with a performance of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma. Between Via Teatro Massimo and Corso Vittorio is the Collegio Cutelli, built by Francesco Battaglia (18th c.); the façade is by Stefano Ittar. Palazzo Reburdone, built in 1776 to a design by Francesco Battaglia, stands near the end of the Corso. The courtyard has a double loggia of vigorous and massive line; the salons inside are elegantly decorated. The Corso ends at Piazza dei Martiri, in the middle of which stands a column bearing a statue of St Agata, ordered by the Senate to be made (1743) after Catania narrowly escaped an epidemic of plague.