Catania
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Profile of Catania (Greek: Κατάνη -- Katánē; Latin: Catana and Catina; Arabic: Balad-al-Fil or Medinat-al-Fil, Wadi Musa and Qataniyah) is the second-largest city of Sicily, southern Italy, and is the capital of the province which bears its name.
Towns and Villages in the Province of Catania - Aci Bonaccorsi | Aci Castello | Aci Catena | Aci Sant'Antonio | Acireale | Adrano | Belpasso | Biancavilla | Bronte | Calatabiano | Caltagirone | Camporotondo Etneo | Castel di Judica | Castiglione di Sicilia | Catania | Fiumefreddo di Sicilia | Giarre | Grammichele | Gravina di Catania | Licodia Eubea | Linguaglossa | Maletto | Maniace | Mascali | Mascalucia | Mazzarrone | Militello in Val di Catania | Milo | Mineo | Mirabella Imbaccari | Misterbianco | Motta Sant'Anastasia | Nicolosi | Palagonia | Paternò | Pedara | Piedimonte Etneo | Raddusa | Ragalna | Ramacca | Randazzo | Riposto | San Cono | San Giovanni la Punta | San Gregorio di Catania | San Michele di Ganzaria | San Pietro Clarenza | Sant'Agata li Battiati | Sant'Alfio | Santa Maria di Licodia | Santa Venerina | Scordia | Trecastagni | Tremestieri Etneo | Valverde | Viagrande | Vizzini | Zafferana Etnea
With some 306,000 inhabitants (750,000 in the metropolitan area) it has the second highest population density on the island. The city's patron saint is Saint Agatha. Catania is located on the east coast of the island, halfway between Messina and Siracusa and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna.
History and Foundation
All ancient authors agree in representing Catania as a Greek colony named Κατάνη
(Katánē—see also List of traditional Greek place names) of Chalcidic origin, but founded immediately from the neighboring city of Naxos, under the guidance of a leader named Euarchos (Euarchus). The exact date of its foundation is not recorded, but it appears from Thucydides to have followed shortly after that of Leontini (modern Lentini), which he places in the fifth year after Syracuse, or 730 BCE. (Thuc. vi. 3; Strabo vi. p. 268; Scymn. Ch. 286; Scyl. § 13; Steph. B. s. v.)
Greek Sicily
The only event of its early history which has been transmitted to us is the legislation of Charondas, and even of this the date is wholly uncertain.
But from the fact that his legislation was extended to the other Chalcidic cities, not only of Sicily, but of Magna Graecia also, as well as to his own country (Arist., Pol. ii. 9), it is evident that Catania
continued in intimate relations with these kindred cities. It seems to have retained
its independence till the time of Hieron of Syracuse, but that despot, in 476 BCE, expelled all the original inhabitants, whom he established at Leontini, while he repeopled the city with a new body of colonists, amounting, it is said, to not less than 10,000 in number, and consisting partly of Syracusans, partly of Peloponnesians.
He at the same time changed its name to Αἴτνη (Aítnē, Aetna or Ætna, after the nearby volcano), and caused himself to be proclaimed the Oekist or founder of the new city. As such he was celebrated by Pindar, and after his death obtained heroic honors from the citizens of his new colony. (Diod. xi. 49, in 66; Strab. l.c.; Pind. Pyth. i., and Schol. ad loc.)
But this state of things was of brief duration, and a few years after the death of Hieron and the expulsion of Thrasybulus, the Syracusans combined with Ducetius, king of the Siculi, to expel the newly settled inhabitants of Catania, who were compelled to retire to the fortress of Inessa (to which they gave the name of Aetna), while the old Chalcidic citizens were reinstated in the possession of Catania
, 461 BCE. (Diod. xi. 76; Strab. l. c.)
The period which followed the settlement of affairs at this epoch appears to have been one of great prosperity for Catania, as well as for the Sicilian cities in general: but we have no details of its history till the great Athenian expedition to Sicily (part of the larger Peloponnesian War).
On that occasion the Catanaeans, notwithstanding their Chalcidic connections, at first refused to receive the Athenians into their city: but the latter having effected an entrance, they found themselves compelled to espouse the alliance of the invaders, and Catania became in consequence the headquarters of
the Athenian armament throughout the first year of the expedition, and the base of their subsequent operations against Syracuse. (Thuc. vi. 50-52, 63, 71, 89; Diod. xiii. 4, 6, 7; Plut. Nic. 15, 16.)
We have no information as to the fate of Catania after the close of this expedition:
it is next mentioned in 403 BCE, when it fell into the power of Dionysius I of Syracuse, who sold the inhabitants as slaves, and gave up the city to plunder; after which he established there a body of Campanian mercenaries. These, however, quitted it again in 396 BCE, and retired to Aetna, on the approach of the great Carthaginian armament under Himilco and Mago. The great sea-fight in which the latter defeated Leptines, the brother of Dionysius, was fought immediately off Catania, and the city apparently fell, in consequence, into the hands of the Carthaginians. (Diod. xiv. 15, 58, 60.)
But we have no account of its subsequent fortunes, nor does it appear who constituted its new population; it is only
certain that it continued to exist. Callippus, the assassin of Dion, when he was expelled from Syracuse, for a time held possession of Catania (Plut. Dion. 58); and when Timoleon landed in Sicily we find it subject to a despot named Mamercus, who at first joined the Corinthian leader but afterwards abandoned his alliance for that of the Carthaginians, and was in consequence attacked and expelled by Timoleon. (Diod. xvi. 69; Plut. Timol. 13, 30-34.) Catania was now restored to liberty, and appears to have continued to retain its independence; during the wars of Agathocles with the Carthaginians, it sided at one time with the former, at others with the latter; and when Pyrrhus landed in Sicily, Catania was the first to open its gates to him, and received him with the greatest magnificence. (Diod. xix. 110, xxii. 8, Exc. Hoesch. p. 496.)
Roman rule
In the First Punic War, Catania was one of the first among the cities of Sicily,
which made their submission to the Romans, after the first successes of their arms in 263 BCE. (Eutrop. ii. 19.) The expression of Pliny (vii. 60) who represents it as having been taken by Valerius Messala, is certainly a mistake.
It appears to have continued afterwards steadily to maintain its friendly relations with Rome, and though it did not enjoy the advantages of a confederate city (foederata civitas), like its neighbors Tauromenium (modern Taormina and Messana (modern Messina), it rose to a position of great prosperity under the Roman rule. 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. (Cic. Verr. iii. 4. 3, 83, iv. 23, 45; Liv. xxvii. 8.)
It subsequently suffered severely from the ravages of Sextus Pompeius, and was in consequence one of the cities to which a colony was sent by Augustus; a measure that appears to have in a great degree restored its prosperity, so that in Strabo's time it was one of the few cities in the island that was in a flourishing condition (Strab. vi. pp. 268, 270, 272; Dion Cass. iv. 7.)
It retained its colonial rank, as well as its prosperity, throughout the period of the Roman Empire; so that in the fourth century Ausonius in his Ordo Nobilium Urbium, notices Catania and Syracuse
alone among the cities of Sicily. (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 9; Itin. Ant. pp. 87,90, 93, 94).
After the fall of the Roman Empire
In 535, Catania was recovered by Belisarius from the Goths, and became again, under
the rule of the Byzantine Empire, one of the most important cities of the island. (Procop. B. G. i. 5.). It was extensively destroyed by earthquakes in 1169 and 1693 and by lava flows which ran over and around it into the sea.
The first Sicilian university was founded there in 1434.
Locational significance
The position of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna was the source, as Strabo remarks, both of benefits and evils to the city. For on the one hand, the violent outbursts of the volcano from time to time
desolated great parts of its territory; on the other, the volcanic ashes produced a soil of great fertility, adapted especially for the growth of vines. (Strab. vi. p. 269.)
One of the most serious calamities of the former class was the eruption of 121 BCE, when great part of its territory 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. Catania was in consequence exempted, for 10 years, from its usual contributions to the Roman state. (Oros. v. 13.)
The greater part of the broad tract of plain to the southwest of Catania (now called the Piano di Catania, a district of great fertility), appears to have belonged, in 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 the territory of the latter city, and must have furnished abundant supplies of corn.
The port of Catania also, which was in great part filled up by the eruption of 1669, appears to have been in ancient times much frequented, and was the chief place of export for the corn of the rich neighboring plains. The little river Amenanus, or Amenas, which flowed through the city, was a very small stream, and could never have been navigable.
Catania's renown in antiquity. Catania was the birth-place of the philosopher and legislator Charondas; it was also the place of residence of the poet Stesichorus, who died there, and was buried in a magnificent sepulchre outside one of the gates, which derived from thence the name of Porta Stesichoreia. (Suid. s. v. Στησίχορος.) Xenophanes, the philosopher of Elea, also spent the latter years of his life there (Diog. Laert. ix. 2. § 1), so that it was
evidently, at an early period, a place of cultivation and refinement.
The first introduction of dancing to accompany the flute, was also ascribed to Andron, a citizen of Catania (Athen. i. p. 22, c.); and the first sundial that was set up in the Roman forum was carried thither by Valerius Messala from Catania, 263 BCE. (Varr. ap. Plin. vii. 60.)
But few associations connected with Catania were more celebrated in ancient times than the legend of the Pii Fratres, Amphinomus 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 honor, 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 Latin poets, of whom the younger Lucilius and Claudian have dwelt upon it at considerable length.
The occurrence is referred by Hyginus to the first eruption of Etna that took place after the settlement of Catania (Strab. vi. p. 269; Paus. x. 28. § 4; Conon, Narr. 43; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. v. 17;Solin. 5. § 15; Hygin. 254; Val. Max. v. 4. Ext. § 4; Lucil. Aetn. 602-40; Claudian. Idyll. 7; Sil. Ital. xiv. 196; Auson. Ordo Nob. Urb. 11.)
Culture
The opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania , and a museum exists at his birthplace. The Teatro Massimo Bellini, which opened in 1890, is named after the composer. The opera house presents a variety of operas through a season, which run from December to May, many of which are the work of Bellini.
In the late 1980s and 1990s Catania had a unique popular music scene with local
radio stations. As a result of these idiosyncratic and regional radio stations Catania boasted a youth culture in which indie pop and indie rock from lesser known
international bands like. As a result of the eclectic taste in indie pop and indie rock Catania has been the birthplace of a number of dynamic and unusual independent music record labels.
The city is the home of Amatori Catania rugby union team, and Calcio Catania football team.
Transportation
Catania has a commercial seaport (Catania seaport)
in the city, an international airport (Catania Fontanarossa) to the South, a central train station (Catania Centrale) on the main lines Messina-Syracuse, Catania -Gela and Catania -Palermo , as well as the privately owned small-gauge Circumetnea railway which runs for 110
km from Catania round the base of Mount Etna. It attains the height of 976 m above
sea level before descending to rejoin the coast at Giarre-Riposto to the North.
In the late 1990s/early 2000s the first line of an underground railway was built, but never completed, under the
city, extending the Circumetnea from its stop on the north side of town to the Central Railway Station on the
southeast.
Main Sights
The symbol of the city is u Liotru, or the Fontana dell'Elefante and was constructed in 1736 by Giovanni Battista
Vaccarini. It is a manufact in lava stone portraying an elephant and surmounted by an obelisk. 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 appended appropriately elephantine testicles to the original statue.
The Sicilian name u Liotru is perhaps a deformation of Heliodorus. A similar sculpture is in Piazza Santa Maria
della Minerva in Rome.
The city has been buried by lava a total of seven times in recorded history, and in layers under the present day
city are the Roman city that preceded it, and the Greek city before that.
Many of the ancient monuments of the Roman city have been destroyed by the numerous earthquakes.
Catania is the birthplace of the composer Vincenzo Bellini (1801). An opera house,
the Teatro Massimo Bellini is named after him and a museum exists on the site of his birth.
The city's monuments also include:
The Piazza del Duomo is attractive, lively and contains the Elephant Fountain - the symbol of the city.
The adjacent Cathedral (Duomo) is imposing and worth a visit.
The food and fish markets just below the Piazza del Duomo are a lively and colourful place to visit.
Via Etnea - the main shopping street, north of the Piazza del Duomo has most of the city's imposing building and is
busy throughout the day and evening.
Information courtesy of Wikipedia -
Places to see in ( Napoli - Italy )
Places to see in ( Napoli - Italy )
Naples, a city in southern Italy, sits on the Bay of Naples. Nearby is Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman town Pompeii. Dating to the 2nd millennium B.C., Naples has centuries of important art and architecture. The city's cathedral, the Duomo di San Gennaro, is filled with frescoes. Other major landmarks include the lavish Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo, a 13th-century castle.
Napoli is the capital of the Italian region Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy, after Rome and Milan. Naples' historic city centre is the largest in Europe, covering 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) and enclosing 27 centuries of history, and is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Naples has long been a major cultural centre with a global sphere of influence, particularly during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. In the immediate vicinity of Naples are numerous culturally and historically significant sites, including the Palace of Caserta and the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Naples' sports scene is dominated by football and Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli, two-time Italian champions and winner of European trophies, who play at the San Paolo Stadium in the south-west of the city. Naples has an extensive public transport network, including trams, buses, funiculars and trolleybuses, most of which are operated by the municipally owned company Azienda Napoletana Mobilità (ANM). Three public elevators are in operation in the city – one within the bridge of Chiaia, one in via Acton and one near the Sanità Bridge. The city furthermore operates the Naples Metro, an underground rapid transit railway system which integrates both surface railway lines and the city's metro stations, many of which are noted for their decorative architecture and public art. Suburban rail services are provided by Trenitalia, Circumvesuviana, Ferrovia Cumana and Metronapoli.
Alot to see in ( Napoli - Italy ) such as :
Mount Vesuvius
Naples National Archaeological Museum
Cappella Sansevero
Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
Castel dell'Ovo
Spaccanapoli
Catacombs of San Gennaro
Naples Cathedral
Santa Chiara, Naples
Castel Sant'Elmo
Royal Palace of Naples
Museo di Capodimonte
Gesù Nuovo
Piazza del Plebiscito
Castel Nuovo
Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus
Museum of the Treasure of St. Januarius
San Lorenzo Maggiore, Naples
San Francesco di Paola, Naples
Pio Monte della Misericordia
Santa Restituta
Villa Comunale
Pietrarsa railway museum
San Domenico Maggiore
San Paolo Maggiore
Parco Virgiliano
Phlegraean Fields
Santa Maria Donna Regina Vecchia
San Gregorio Armeno
San Pietro a Majella
Coral Jewellery Museum
Villa Floridiana
Sant'Angelo a Nilo
Girolamini, Naples
Nisida
Lake Agnano
Naples underground geothermal zone
Via Toledo
Parc submergé de Gaiola
Galleria Borbonica
Certosa e Museo di San Martino
Via San Gregorio Armeno
Madre
Riserva naturale Cratere degli Astroni
Parque de Capodimonte
Pausilypon Archaeological Park
Zoo di Napoli
Piazza del Gesù Nuovo
Via Chiaia
Piazza Dante
( Napoli - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Napoli . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Napoli - Italy
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La place Navone (piazza navona) - Rome - Italie
La piazza Navona (place Navone en français) est la plus grande place touristique de Rome en Italie. Située dans la partie nord du champ de Mars, à proximité du Panthéon, elle est construite sur les ruines du stade de Domitien du Ier siècle, dont elle conserve la forme exacte. Elle est, avec son décor architectural monumental (fontaine des Quatre-Fleuves de Gian Lorenzo Bernini (dit Le Bernin), église Sainte-Agnès-en-Agone de Francesco Borromini… ), l'un des plus beaux ensembles d'architecture baroque de Rome. En décembre 2005, le Project for Public Spaces a choisi la Piazza Navona comme la troisième meilleure place du monde.
La piazza Navona est, à l'origine, un stade construit par l'empereur Domitien, en 86. Domitien y instaura un cycle de jeux à la grecque : course à pied, pugilat, lancer du javelot et lancer du disque. Au Ve siècle, le stade n'est plus que ruines.
Son nom antique in agones (« lieu où se déroulent les jeux ») se déforma en nagone, puis navone, et enfin navona qui évoque en italien une « grosse nef ». Le nom de l'église Sainte-Agnès en Agone perpétue aussi le souvenir de cette étymologie.
Le vieux monument ne retrouve vie qu'à la Renaissance, quand il devient l'une des plus belles places de Rome.
La place actuelle est ornée de trois fontaines. Celle du centre, dite « fontaine des Quatre-Fleuves » commandée à l'architecte Le Bernin par le pape Innocent X et achevée en 1651. Les quatre fleuves symbolisent les quatre parties du monde : le Danube pour l'Europe, le Nil pour l'Afrique, le Gange pour l'Asie et le Río de la Plata pour l'Amérique. Au centre de la fontaine se trouve l'obélisque de la piazza Navona portant en hiéroglyphe égyptien le nom de Domitien, lequel est surmonté d'une colombe, emblème de la famille Pamphili (famille noble romaine dont le palais Pamphili se situe sur la piazza Navona et qui donna plusieurs papes dont Innocent X, commanditaire de la fontaine).
C'est une œuvre phare de l'art baroque, pleine de courbes, d'effets (l'obélisque semble posé sur le vide, une grotte étant aménagée sous sa base) et de mouvements ; elle est un théâtre à elle toute seule, un spectacle en action2.
Une légende, encore très populaire aujourd'hui, est liée à la rivalité entre Le Bernin et Francesco Borromini. On prétend que la statue du Río de la Plata a le bras tendu de peur d'un effondrement de l'église Sainte-Agnès en Agone et aussi que la statue du Nil couvre son visage pour ne pas la voir. En fait, le visage de la statue est couvert d'un voile parce qu'on ne connaît pas encore les sources du Nil. Ce n'est qu'une légende, puisque la fontaine a été construite avant l'église, entre 1648 et 1651, alors que le début de la construction de Sainte-Agnès par Borromini n'est pas antérieur à 1652.
Deux autres fontaines ornent cette place : la Fontaine de Neptune de Gregorio Zappalà (it) et Antonio Della Bitta, et la Fontaine du Maure de Giacomo della Porta, datant respectivement de 1574 et 1576. Le bassin de la fontaine de Neptune, disposé à l'une des extrémités de la place Navone, a reçu des ornements sculptés à la fin du XIXe siècle.