Catania

Catania, city in southern Italy, capital of Catania Province, on the east coast of Sicily at the base of Mount Etna. It is an important seaport, and a commercial and manufacturing centre. In the city are flour mills, sugar and sulphur refineries, and asphalt and chemical factories. Catania contains numerous architectural remains, including the ruins of Greek and Roman theatres and Roman aqueducts and baths. Also here are an 11th-century cathedral and Ursino Castle (13th century). The University of Catania (1443), the first university established in Sicily, is also here.

Catania was founded as a Greek colony in the 8th century bc, and captured by the Romans in 263 bc, during the First Punic War. It was plundered by the Normans in the late 11th century. It has suffered many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1693. The city sustained severe bomb damage in World War II. In 2002, together with seven other historic cities in south-eastern Sicily, Catania was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Population 301,564 (2007 estimate).