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"Volcanic" Sicily: Catania. A city that can not be forgotten

It exists thanks to the legendary volcano Etna, which rises on the island of Sicily. Catania - a city built of stone, which, in turn, was formed from frozen eruptions. On the one hand it is washed by the gentle waters of the Ionian Sea, and to a formidable volcano - only 25 kilometers. This is the second largest city on the island, and there are more than 250,000 people living there. It was built as far back as the eighth century BC, and since then he has suffered many times from earthquakes, then from the eruptions of his formidable "neighbor", which is the symbol of the island of Sicily. Catania, however, each time rose from the ashes and literally from it rebuilt.

The city is especially famous throughout the world for its gray houses. Although the center is not very green, in the neighborhood there are beautiful, rich villas with parks, such as the house of Bellini, a famous Italian composer. Another important place in Catania is Via Crociferi, where only a few dozen meters from each other there are nine worthy visiting temples. This is not surprising, because Sicily (Catania including) is famous for its devotion exactly the same as the gloomy stories associated with the mafia. It's interesting that one of the staircase stairs that are coming up here is the no less famous Alessi. There are about 120 bars and pubs, the most popular of which is called "Nevsky".

Sicily (Catania in particular) is one of the top places for beach holidays. And besides here the biggest in Italy is the number of sunny days per year. A lot of tourists come here to sunbathe. Catania can offer tourists a few sandy beaches, which can be visited for free, but now for the sunbed will need to give a few euros. Tourists are also visiting the local historical sights. Catania (Sicily) has a huge number of them. However, usually the excursions start from the symbol of the city - the Fountain-elephant. The figure of the animal dates back to the ancient period. And the fountain was built by the Italian sculptor and architect Vaccarini.

Despite the eruptions and earthquakes that simply washed the city off the face of the earth, here are still preserved many monuments of the Roman era. This is a theater that could accommodate up to seven thousand people. He stood under the hill, where the ancient city was originally located - the Acropolis, built by the Greeks. In addition, other spectator rooms of those times-the Odeon and the amphitheater-were also preserved. The latter was even larger, and there could accommodate 16,000 people wishing to see the competitions and gladiatorial games. From the ancient ruins tourists can inspect the remains of nine baths, as well as an aqueduct, through which water entered the city.

Of course, only the antiquity did not stop the island's history. Catania (Sicily), whose map can familiarize with different thematic routes, has both early Christian and medieval temples of rare beauty, such as the Cathedral of St. Agatha, the patroness of the city. They tell the legend that she allegedly managed to stop another eruption of Etna. And now the luxurious Cathedral is built after disasters - it dates back to the 17th century and represents an excellent example of baroque architecture. Another amazing place where tourists seek is the castle of Ursino. It was built in the 13th century by a local lord, then became the residence of the Aragonese kings. Initially, the castle was on the island, but as a result of the eruption the frozen boiling lava surrounded the rock in the sea and "tightly" connected it to the land. Now here is a museum, where you can get on foot, not by boat.

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