I have to make a confession that Italian is my favourite nationality - and my favourite language also - apologies to everyone else. I am just in love with this country and the people who live here - and sitting at a sidewalk cafe with a coffee in hand and listening-in to the conversations around me and observing the locals discussing "who-knows-what" ( because my Italiano is very basic and limited to just a handful of words ... ) - has been my favourite morning pastime ... I have come to the conclusion that there are two Italian emotions - happy or argumentative ... !!! ... My stay has been happy with absolutely no arguments or cross words ... !!! ...
I love the 17th to 20th century architecture in this city ...
Festa
della Repubblica is the Italian National Day and Republic Day, which is
celebrated on 2 June each year. The day commemorates the referendum held in
1946, in which the Italian people were called to the polls to decide on the
form of government they wanted following the Second World War and the fall of
Fascism. With 12,717,923 votes for a republic and 10,719,284 for the monarchy,
the male descendants of the House of Savoy were sent into exile.
And here in University Square in the centre of the city the occasion was celebrated by lots of officials talking and handing out medals to deserving civic leaders cheered on by the locals ( at least I'm pretty sure that was what was going on ... ) ...
There are several ways a tourist can get around the city - by open-topped buses or very camp choo-choo vehicles - or as this tourist prefers - walking the endless cobble-stoned streets ...
Here and there and hidden behind fences of bougainvillea or brightly coloured oleanders are the more salubrious palazzi ...
... and my very favourite street - Via Antonio Di Sangiuliano - with both sides of the incline lined with oleander trees and their clusters of sweet smelling brightly coloured flowers...
... more oleanders - this time on a roof-top garden ...
surrounded with figures from his famous operas ...
The
symbol of the city is u Liotru, or the Fontana dell'Elefante, assembled in 1736
by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. It portrays an ancient lavic stone elephant and
is topped by an Egyptian obelisk from Syene. 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 appropriately appended elephantine
testicles to the original statue.
Fontana
dell'Amenano
The
only location that the Amenano subterranean river surfaces in the city.
Porta Garibaldi - a triumphal arch erected in 1768 to celebrate the marriage of
Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Marie Caroline of Austria
Catania
is a city of many churches that go back many centuries and represent the
magnificent architecture of those ancient times. I visited but only a
half-dozen of the 95 listed in Wikipedia ( not quite as many as in Naples or Rome
) – the rich Baroque decorations of gold, bronze and marble inside
these impressive buildings becomes quite over-powering after a while.
The Church
of St. Francis of Assisi Immaculate
Church
of St. Francesco Borgia
Duomo di Catania
The Cathedral of Saint Agatha
The
cathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt several times because of earthquakes
and eruptions of the nearby Mount Etna. It was originally constructed in
1078-1093, on the ruins of the ancient Roman Achillean Baths, by order of Roger
I of Sicily, who had conquered the city from the Islamic emirate of Sicily.
In
1169 it was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake, leaving only the apse
area intact. Further damage was caused by a fire in 1169, but the most
catastrophic event was the 1693 earthquake, which again left it mostly in
ruins. It was subsequently rebuilt in Baroque style.
Teatro Massimo Bellini
The Catania Opera House
The Teatro Massimo
Bellini was named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was
inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer's masterwork,
Norma.
Unfortunately for me the opera session is during the winter - so I missed out on seeing any productions - but I did take a guided tour ...
The theatre seats 1,200 patrons. The royal box has never been seated in by any member of royalty - however Il Duce Mussonlini did attend one performance during his fascist rein of Italy ...
The
exterior of the house matches the distinctive Sicilian Baroque style
of the
neighboring buildings of the late 17th Century ...
The Botanical Gardens
The
Orto Botanico dell'Università di Catania
- covering around
16,000 sq m -
is operated by the University of Catania botany department ...
Realization
of a garden was first attempted in 1847 with a purchase of land on the city
outskirts, but the revolutions of 1848 rapidly led to its dispersion. In 1858
today's garden was established with the first plantings in 1862 of specimens
obtained from other botanical gardens in Sweden, France, Naples, and Palermo.
It was enlarged in 1865 with a new area dedicated to cultivation of indigenous
Sicilian species, and in the early 1900s further enhanced by creation of the
Giardino Botanico "Nuova Gussonea" on Mount Etna for cultivation of
native mountain plants ...
... Just ten minutes from my apartment - a lovely cool oasis
on my way home from exploring the hot city ...
Teatro
Romano
The street frontage gives no hint to the archaeological area of the Theatre and Odeion sited behind the entry doors ...
Built in the first century AD on an existing Greek building site, the original theatre could seat about 7000 people. Over the following centuries the theatre had many uses - until the 5th century when it was abandoned and during the Middle Ages, houses were built over the theatre.
During
the late 18th century and through to the mid 20th century, extensive
restoration works have been carried out with the demolition of the
Middle Ages houses and the suring up of the foundations. And today the ancient Roman theatre has been partly re-tuned and is used for contemporary plays and musical events ...
Below the tiered seats is a labyrinth of internal walkways and rooms that once housed ancient patrons and performers and musicians tuning up for their time on stage.
The Church of Saint Benedict
Probably the most note-worthy church in Catania is the magnificent San
Benedetto - dedicated to St. Benedict of Nursia. It was built between 1704 and 1713 and is part of a complex including also the Abbey Maggiore, connected by a covered bridge over
the road.
The front of the church is under-going restoration works and is currently covered by scaffolding and mesh - so the entrance now is through the adjoining Monastery of Saint Benedict ...
Its
most famous feature is the Angel's Staircase,
a marble entrance stair decorated with statues of angels and surrounded by a
wrought iron railings. The entrance door, in wood, has panels with Stories of
St. Benedict.
Nothing quite prepares you for the extraordinary Baroque "bling" of this dazzling church ...
The
interior, with a single nave of intricate marble inlays, is home to frescoes by Sebastiano Lo Monaco,
Giovanni Tuccari and Matteo Desiderato. The vault is frescoed with scenes of
the life of St. Benedict. The high altar is in polychrome marble with hardstone
intarsia and bronze panels.
The gilded cages at the back of the church housed the nuns from the enclosed Benedictine order during the public masses ...
after all that glitter and gorgeousness
it's back out into the reality of the noisy street
in search of lunch and caffeine ...
... then of course there is the newer 20th century city
with its designer label shops and chic cafes
but we wont go there ...
... and my favourite Catania image ...
for the last time, hop in the taxi to the Railway Station
where Trenitalia waits to take me onto my next destination ...
... stay tuned ...
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