Catania

Catania, capital city of the homonymous province in Sicily, has a population of more than 360,000 inhabitants and it has the second highest population density in Sicily. Its name derives from Katene, which means "grater", due to the minuteness and peculiarity of its soil of lava origins. During the centuries, the city was destroyed several times by catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, among which those of 1169 and 1693. The city of Catania is located on the East coast of Sicily, halfway between the provinces of Messina and Siracusa. It lies on a territory comprising the Catania plane situated at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna, one of the main tourist attractions of the area. The territory where Catania lies is mainly flat and crossed by an underground river, Amenano, that in the past formed a lake, called Nicito, later covered by lava after the eruption of 1669. The main cultural attractions are its numerous museums such as the one housed in Castello Ursino, Emilio Greco Museum, the museum of the Botanic Garden, the Museo Civico Belliniano and the House-Museum of writer Giovanni Verga.