Located at the foot of Mount Etna, Catania is a city that tourists often treat primarily as a starting point for trips to the most active European volcano. Meanwhile, it boasts many interesting monuments from both the Roman and Baroque periods, when it was designed from scratch after the destruction of the earthquake and the eruption of Etna.
The location of Catania is both her curse and blessing. Throughout its history, it has been flooded many times by lava flowing from Mount Etna, but on the other hand, the soil produced on it allows it to grow and make excellent vines. The last, most tragic outbreak of Mount Etna took place in the mid-seventeenth century, and in 1693 an earthquake struck the region. After these cataclysms, the buildings of Catania fell into ruins and it was decided to rebuild the city from scratch. The plans were made by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, the main representative of the so-called Sicilian Baroque. The city center from the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is today inscribed on the UNESCO list.
The main monument of Catania is the Baroque cathedral, in whose facade Corinthian columns from Roman times were embedded. Nearby is the monastery church of St. Agata, on whose dome there is a viewpoint to the city. On the square you can see a fountain modeled on a Roman fountain symbolizing the rebirth of the city, while under the square you can visit the remains of Roman baths from the 1st century AD
