Catania - last stop in Sicily
We can’t believe that today is our last full day with the Rick Steves group! May 27, Tuesday, we got up early, took our last close looks at Momma Etna, thanked our lucky stars that we were able to stay in such a beautiful place like Taormina and headed to our final city of Catania. Catania was one of the first Greek settlements on Sicily, and came into its own, when it was likely the largest Roman city in Sicily. It had two large theaters and a smaller building for musical performances, as well a stadium almost as big as Circus Maximus in Rome. But time, natural disasters, invasion, and urbanization erased much of the ancient city, and now only scattered remnants can be found. In 1669 Mt. Etna opened a new flank crater and lava surrounded city (Christine talked about these in her post about Mt Etna). Most Greek and Roman structures were buried, but within the city walls, the city was spared, but with a very changed coastline. Then in 1693, there was the te...