Venue
Centro Fieristico Le Ciminiere, viale Africa 12, Catania
The Conference will take place in Catania (Sicily) from 11 to 14 November 2009 at the “Ciminiere Cultural Center”, on the city seashore. Situated between the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna, Europe’s greatest active volcano, Catania lies in one of Sicily’s most fertile areas, outstanding for the rich production of citrus, fruits, vegetables, cereals and wine. Catania is a city with a strong personality, a blend of many conquerors and civilizations which has succeeded each other since thousands of years: Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans or Spaniards, have left their mark on the people’s way of life.
Often attacked by the violence of nature (Etna’s eruptions in 1669 covered the city in boiling lava, while the 1693 earthquake devastated its landscape and killed more than 20 000 people), and always rebuilt with determination and obstinacy, the last “new Catania” features the characteristics of the Spanish colonial urbanism: spacious squares, “Piazza Duomo” and boulevards “via Etnea”, bordered by elegant palaces and imposing churches, Cathedral and Church of S. Nicoló, in flamboyant Baroque Style that still contrasts with the severe beauty of the lava stone.
Catania that was a cradle of theatre, music and poetry, giving birth to great personalities like the musician Vincenzo Bellini and writers like Giovanni Verga and Luigi Capuana is a city to experience also at night because when the evening comes, restaurants and clubs open. An extraordinary opportunity to explore and discover the long tradition of Catania’s cuisine, bringing together the fl avors of Normandy, Andalusia and its Arab memories.
The ancient city of Syracuse, remembering Plato and Archimedes, Agrigento and the Valley of Temples, Taormina and its Greek theatre, are only a short drive away. The Aeolian Archipelago, endowed with Stromboli and Vulcano, is just few hours from the coast. They are all Sicilian treasures and World Heritage Sites.
