The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on 9 January. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, the most powerful in Italian recorded history, and a maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, destroying at least 70 towns and cities, seriously affecting an area of 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and causing the death of about 60,000 people.
Depiction of the earthquake in an engraving from 1696, possibly showing Catania
Ruins of the Norman castle in Noto Antica
The Cathedral of Noto, one of the many buildings constructed in Sicilian Baroque style after the earthquake
The medieval cathedral of Mdina which was damaged in the earthquake (top) and the Baroque building which was built in 1696–1705 to replace it (bottom)
Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, and among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts the main airport in Sicily. The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702.
Image: Fontana del chiostro di ponente
Image: Catania roman theatre msu 2017 9981
Image: Badia di Sant'Agata CT 2015 01
Image: Catania Fontana dell'Elefante 03
