| Catania and Mount Etna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Edward Lear |
| Year | 1847 |
| Dimensions | 31.1 cm× 48.3 cm(12.2 in× 19.0 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City |
Catania and Mount Etna is a mid 19th century oil sketch by the British artist and poet Edward Lear. Done in oil on board, the work depicts Mount Etna and the surrounding Sicilian countryside near Catania. The drawing is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
A member of the British middle class, Edward Lear (1812—1888) traveled extensively in Continental Europe. [1] In 1842 Lear began a series of excursions in Italy (then a divided series of states), during which he visited a number of regions and cities. Lear's trips to the Italian peninsula took place over a number of years, and in the summer of 1847 (after spending the winter in Rome) he visited the island of Sicily. [2] Lear was impressed by Sicily's history, scenery, and the artist went on to paint dozens of works depicting the island. [1] [2]
In June 1847, Lear and his friend John Proby visited the countryside near Mount Etna, a volcano near the Sicilian city of Catania. On 16 June, Lear sketched a notable drawing of Mount Etna and Catania, now known as Catania and Mount Etna. The following evening, Lear and Proby traveled to the mountain and ascended the volcanic cone. [2]
Lear's drawing depicts the landscape of Eastern Sicily. The city of Catania can be seen in the midground, and a snow-capped Mount Etna can be seen in the background. [2]
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions and is officially referred to as Regione Siciliana. The region has 5 million inhabitants. Its capital city is Palermo.
Catania is the second largest city in Sicily, after Palermo, and among the ten largest cities in Italy. It is located on Sicily's east coast, at the base of the active volcano, Mount Etna, and it faces the Ionian Sea. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan city in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702.
Sicilian cuisine is the style of cooking on the island of Sicily. It shows traces of all cultures that have existed on the island of Sicily over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has much in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish, French and Arab influences.
Mount Etna, or simply Etna, is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is one of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe, and the tallest peak in Italy south of the Alps with a current height of 3,357 m (11,014 ft), though this varies with summit eruptions. Over a six-month period in 2021, Etna erupted so much volcanic material that its height increased by approximately 100 feet, and the southeastern crater is now the tallest part of the volcano.
Vizzini is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Catania in the Hyblaean Mountains, on the most northwesterly slopes of Monte Lauro.
The Province of Catania was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of 3,552 square kilometres (1,371 sq mi) and a total population of about 1,116,917 as of 31 December 2014.
Adrano, ancient Adranon, is a town and comune in the province of Catania on the east coast of Sicily.
Castello Ursino, also known as Castello Svevo di Catania, is a castle in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily, and is mostly known for its role in the Sicilian Vespers, when it became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. The castle is in good condition today, and it is open to the public as a museum.
Renato Guttuso was an Italian painter and politician. His best-known works include Flight from Etna (1938–39), Crucifixion (1941) and La Vucciria (1974). Guttuso also designed for the theatre and did illustrations for books. Those for Elizabeth David’s Italian Food (1954), introduced him to many in the English-speaking world. A fierce anti-Fascist, "he developed out of Expressionism and the harsh light of his native land to paint landscapes and social commentary."
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Aci Castello is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, Italy. The city is located 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Catania on the Mediterranean coast. The primary economic sectors are agriculture and industry. The city is neighbored by Aci Catena, Acireale, Catania, San Gregorio di Catania and Valverde.
Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Messina on the island of Sicily, southern Italy.
Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the coast of the Ionian Sea on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It shares its borders with the municipalities of Calatabiano to the north, Mascali to the south and Piedimonte Etneo to the west.
Belpasso is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast of Palermo and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) northwest of Catania. Belpasso is the second biggest comune of the Catania's area for area.
Maletto is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Palermo and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Catania.
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The Hundred-Horse Chestnut is the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world. Located on Linguaglossa road in Sant'Alfio, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna in Sicily — only 8 km (5.0 mi) from the volcano's crater — it is generally believed to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old. It is a sweet chestnut. Guinness World Records has listed it for the record of "Greatest Tree Girth Ever", noting that it had a circumference of 57.9 m (190 ft) when it was measured in 1780. Above ground, the tree has since split into multiple large trunks, but below ground, these trunks still share the same roots.
The Simeto is a 113-kilometre (70 mi) long river in Sicily, southern Italy. At 116 kilometres (72 mi), it is the second longest river on the island after the Salso, but the most important in terms of watershed. It flows through the province of Enna and the province of Catania.
Pietro Fabris was a painter of Italian descent, active in England and Naples. Pietro is best known for work he completed for the dilettante geologist, the diplomat Sir William Hamilton, which included a number of engravings based on his paintings that depicted contemporary volcanic activity collected in two books, Observations on Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, &c. and Campi Phlegraei: Observations on the Volcanoes of the Two Sicilies. He also painted some concert parties sponsored by Hamilton, including one that included a young Mozart at the harpsichord. In other works he produced for sale, he painted Bamboccianti scenes, genre paintings of local folk in native garb at work or play.
Minella bianca is a white Italian wine grape variety that is indigenous to the island of Sicily where it is grown in the foothills of Mount Etna. The name Minella is derived from the Sicilian word minna to which the berries have some resemblance due to their elongated shape. Minella bianca is very rarely seen as a varietal and is most often used in field blends with Carricante and Catarratto bianco.