Monument sights in Catania
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A
Fontana dell'Amenano
The Fontana dell'Amenano at the entrance of the Piazza del Duomo food market is Tito Angelini's commemoration of the River Amenano, which once ran overground and on whose banks the Greeks founded the city of Katane.
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B
Arco di San Benedetto
The Arco di San Benedetto is an arch built by the Benedictines in 1704. According to legend, it was built in one night to defy a city ordnance against its construction on the grounds that it was a seismic liability. On the left past the arch is the imposing Chiesa di San Benedetto, built between 1704 and 1713. Inside is some splendid stucco and marble work.
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C
Roman Amphitheatre
The western side of the large and modern Piazza Stesicoro is dominated by the sunken remains of the Roman amphitheatre. It doesn't look like much today, but in around the 2nd century BC it could seat up to 16,000 spectators and was second in size only to the Colosseum in Rome. What you see from the street is only a part of the once-massive structure, which extended as far south as Via Penninello. You can explore part of the vaults and get an idea of the true size of the theatre from a diagram.
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D
Fontana dell'Elefante
In the centre of the piazza is the city's most memorable monument, the smiling Fontana dell'Elefante (Fountain of the Elephant; 1736). This comical statue is composed of a naive elephant, dating from the Roman period, surmounted by an improbable Egyptian obelisk. The elephant, with its upturned trunk, is known locally as Liotru and is the symbol of the city.
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