Show ISLAND tz aJ i A a ai a 4 w 1 d 1 M c q I r L- L 4 j 4 Sicilian Boys Pressing the Essence From Lemon Rinds Prepared by tho National Geographic Washington D. D C. C CI w NU Service goes back to work as asi i SICILY the summit of ot Alt Mt Etna famous fa fa- moos landmark of the Medi MedI- MedIterranean Mediterranean Island resumes Its peaceful peaceful peace peace- ful fu eternal steaming Recent rumblings rum rum- and explosions within the mountain have preceded devastating de In ing lava flows In the past The present threat recalls the eruption of the huge volcano In when a lava stream flowing Jve a foot 2500 ribbon from one of Its craters flooded the eastern slope one of the Islands Island's most fertile fertile fer ter- tile regions Orchards vineyards and forests were destroyed also the villages and towns to that thrived on their products More than a quarter million million mil mn- lion people live U on the slopes of ot Mount Etna The eastern slope Is the most thickly populated with one town almost adjoining another Almost Almost Almost Al Al- most every foot of ground not used for dwellings Is cultivated yielding yieldIng yield yield- Ing abundant crops Etna has terrorized this district many times before Whether the traveler goes by train or automobile automobile automo automo- automobile I bile down the east cast coast of ot Sicily lie Ie passes flow tIow after flow tIow of ot lava Some of ot them are centuries old I others more recently deposited from some of the two hundred craters craters craters cra cra- I that pepper the side of the shaped cono-shaped mountain The town I of ot Acireale perches on a foot foot ell cliff cliff- IT formed of seven distinct layers layers layers lay lay- ers of lava Within the Christian era Mount Etna has hns boiled over o Its crater rims more than a hundred times It has wiped out cities towns and villages and spelled doom to thousands of homes Almost dally daily Mount Etna rumbles and Its summit constantly emits emUs steam but It takes more than these suggestions of ot action even evento evento evento to arouse the Sicilians Sicilian's curiosity the The homes tomes lOmes of their ancestors are sandwiched between two of ot the lava flows and many of the pres- pres Ant nt generation like those of ot Masall Mas- Mas all alI and chief sufferers of or the last decade have watched their homes sink beneath a new molten bed Catania Birthplace of Bellini Catania lying at the foot toot of the mountain has been destroyed and rebuilt many times know Mount Etna so well that the famous volcano has hns to spit fire and boll over Its rim before they seek seck shelter To the tho who loves lo his modern city Etna has been a bene bene- factor To the traveler In search of ot antiquities it has been a despoil despoil- despoiler er for ancient Catania of Greek Roman Saracen and Norman days Is burled save sare for a n Greek theater a J nom Roman an amphitheater some baths and a fl few tew unimportant monuments Catania is more Interested In its wide thoroughfares public squares and parks and In fn honoring her Il Illustrious Illustrious Il- Il sons BOns than In digging up ancient relics of ot a restless past Bellini the composer was born there therein in 1802 1502 and are arc not allowed to forget It A statue of ot the tho composer adorns Villa Bellini one of ot the city's finest parks where whereon on summer evenings one can sit and listen to Italian HaHnn melodies played by t fine Sicilian band Another statue of ot the composer adorns the tho Piazza through which runs tho the Via Catania's main street from the southern part of ot the city to the foot toot of the great mountain A third statue stands among those of kings and great Italian and Sicilian patriots In the ilie cathedral There Is s also a Bellini theater once the finest in Italy and tho the Catania guides point with pride to the ilie tablet which marks the house housein housein in which the composer was born The Tho cathedral and a lava elephant elephant elephant ele ele- atop a tall marble base at Its Hs front door are two of ot the most popular popular monuments of ot early Catania The elephants elephant's origin origin ori ori- gin Is unknown but the cathedralS cathedral'S cathedral Is S credited to the tho prosperous reign regu of ot the Norman King Roger Built In 1001 was 18 badly damaged by successive earthquakes and eruptions crup- crup of ot Mount Etna but each time i it has been beon restored and used Agatha the Patron Saint More honored than even the kings kings' monuments In the cathedral is Js that of ot St. St Agatha Catania's pat pa- pa t tron tron saint The head bead of her statue statues s said sad to contain the head hend of the saint who In defense of her virtue was tortured by a Roman praetor In Inthe Inthe the Third century Arnon Among her relics rel rel- ics Is a veil which Is said to have miraculously diverted a lava stream that menaced Catania In Once a year In February Catania Catania Catania Ca Ca- tania turns out en m masse to honor her The statue mounted on two long poles Is Js borne through the streets from church to church by white-robed white men The route of ot the procession Is Jammed to suffocation old balconies groan under the weight of humanity and every roof has Its quota of spectators At night there are arc torchlight processions processions sons which brilliantly light up the city and In nearly every window a candle or two throws feeble beams The yelling and whistling and confusion confusion confusion con con- fusion of ot the day continue augmented augmented augmented aug aug- by the booming of colorful fireworks the toll of ot church bells and the occasional roar of a can can- non The St St. Agatha celebration Is s sonly only once a year Before and after after after aft aft- er Catania Is busy with Its commerce commerce commerce com com- merce and Industry The harbor is filled with commercial craft whose flags add a colorful touch to the view from the Flora della Marina a narrow but beautiful parkway near the waters water's edge s Catania is not only the second largest cIt city In Sicily but one of the Islands Island's chief chet gates of of export through which some tons of ot merchandise pass annually Sulphur Sulphur Sulphur Sul Sul- fruit and wine have made fortunes for and these and other Industries keep many of ot the city's Inhabitants em em- Attractive to Travelers Interest In Mount Etnas Etna's moods Is not entirely confined to the volcano's volcano's vol vol- canos cano's Immediate neighborhood All Sicily feels the death dealing blows blow of lava flows as much as all nIl AmerIca America America Amer Amer- ica feels the tho lash of a hurricane sm sweeping Florida Normally however Sicily Is an Island garden spot which nature has hns endowed with a warm sunny climate and all the charm that might go with it Its wild mountain scenery ancient an nn- dent history and picturesque inhabItants inhabitants inhabitants in in- habitants make it a mecca of European European European Eu Eu- winter tourists Travel Inthe Inthe in inthe the interior was formerly considered considered considered consid consid- ered unsafe because of brigandage Such conditions however howe have long since been eliminated Now the visitor Is safe sate and in addition to native inns comfortable pensions are conducted by French German I and English landlords of many years' years residence in the country Provincial towns of Sicily are famous famous fa ta- fa- fa for their situation high up on picturesque hillsides or on rocky promontories Jutting into the blue waters of the Mediterranean Many of ot these towns to are built on Greek foundations and contain ruins of Roman Saracen and Norman Norman Norman Nor Nor- man origin A few Greek temples and theaters are ale practically Intact Natives Are a n Cheerful Lot Racial types among the peasantry vary from classic Greek and swarthy Arab to blond Norman and haughty Spanish In spite of ot his mixed ancestry however the SicilIan Sicilian Sicil Sicil- ian fan of ot today is distinctly a Latin product In matters of ot disposition culture and religion Travelers unite In testifying to his cheerfulness cheerful cheerful- ness quickness of ot perception and hospitality Stable government and education are said to be doing much to stamp out superstition and secret vengeance and terrorism This movement for better condItions conditions conditions condi condI- Is exemplified by wholesale prosecutions pro against outlaw gangs now taking place at the old Roman bathing resort of ot Termini In Roman noman times the Island of Sicily was called the granary of Italy und and while no longer specializing specializing special special- izing in wheat It Is one ono of Europe's mainstays In the production of ot citrus citrus citrus cit cit- rus fruits traits Only California rivals Sicily as os a grower of ot lemons A Apart Apart Apart part of the lemon crop Is marketed In the form of citrate of limo lime and lemon extract For thousand of years this football football foot toot ball at the toe of Italy has been tho the mf mating Ung pot of many races Its early inhabitants inhabitant the tho who I gave the Island Its name were conquered conquered con con- by Greeks whose great greot con I cities cit cIt- cit cit- les ies such as ns Syracuse dominated the theland theland land for five hundred years jears Next cau came a the rising power of ot Rome durin during dur dur- ur- ur I in ing whose heyday Sicily was given over to the plunder of ot successive governors Roman noman oppression grew I Iso so cruel that gangs of plantation i slaves staves twice rose In revolution Sue Suc Succeeding sue I centuries saw Saracen conquests conquests conquests con con- quests Norman kingdoms and Bourbon misrule Finally freed treed by Garibaldi ll Sicily became a part of ot I the kingdom of ot Italy |