Show MT I 1 7 1 V q 4 0 V t I 1 sicilian boys pressing the essence from lemon rinds prepared by national geographic so society loty washington U D C service Beryl ce ICILY goes buck back to work as the S summit of mt alt etna famous landmark ot of the mediterranean island resumes its peaceful eternal steaming recent rumblings gs and explosions within the mountain have preceded devastating lava flows in the past the present threat recalls the eruption of the huge volcano la in 1028 when a lava stream flowing like a 2600 foot ribbon from one of its craters flooded the eastern slope one of the islands most fertile regions orchards vineyards and forests were destroyed destroy qa also the villages and towns that thrived on their products more than a quarter million people live on the slopes of mount etna the eastern slope Is the most thickly populated with one town almost adjoining another almost every toot foot of ground not used for dwellings Is cultivated tiva ted yielding abundant crops etna has terrorized this district many times before whether the traveler goes by train or automobile down the east coast of sicily he passes ito flow w after flow of lava some of them are centuries old others more recently deposited from some ot of the two hundred craters that pepper the side of the cone shaped mountain the town of acireale Acl AcI realo reale perches on a SOO foot cliff formed of seven distinct layers of lava within the christian era mount etna has boiled over 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 steam but it takes more than these suggestions of action even to arouse the sicilians curiosity the homes of their ancestors are arc sandwiched between two of the lava flows and many of the present generation like those of Mit mascall and nunziata Nun zlata chief sufferers of the last decade have watched their homes sink beneath a now new molten bed catania Birth birthplace placa of balliel catania lying at the foot of 0 the mountain has been destroyed and rebuilt many jnnny times Cat Catan antans lans know mount etna so well that the famous volcano has to spit fire and boll over its rim before they seek shelter to the catablan Catan Catu nian lan who loves his bis modem city etna has been a benefactor to the traveler in search of antiquities lt it has been a despoiler des for ancient catania of greek roman saracen and norman days Is burled save for a greek theater a roman amphitheater some baths and a few unimportant monuments catania Is more interested in its wide thoroughfares public squares and parks and in honoring her illustrious sons than la in digging up ancient relics of a restless past Bell bellini itil the composer was born there in 1802 and Cat antans are not allowed to forget it A status statue of the composer adorns villa bellini one ona of tho the cites finest parks where on summer evenings one can sit and listen to italian melodies played by a fine sicilian band the vine clad slopes elopes end and the white head of mount etna form a magnificent background another statue of the composer adorns the piazza through which rung the via ednae cabanias Cat anias main street from the southern part of the city to the toot foot of the great mountain A third statue stands among those th oso of 0 kings and great italian and sicilian patriots in the cathedral there Is also it a bellint bellini theater once the finest in italy and the catania guides point with pride to the tablet which marks the house la in which the composer was born athe the cathedral and a lava elephant stop atop a tall marble base at its front door are two of the most popular monuments nt ants of early curly catania the elephants origin la is unknown but the cathedral Is f credited to the prosperous reign of the norman king roger hoger built in 1001 1901 it was badly damaged by successive earthquakes and eruptions of mount etna but each time it has been restored and used agatha the patron saint more honored than even the kings monuments in the cathedral Is that of st agatha cabanias Cat anias patron saint the head of 0 her statue Is said to contain the head of the saint who tn in defense of her virtue was tortured by a roman proctor praetor in the third century among her relics Is a veil which Is said to have miraculously diverted a lava stream that menaced catania in low once a your year tn in february catania turns durms out ota en masse to honor her the statue mounted on two long poles is borne through the streets from church to church by white robed men the route of the procession Is jammed to suffocation old balconies groan under the weight of humanity and every roof has its quota of spectators at night th there c re are torchlight professions processions process lona ions which brilliantly light up the city and in nearly every window a candle or two throws feeble beams the yelling and whistling and contusion confusion of the day continue augmented by the booming of colorful fireworks the toll of church b bells e and the occasional roar of a cannon n on tile the st agatha celebration is only once one e a year before and after catania Is busy with its commerce and industry the harbor Is filled with commercial craft whose flags add a co colorful touch to the view from the tha flora della marina a narrow but beautiful parkway near the waters edge catania Is not only the second largest at city in sicily but one of the islands chief gates of export through which w some tons of merchandise pass annually sulphur fruit and wine have made fortunes fortune for catan tans and these and other industries keep many of the cites inhabitants employed attractive to travelers traveler interest in mount etnas moods mo 0 ds la Is not entirely confined to the vol canos canoa immediate neighborhood all sicily feels the death dealing blows of 0 f lava flows as much as all america feels the tha lash of a hurricane sweeping florida Flor lda normally however sicily Is an laland garden spot which nature has haa endowed with a warm sunny climate and all the charm that might go with it its wild mountain scenery ancient history and picturesque inhabitants make it a mecca of european winter tourists travel in the interior was formerly considered unsafe because of brigandage such conditions however have long since been eliminated now the visitor la Is safe and in addition to native inns comfortable pensions are conducted by french german and english landlords of many years resl real dence in the country provincial towns of sicily are famous for their situation high up on all picturesque hillsides hill sides or on rocky promontories mon tories jutting into the blue waters of the mediterranean many of these towns are built on greek foundations and contain ruins of itoman saracen and norman origin A few greek temples and theaters are ara practically intact natives are arc a cheerful lot dacial types among the peasantry vary from classic greek and swarthy arab to blond norman and haughty spanish in spite of his mixed ancestry c e 13 try however the sicilian of today Is distinctly a latin product in matters of disposition culture and religion travelers units unite in testifying to hla his cheerfulness quickness of 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 Is exemplified by wholesale prosecutions against outlaw gangs now taking place at the old roman bathing resort of termini imerese in roman times the island of sicily was called the granary of italy and while no longer specializing in wheat it Is one ot Eu ropes mainstays main stays in the tha production of citrus fruits only california rivals sicily as a grower of 0 lemons A part of the lemon crop in 1 marketed in the form of citrate of lime lima and lemon extract for thousands of years this football at the too of italy has ha been the melting pot of many races its early inhabitants the aikels who gave the tha island its name were conquered by greets greeks whose great cities such as syracuse dominated the land tor for 11 alva ve hundred years next came the rising power of rome during whose heyday sicily was given over to the plunder of successive governors roman oppression grew so cruel that gangs of plantation slaves twice rose in revolution succeeding centuries saw saracen conquests norman kingdoms and bourbon misrule finally freed by garibaldi sicily became a part of the kingdom of italy during the last half century industrial conditions and political relations have hate not always been to the tha liking of the sicilians so that the island has been called the ireland of the south many thousand sons sona of the racial melting pot emigrated to america some districts being stripped bare of men of working ago age one town whose present population Is has sent enil emigrants grants to the now new country |