Founded by the ancient Greeks, Catania has suffered greatly at the hands of mother nature. Located at the foot of Mt. Etna, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes should be expected, but that fertile soil is hard to resist. Sicilians have inhabited the area for centuries and it is now the second-most populous city on the island at Italy’s toe. A statue of an elephant, u Liotru, carved from tufa, serves as the city emblem and protector. That symbol sits center in the manhole cover with the letter A for Agatha, the patron saint of Catania. The initials of the Roman-inspired Senatus Populusque Catanensium is below the emblem which is surrounded by a web of radial line work.