Sicily - Catania

Catania is located on the eastern coast of Sicily. It is one of the largest cities in Sicily, and is steeped in history and beautiful Italian architecture. One of the most popular sites is the Castello Ursino, which was built in the 13th century and has been used as a castle, a prison, and a museum.

Castello Ursino 

How did we get here? We flew from Chania, Greece to Catania, Sicily. I received an email from Aegean Airlines giving me the offer to 'bid' on business class seats. Since we're spoiled, we bid but bid the lowest amount possible. And won the bid for both flights! Next we rented a car for three weeks and drove to our AirBnB. I had forgotten how truly challenging driving in Italy is. Luckily Sharon is a fantastic navigator and we made it 'home'. Our host, Eduardo, was waiting at the door for us. He was such a nice and helpful person who checked on us from time to time during our week stay.

Our Lunch

Flight to Catania

Sharon spotted our luggage 

Dinner

Approaching Sicily 

What did we do?

The first day, we drove to Naval Air Station Sigonella to visit the Navy Exchange and Commissary. Strange as it may sound, we could not find Q-Tips (real Q-Tips) anywhere. Nor could we find Glide dental floss, a koozie (I managed to lose the two we brought with us) or a lot of American products we take fore granted. It was just nice and familiar to be in American stores.

We walked and walked and walked around Catania. We visited several churches, a bascillica and several local landmarks. Italian churches are true works of art. We both love admiring the archtecture and wondering how they built them hundreds of years ago. They are like museums inside with artwork, stone work and carvings, statues and so much symbology.

Cathedral of Saint Agatha

The Achillian Baths are located beneath the Piazza Duomo and are reached through a narrow underground passage next to the Cathedral.

S-shaped channel which probably
supplied the water to the baths

Hall of Piers

Figurative decorations of cupids, 
vine scrolls and bunches
of grapes 🍇 

Chiesa della Badia di Sant'Agata a beautiful church but the best part was visiting the cupola. Before beginning the climb you are advised to wear correct footwear and avoid the tour if you suffer from vertigo, claustrophobia, or have heart problems. Sharon had to pause a few times.

It was really cool to hear all the bells at noon!

Our first time to Basilica della Collegiata we couldn't visit but us along with many other onlookers got to see the Bride and Groom. We had to go back another day to go inside.

Roman Amphitheater of Catania  - The monument is thought to be built in the 2nd century AD. The architectural style suggests some time between the Emperors Hadrian and Antonios Pius. It was expanded in the 3rd century AD, tripling the structure's size. 

Villa Bellini a lovely garden in the center of the city.

Bellini Statue

The rest of the city!

Church of St. Francis of Assisi 'all'Immacolata'

St. Francesco d'Assisi

Porta Garibaldi

Port of Catania

 

Fontana dell’Amenano

Fountain of the Elephant 🐘 

Chiesa di San Benedetto

We drove to Black Beach, located just outside the city. The beach is famous for its black sand, which is made from volcanic rocks. Ironically, we never saw any sand. Just black rocks that people were sunbathing on. It did not look comfortable at all. People were swimming and jumping off the wall. Let me tell you... that water was freezing.

We then ventured down the road to the town of Aci Castello to see the castle. The Castle was closed but we were able to explore the area.

Drove up Mount Etna, which is an active volcano. Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and is a popular destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts. There are several hiking trails that lead to the top of the volcano. We drove as far as we could, noticed an open gate and found a parking spot! There is a cable car you can take to get closer to the summt but it was cold and windy at 'base camp' and we just didn't have warm enough clothes to go any higher up the mountain. We had lunch and decided to head back to Catania. 

There she is!

Our trusty steed

Casa sommersa di lava

Well... that gate that was up where we found parking was no longer up for us to leave. And it didn't automatically open either. We had to drive further up to the cable car ticket office and they were able to remotely open it for us. Luckily they seemed amused that we were locked in. 

Overlooking where we were supposed to park

"La Pescheria" - the fish market. The market is sensory overload, with the sights, sounds, and smells of fresh seafood filling the air. There are rows of vendors selling everything from octopus to swordfish, and we watched as fish were cleaned and prepared. In addition to the fresh seafood, the market also has a variety of other products for sale, including local fruits and vegetables, cheeses, and cured meats. There are also several small restaurants and bars in the market. 

You could even get a drink 

Where did we stay? We stayed at La Trave Cir AirBnB hosted by Eduardo. 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/52957607. It had everything!

Where did we eat?

Bar Chiosco In68 was right around the corner and our favorite place to have an apertivo (pre meal drink).  Sometimes there was even entertainment.

Ham & Cheese Panini 

Cappuccinos 

On our very long walk we found Teatro dei Sapori. It wasn't what we were looking for but we were hungry. The service was pretty good especially considering they did not speak English. We ordered a pizza and they split it to two plates. The pizza was nothing to write home about. We were very surprised when we received the bill and there was an additional $5 'coperto' fee (service fee). The service fee was almost as much as the pizza!

Il Borgo di Federico we really enjoyed our meal here and the prices were fantastic.

I was excited 3 Euros for a litre

Bufalino Salad

Penne Alla Norma

Da Antonio Trattoria was right around the corner from our from apertivo spot and was recommended by our Airbnb host. We did not have reservations but they found us a seat and said we needed to be finished within an hour and half, no problem. Well, homemade pasta takes some time and getting the conto (bill) takes even more. No one rushed us out. The food was good and reasonably priced.

Tomato salad, spring onion, salted Ricotta 

Pappardelle with clams

Pasta with seafood

Lettera 82 Risto Pub was close to the fish market and a great place to people watch. When we ordered the Bruschetta we were not expecting full slices of bread. It was very good.

Sicilian Bruschetta 

Salmon Bruschetta 

Kalispera a little pizza joint right across the street from our home is where we tried the arancina (rice ball). We were not impressed. It was just okay. We might have to give it another try somewhere else.

While in Aci Castello we wanted to get a quick bite and did not want to have a sit down meal.    So Sharon found Pasticcera Cafe and Pastry shop. We ordered canolli -- one for each. They were so good! They deserved multiple pictures. Oh, and we did order a small pizza.

Our special package

OMG

Ecstasy 

Are you drooling yet?

Our first home cooked meal in months. I'm surprised Sharon remembered how 🤔 to cook. We purchased fresh salmon and swordfish from the market.

Salmon, swordfish, potatoes,
onions, carrots

Ghirardelli 

Scrambled Alla Leftovers

Monte Gebel just a cafeteria restaurant near Mt. Etna. Food was soso.

Gnocchi 

Cappuccinos

Juice stands

When did we visit? February 20 through February 27, 2023.

Overall, Catania is a very walkable city with fascinating Italian architecture everywhere you look. The down side was the trash. There was trash everywhere! And a lot of graffiti. But we thoroughly enjoyed our first Italian destination on this journey.

“A beautiful couple of travelers, lovers of the pleasure of meeting. Rob & Sharon are cheerful and communicative people, experienced and respectful travelers, they adapt to the different circumstances."  ~ Eduardo (our Airbnb host's review about us) I'm sure something got lost in the translation but I love it just how it is.