Welcome To Catania Gateway to Sicily
“Sicily is the pearl of this century …. since old times travelers from the most far away country …. boast of its merits, praise its territory, rave about its extraordinary beauty, and highlight its strengths because it brings together the best aspects from every other country.” - Al Idrisi (Arabian Geographer)
A red eye flight from Reykjavik through Vienna brought me into Catania at 9:00AM in the morning. I was very upbeat because I made a 45-minute connection in Vienna with my checked luggage, definitely something to celebrate along with the warm weather that I had been dreaming about.
The weather was a hot 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but Catania was a far cry from what I had imagined Sicily to be. As the car traversed narrow streets full of debris and walls adorned with graffiti, this was not the Sicily that the popular show White Lotus portrays. I’m going to have to wait to hit the coastline to enjoy the beautiful colors of the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas, though I do have to admit that a cup of espresso and a croissant at the sidewalk cafe across from my hotel as I waited for my room to be ready went a long way towards improving my mood.
It got even better after a short nap and a hot shower as I set off to conquer the heart of Catania. The fish market in Catania is supposed to be one of the places to visit but unfortunately as I discovered to my chagrin, it is not open in the late afternoon. Never the less I discovered the various squares and piazzas in the city, enjoyed a traditional granita, as well as my first Sicilian pizza.
It seems like every square in the city is built around a church. Each one with a beautiful facade. The Catterdrale di Sant’Agata dominates the central or elephant square as it is known.
Dedicated to Saint Agata, it is a beautiful church both outside and inside. When I first walked up there was a baptism and the church was closed to tourists.
Fortunately, I did get a chance to walk around inside the following day and admire the lovely interior. Many churches in Sicily seem to celebrate the virgin Mary and I found one of the most beautiful statues of Mother Mary with the baby Jesus here.
Bougainville perfumes the air and brings a bright burst of color to the lighter colored buildings in the square.
The Elephant is a symbol of the city from ancient times. The elephant was said to possess magic and be able to forecast the eruptions of Mount Etna. I also heard a version of the story that the elephant was the source of the original Greek mythological stories of cyclops.
After the pitying look from the day before when I thought the fish market should be open at all hours, I made it to Le Pescheria early in the morning the next day. I took a taxi from the hotel that dropped me off at a park near the entrance to the market and gave me an opportunity to browse not just the market but some of the locals sitting and enjoying their first cup of coffee.
Many of the fish sellers called out greetings and tried to entice me to buy their wares as I wandered through the market, taking pictures and absorbing the activity. I’m not sure if this particular seller was trying to startle me or entice me to buy but since he ended up posing, I had to take a picture.
On the upper terrace overlooking the activity are restaurants doing a brisk business selling coffee and juice and tasty tidbits.
I have to tell you all that I hate grocery shopping. Not that there weren’t grocery delivery options before Covid but since I started getting my groceries delivered, I never went back to grocery shopping again. Yet here I am happily wandering in fish, meat and vegetable markets all around the world.
Catania was founded in 729 BC by the Greeks. There are ruins some in the process of being excavated all over the city.
I was looking for the Teatro Bellini when I came across this square. I know I was close to the theater, but I don’t think I ever did locate the theater. This is a city to get lost in as you wander the various twisting and turning streets and stop on a bench in one of the piazzas to take a load off your feet.
Perhaps grab a freshly squeezed juice from the many carts and shops that dot the city. When I first saw this cart, I tempted but skeptical about the safety of street juice. Fortunately, I soon lost my inhibitions and enjoyed some of the most fantastic juices and granitas during my time in Sicily.
It is so tempting to say country when referring to this region but even though Sicilians feel like they are their own country, politically they are a part of Italy.
Definitely an enterprising man. I was never sure if he was actually selling stuff right from his bike or transporting it to a shop nearby.
These are little kiosks that exist all over the city where you can buy a quick espresso or water or a juice and sit down on a nearby bench and refresh yourself.
Catania might have seemed gritty and unwelcoming at first but in the three days that I spent here, it grew on me. For White Lotus fans it’s a far cry from what you see in that popular TV series but it’s definitely worth spending a day or so to give you a good flavor of all of Sicily.