Catania

Mia caro famiglia e amici,

We are just wrapping up our stay in Catania, and our holiday. I won’t be reporting on the Hilton Rome Airport. Firstly, don’t believe everything people tell you or what you read. We quite liked Catania. Catania is Sicily’s second largest city with a population just over 300,000. It has been virtually destroyed several times by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from nearby Mt Etna.

Sure, it goes to sleep from 2 to 5 on Saturday’s and Sunday’s (cannot comment on Mon to Fri); and there is a lot of construction from ex-Etna black lava rock‎ (basalt probably), but mainly on roads and footpaths and the base of many buildings. It is used to great effect in the Duomo. Many buildings, however, are built from white limestone from Siracusa.

Also some pics of the Duomo. It is up there with the best in Sicily, but for me, the massive columns with the base‎ made from lava rock full of tiny holes made it unique. We were treated to a concerto as a brilliant violinist and pianist set up and rehearsed for a concert that evening.

What makes Catania special is the people and the food. Our favourites in Sicily were Palermo and Catania. The people are welcoming and happy to answer questions and offer assistance. I was asked for money nearly every day; but that has happened in every town we have visited in Italy. Siracusa is beautiful, but dealing with throngs of German, French, English, Australian, US and Italian turisti would make anyone a little jaded, and it did feel like that at times.

Back to Catania and the food. According to our brilliant host, Salvatore, Catanians love their food culture and strive to provide the best. Just around the corner from the B&B is Savia, the best pasticceria in Catania, with the best arancini – we sampled them twice and will not argue.

Last night, we ate at Polpetteria, who serve polpette (meatballs). They are big meatballs, more like rissoles, but with many spectacular flavours. Who would have thought we would travel half way round the world to eat fancy rissoles!

Today we caught a tourist bus to the small fishing village of Aci Trezza (also a holiday centre in summer). The coastline is rocky, so the whole area between Catania and Aci Trezza is filled with restaurants and pizzerias, each with their own bathing platforms and massive sun decks for roasting in the sun, with hire umbrellas and folding sun beds (see pic of a temporary platform). Aci Trezza was gorgeous and we sampled another Sicilian delicacy, pistacchio gelato in brioche, just delicious.