How to fall in love with Catania? At first sight! This love will come to you easier than you think. Around this place, a lot of stories and such total nonsense have been created. Because Catania has an unique character, some people find it harder to love it. But I’m sure it will! I’ll make sure of that 😀
THEORETICAL PART
Why is Catania a great idea for a city break ALWAYS?
1) It’s cheap. What tigers like the most :d Not only flights but other aspects of Catania are very pleasant in this respect! I will share with you my place for a sleep in a moment, but when it comes to the flights themselves, you can fly to Catania with Ryanair, for example. After landing in Fontanarossa, you take the Alibus bus, which will take you to the city center for 4 euros in 20 minutes (the airport is about 5 km away, so you can basically walk on foot :d) However, buses leave regularly every 20 minutes so there is no need such a walk or risk.
Accommodation: I slept here and praised the location so much! I practically lived in the center, only 800m from the St. Agatha Cathedral! Close to the train station, close to the aperol. I can’t imagine it better. And I really liked the atmosphere in the hostel, charmingly decorated!
Food: I’ll tell you more about it later, but listen, it’s so cheap, and if you eat EPIC in Catania, it’s beyond your imagination (and sometimes even in your belly :d ) Seriously! Breakfast for 2/3 euro, aperol for 2 euro, delicious pizza for 4! If you’re not looking for flights at the moment, I don’t know if we have anything to talk about 😀
2) It’s tasty! And that’s an understatement! Catania is beyond such a simple word as “delicious”. Honestly. For breakfast, I recommend you go for something that Sicily is famous for, i.e. granita with brioche. My favorite flavor was pistachio granita and one of the best, in my humble opinion, you will eat at Insigne Cafe. Do it like Sicilian and have your espresso first!
After such a breakfast you can go to … the next gastro stop :d It is located a bit further from the center but be sure to go there, preferably without delay because very often this spot is occupied by crowds. No wonder, in the end you will find a real pistachio paradise there! Panificio La Farina Antony, because that’s what we’re talking about, is a place where, above all, locals do their shopping!
The prices of pastries do not exceed 3 euros exceeding the expectations – once again, beyond “delicious”. My favorite was, of course, the cornetto filled entirely with pistachio cream with a perfect consistency – perfectly creamy, melting in the mouth! And … pizza with pistachio cream and mortadella. Sounds like daylight robbery but it’s one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in Catania!
You say “Catania” , I say “arancini” ! And you will find the best one in Savia. I tried several options and although the pistachio one was interesting, my favorite is still the classic: a ragu! While there, also take a look at the sweet pastries! Strawberry tartlet was real poetry!
Where else for a gastro experience?
The Fera ‘o Luni market in Piazza Carlo Alberto di Savoia is a unique place. You may laugh, but after my first visit there, I fell in love with this place: where Italians have loud discussions with each other, where sellers call you to try their outstanding melons (really outstanding) or freshly picked strawberries. Maybe a slice of watermelon? No, then at least look at those fish! And so on and on! Well, maybe not literally, because the market closes around 2 pm, but it’s worth wandering around this place a little longer. Be sure to try portions of fresh Sicilian orange juice, a horse dose of vitamins for the whole …. 1 euro. What else delighted me was the stalls with food, but also those with bollocks :d Old records, books, knick-knacks, clothes, oh my god, you can spend a day there :d I was going there every day and each time I discovered something new! If you really want to feel the spirit of Catania, you can’t miss Fera o’Luni!
3) Takeoff ! From Catania for one day I went to the nearby, charming Taormina, and the other day to Acireale, where the carnival was taking place. From Catania you can also go to Syracuse or Palermo or go to the beach. I deliberately use the phrase go here because the beach in Catania itself does not impress, there is sand, there is supposed to be a view of Etna – which is impressive but I would not be tempted to say that it is worth going there. If it is sunbathing you are thirsty for, I would not aim for Catania.
PRACTICAL PART
As for the city itself … I recommend starting your sightseeing from the main square, Piazza del Duomo, where the cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Agatha, is located – the cathedral was built in the place where it was believed that she died a martyr’s death (entrance to the cathedral for free).
Right next to it is the Chiesa della Badia di Sant’Agata, a church from which you can admire Catania and .. Etna! Admission is not expensive – it costs 5 euros, and the view is spectacular! It is worth trying to come at sunset – but at any time of the day it is impressive.
Protip: a lot of tourists confuse both buildings and it is in the Cathedral that they are looking for the entrance to the roof, meanwhile next to the Cathedral, our top of the CHURCH, not the Cathedral of St. Agatha, there is the above-mentioned view point 🙂
There are a lot of monuments in Catania itself! Already on the very square by the Cathedral there is one of the most interesting: the Elephant Fountain. The animal itself was made of lava, which is naturally the symbol of Catania. On his back he carries an Egyptian obelisk.
Don’t leave the square yet! Turn around for a moment and not far from the Elephant Fountain, there is the Amenano Fountain, which is fed by … an underground river of the same name.
From Piazza del Duomo, you can take Via Etnea, one of Catania’s younger streets, which is also the Mecca of consumerism: it is one of the city’s main shopping streets.
*in 1693 there was one of the biggest natural disaster in Sicily – as a result of the eruption of Mount Etna there was an earthquake that caused massive destruction! The lava completely destroyed the baroque buildings of Catania, so different from the then prevailing canons, not to mention thousands of victims. Catania was destroyed but not entirely , the city of Syracuse was not so lucky and was completely demolsihed and had to be rebuilt from scratch… Via Etnea took its name from the culprit of the disaster, the volcano whose lava defined the shape and width of the street, it meanders the same way lava came down from Etna…
This way we reach the charming Piazza Universita – a place where we can admire the baroque facades and bronze lanterns (each of them depicts one of the famous legends in Catania, such as the one about the fisherman’s son, Colapesca, who, out of love for the sea and Sicily itself, decided to stay under water to support the island and thus protect it from sinking; another tells the story of Gammazita, who reminds me of Polish Wanda who didn’t want a German husband so she threw herself into the Vistula, Gammazita didn’t want a French soldier and threw herself into a well – I would choose Etna, more Sicilian way to die but what do I know about unwanted, potential French spouses :d)
Heading further along Via Etnea on the way, we can take a look at Piazza Stesicoro, or on … Insigne Cafe :d It’s a stop earlier and if you feel that the level of Sicilianness in your blood decreases with every step, I recommend jumping there for pistachio supplements :d
When you already feel that you are starting to gesticulate like native Sicilians, we continue to follow Via Etnea to almost its end. There are two of my favorite places: Villa Bellini Gardens and Savia. The gardens are beautiful and give shelter from the Sicilian sun, and what’s more, how conveniently, there is a pasticceria opposite with the arancini I recommend here 😀 See? You will not fail with me due to the lack of aesthetic and gastronomic experiences: d
Via Etnea continues and following it you reach Piazza Cavour with the Fountain di Cecere in the middle. ATTENTION. I deliberately do not list EVERY SINGLE monument here, which is located along Via Etnea, because when walking along it, I recommend keeping your eyes wide open – Catania surprises you with its insane buildings at every step and it is worth letting yourself be amazed by it, at its pace 🙂 Most of these buildings were built in the Sicilian style baroque, so characteristic of this region – the name after all suggests something xd
What else can impress you in Catania? Amphitheater! It is located at Piazza Stesicoro, so you can safely visit it while walking Via Etnea. What’s more, it’s a completely free attraction! You can enjoy it straight “from the street”: d On the other hand, on Vittorio Emanuele II Street you can admire the Greek theater (Teatro Antico di Catania, paid one and attention, entrance from Via Vittorio Emanuele). Vittorio Emanuele II is full of charming cafes, almost squeezed in one next to the other in high tenement houses and you can easily walk through it to find yourself in … Piazza del Duomo – the starting point of our Sicilian trip!Told ya, Catania is very convenient for sightseeing :d
In this way, you can see what in Catania is definitely WORTH seeing, but not EVERYTHING. Why? Listen, Catania is full of hidden gems: charming streets hidden in the comfort of tall tenement houses, beautiful facades hidden behind thick ivy – I have never seen another city like this, seemingly not offering much, but in fact providing constant and unexpected delights.
WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE MISSED?
Sicilians.
Or rather, how they spend their day, how they slowly drink coffee, how they have long conversations over aperol and how in the morning they think about what they will eat in the evening. In the morning, feel the aroma of coffees and fresh cornetto on the streets, and in the evening drop into one of the bars, probably filled to the brim – one of them was my favorite: with a view of the Cathedral and a cheap but, of course, epic aperol – Caffe Bellini.
Catania is the CLIMATE, it’s good food and a way to spend time. Let yourself be absorbed by this atmosphere, I guarantee you that it is… addictive! Catania draws you in!
Let me know, whether you are going to Catania or maybe you have already been there – if so, I am waiting for your thoughts about the city!
Ciao!
