Catania, Sicily - Gritty but Gorgeous

Umbrella Lane

We arrived in Catania, Sicily from Santorini three flights later in the dark. It was more challenging to get to our rental unit which happened to be in the downtown Centro area. Darren and I went out and found a place to eat and it was hard to decide because there were countless outdoor restaurants and it was a beautiful night. We settled on a Pizzeria and shared a great pizza and I had a good glass of Sicilian white.

Outdoor restaurants are the norm.

Under the bridge towards the Fish Market

Gritty Catania

Outdoors in Catania

Pretty doorway

The next morning we woke up and we needed groceries for breakfast. Garth and Sandra and I headed out to explore a little bit because we knew we were close to the fish market. The Catania Fish Market has been running for over 3 centuries and is considered to be one of the oldest in Italy.

Fish Market in Catania Centro

Fish Market

We smelled the fish market last night and I did spot a church duomo, so I knew we were close to the centro. I had no idea that we were dead center in the middle of Catania Centro. We walked around the church area and we could not go into the Duomo because there was a mass currently taking place. The Piazza area was very beautiful.

Central Historic District.

A bit of a gloomy day.

This fountain Amenano has been running
since 1867 and is a tribute to the
Amenano River that flows
underneath the city of Catania.

A church in Catania.

The Elephant Fountain or Liotru is the official symbol of Catania and has been running since 1737

Beautiful sculpted marble.

An entrance into the center of
Catania is the archway underneath.

A beautiful metal door framed
in marble.

The cathedral.

The church is gorgeous

Catania is very gritty at the same time, there's garbage and there are buildings that need to be pressure sprayed. There is graffiti everywhere. It's just a bit different look than what is traditional beauty but still beautiful in its own way.

We found a little supermarket to buy some yogurt and water and a market for fruit and we headed back to our building that we were staying in which was an old building with marble stairs.

Fresh fruit and veg is available
all day long in various markets
around the city.

I love the European pears.

Darren was ready by then and we headed out in the car. Driving in Sicily is quite an experience. Narrow roads in the center just like any historic area and highways are 130 km an hour. We headed towards Taormina which is a beautiful spot in Sicily. It has a few UNESCO World Heritage sites in and around it. Taormina was a beautiful city and on the way up to this hill town there is ample scenic views, hairpin curves and straight down death cliffs.

On the curvy road up to Taormina.

A narrow road with a bus
coming towards us.

There is a medieval village
behind Taormina
but much higher
elevation.

Taormina was made famous unfortunately by the Netflix series White Lotus.

A cute colorful Sicilian store. Good luck Ceramic Acorns are on the top shelf. They are everywhere for sale.

Pretty street of Taormina.

Stairs up to the next level of Taormina are everywhere.

Pretty building.

Pretty streets are everywhere.

Inside the gate are some walking streets.

The old gate into Taormina.

The views of the Sea are stunning.

Views are incredible.

Beautiful marble banister.

Ancient village up on
the rock.

We realized quickly that there was absolutely nowhere to park and this was low season. Darren was not interested in anything in Taormina so he parked in a bus terminal area and we walked around and made our way to the UNESCO World Heritage site called Ancient Roman Greco Theater. It was 16 Euro to enter and we spent about an hour up there. It is over 2,000 years old and has been refurbished many times.

We visited this UNESCO site.

Glorious views from the Teatro or theater.

Stunning views of Sicilian coastline.

A zoomed out photo of the theater.

A gorgeous view.

Another gorgeous view.

A storm was moving in

The theater with the hills in the background.

Lovely countryside.

Inside the UNESCO Theater.

It really is a marvel considering it was built 2 millennia.

Garth and Sandra.

A panoramic shot

The storm is moving in.

Underneath the theater.

The Emperor Hadrian came in and did his improvements in between 117-138 BCE when he ruled the entire Roman Empire. He believed in strengthening the infrastructure such as this theater.

There was hardly anybody visiting when we entered but towards the end there were hordes of cruise ship tours coming in and there was an extremely long lineup to get in.

A look at what the theater would have looked like.

In the small museum.

The different colored marble used in the theater

A rescued column.

Underneath the stage area.

Hadrian improved on the
theater by bricking up over these lovely
columns. I am not sure if this was improvement?

An urn found on the site which could have been filled with wine for sale.

We headed back and stopped and had a glass of wine and I ate a triangle Arancino, which I found bland.

Sitting at the outdoor Cafe.

Then we tried to find Darren who got woken up by one of the bus ladies and told to move and then he had moved to some other spot and then he had to try and find the Bus Terminal again. It's crazy up there, the roads and the driving and you have no idea where you are because everything's a hairpin curve and it is disorientating. We eventually did drop a pin and he found his way back to the bus terminal area and we drove back to Catania.

American sized snack containers even in Europe. We made frequent stops at Autogrille for the bathroom stops.

We went back to the same restaurant under the umbrellas in the Centro of Catania. I ordered a Calzione this time and it was delicious with the addition of Hot Chilli Oil and a Sicilian White.

Catania Cathedral is beautiful at night.

Dinner at our favorite Pizzaria

The next morning we began our drive to Noto which is a Baroque Architecture town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were in the middle of making a million clover leaf turns and Mount Etna came into view and she was a stunner this morning in all of her glory.

Mount Etna was rocking it this day. It actually does not look real when you see it.

Its always there at 12,000 feet.

Taken through my car window.

Sicily is very hilly and mountainous with many small towns therefore a tunnel has to be built. It is the land of driving tunnels. The day before we drove through a 4 km tunnel.

Many tunnels to drive through due to all of the hills and rock formations and towns that have to be tunneled under to accommodate a highway.

We visited Noto after finding a tight spot to park and the buildings were gorgeous and highly decorative. The color of the rock has a golden glow.

A baroque theater.

A church

The town of Noto was so clean and graffiti free compared to Catania, it was lovely to stroll around.

Stunning baroque architecture is everywhere in this UNESCO Town.

Inside one of the churches.

Stairwell up to the bell tower.

Gorgeous streets.

That's me sitting on the church stairs.

I had to zoom out on the baroque building.

Europe has millions of eye-catching doors.

Noto was a beautiful little town.

A beautiful palazzo

A part of the cathedral

Baroque is highly decorative.

Over the top decoration on the window frame.

A colorful stairwell.

The large gate into the center of Noto.

We all needed the WC or Water Closet which is international for bathroom. We found an outdoor coffee shop and I ordered a Cafe Fredda which was equivalent to a Coffee pudding that you eat with a spoon. It was good but too sweet.

The Fredda was like a Coffee pudding.

A unnecessary decoration.

A beautiful building.

We continued our quest to see more of Sicily by driving to Syracuse.

On the way we saw breathtaking views of Mount Etna. Mount Etna is almost 12,000 feet. It was clear this day with no clouds at the top. The snow covered slopes were clear to the eye.

Mount Etna looking gloomy.

We crossed the bridge over to Ortigia which is an island neighborhood of the city of Syracuse. Ortigia is an ancient walled town going back to 734 BC. It is considered by many to be Italy's most beautiful town. It was super pretty and interesting to walk around in. We targeted three plaza areas and the last was the most spectacular.

Map of Ortigia

Pretty baroque buildings.

Sicilian Microtaxi

The gate into Old Town of Ortigia.

Narrow lanes kept our heads looking up for the beautiful structures of the buildings.

A ridiculous sized Smart Car.

Greek Temple ruins.

Greek temple

So pretty

A typical curved walking street in Ortigia.

Cool corner Motif.

We stopped at the Fountain of Diana for lunch and I had a spectacular Sicilian white and a delicious bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara.

Fountain of Diana in a pretty square where we chose to have lunch and views of her. We had our best pasta in Ortigia in all of Italy that I visited this Fall trip.

Our restaurant menu which was based around Diana.

Pretty street.

Curved wrought iron balcony railings.

Under the arches are always a place
to explore.

We walked all the way to the harbor front where the old Fortress resides.

On the way back we walked along the sea wall.

Outdoor Restaurant culture is strong in Ortigia.

This building was inside another large Piazza or square.

Panoramic photo of the square.

Inside a former Palace or Palazzo which has now been refurbished into apartments.

Emblem on the ceiling of the old Palazzo entrance.

Door of the Palazzo.

The square is one of the largest I have ever seen in Europe.

Looking through a decorative cast iron gate I snapped this entrance to another old Palazzo which is under refurbishment. It looked gorgeous!

The other end of the square.

Darren walking in the Plaza.

Exhibit on a Caravaggio tile floor.

Caravaggio Tile floor

Inside an art store, Medusa was and is a favorite

We continued looking up because if you don't you will miss the most architectural beauty. But step down first and then look up or you could break or twist an ankle on Europe's uneven surfaces.

The fortress at the very end of the island which once protected Ortigia. Icarus in the feminine form in a bronze statue.

The drive home we saw numerous Orange, Olive and Lemon Groves. These are three of Sicily's big imports but the largest is refined Oil.

The landscapes and country side of Sicily is one of the more beautiful and interesting. The land is dotted with abandoned stone villas at the top of hills that get my HGTV creative desires flowing. It would be my dream to renovate an Italian Villa.

The views were stunning of Mount Etna. It was clear this day so it was easy to see the snow covered top.

If you look for Mount Etna you would never get lost on the way back before the Google map age.

The outside walls of Ortigia.

Another gate into Ortigia.

A white grape variety ready to pick. These vines were hanging over a terrace to protect from the sun and to give privacy.

Walking along the outer wall of Ortigia. Sicily is a Mediterranean Tropical climate.

A pool and fountain that would have been built for that Palazzo a few hundred years ago.

On the Sea Wall.

Under the Banyan Trees.

A pic of a poster of the island of Ortigia

Leaving the outer gate for our trip back home to Catania.

Mount Etna looming in the background.

Cats were everywhere just outside the gate. This must have been a gathering place where they were fed.

When we arrived home I blogged for a couple of hours and then we went out to eat at the Pizzeria for another Calzone and tried a Sicilian Red which was excellent 👌 and it was very smoky and full bodied.