May 24, 2004

Breakfast was again excellent with Max preparing our juices and fresh cornettos and rolls. We said goodbye and promised to send other people (especially families with kids) his way. We filled the car with gas and headed out on the highway. The roads in Sicily are definitely better in the east than in the south and there are infinitely more gas and service stations and restaurants along the way. In fact, much of the highway was 2 lanes in either direction along the east side of the island. This allowed for much greater speed and we quickly arrived in Catania within the hour.

Catania has an interesting reputation. According to all we’ve read, since the 18th century, Catania has been the second most important Sicilian city. It is a city of commerce and business. Throughout the day, we saw men in business suits – banker-types hopping in and out of cafes for espressos and newspapers. At lunch, we were the only people in our restaurant not in business attire. Also, I don’t think Catania sees a lot of tourists so we felt a bit out of place. (Which I kinda liked…)

Most of Catania's wide streets and majestic palaces were built during the 18th century at the same time as the Bourbons’ development of Naples, and the architectural similarity between the two cities is supposed to be striking. Both cities were also continually menaced by volcanic eruptions though Etna is larger and more active than Vesuvius. It’s very interesting to note that in Catania many of the old buildings are built with they gray volcanic stone from nearby Etna.

Some history from one of the guidebooks: “It was during the 18th century reconstruction period that noble families from across eastern Sicily began to build palazzi here. Thus began a social and economic rivalry with Palermo that continues to this day. One of the essential differences between the cities is that while Catania is somewhat more industrial, Palermo remains the administrative center of Sicily. Catania is certainly less chaotic than Palermo, and most streets and squares are a good bit cleaner.”

We parked our car and immediately headed to the Piazza del Duomo. Dedicated to the martyred St. Agatha, this cathedral was built on the orders of the Norman king, Roger I, and was almost completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1693. What was left was redesigned with parts that survived. We had wanted to see the interior, which was supposed to be beautiful, and the tomb of the composer Bellini, but when we arrived, the church was closed.

We decided to spend the time letting Emily run around the Piazza. We also took photos in front of the famous elephant sculpture in the center of the square. The elephant is supposed to be a fitting symbol for Catania, a city destroyed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions at least seven times. The elephant is made entirely of lava spewed from Etna. According to Lonely Planet, “by its very toughness, the sculpture symbolizes the city's ability to bounce back, going so far as to create art from the lava that destroyed it.”

View image of Catania's Elephant Sculpture

We spent about half an hour admiring the square and then headed over to the Fontana dell’Amenano, or what the locals call “Acqua a lenzuolo” (sheet of water) because of the way the water cascades making it seem as though there is a fine veil of water always present. Emily was fascinated by the fountain and insisted on throwing all of our coins in. It took some doing, but we were finally able to entice her away down the steps to the colorful fish market which is always held in Catania every day but Sunday.

The fish market is actually the principal reason that we went to Catania. We had seen several markets selling fish already on the trip but none compared. Over several courtyards and along several streets and alleys, salesmen screamed out their catch of the day. Octopus, squid, eel, shellfish, spiny lobster and other twitching creatures were sold. You could even buy fresh mussels and sea urchins to eat on the spot. The bloody tables at this market were supposed to have inspired the paintings of Francis Bacon. Emily had a blast. Everywhere we walked, the fishermen would go out of their way to show her what they had. One particularly nice man gave Emily a lesson in peeling fresh shrimp.

We left the market hungry so we headed to a restaurant that had been recommended by our LA chef friend. The restaurant is supposed to be the best in Catania. It is called Osteria I Tre Bicchieri and Ciccio Sultana of Il Duomo is the consulting chef. Of course we didn’t have reservations and we didn’t realize until later that we were there after lunch hours; the place looks expensive but the food is supposed to be tremendous. This is definitely an upscale, pricey place. Looking at their website now I’m even more disappointed that we were not able to go.

We found another restaurant around the corner called I Crociferi and we were very impressed with the food. It is located at Piazza San Francisco d’Assisi on Via Crociferi. We both had seafood and I tried the small, spiny lobster that we had seen earlier at the fish market. They brought it to the table to make it squirm in front of Emily and to show us how fresh it was.

After lunch, we walked around the central area. It started to rain a bit so we ducked into a bakery and had the only bad pastries of our trip (the espresso wasn’t great either). We then retraced our path to the Piazza del Duomo and walked through the now-closed fish market. As we were about to get to the area where we had parked our car, we noticed a very cute, empty children’s park in the shadow of an elevated railroad track. Emily screamed with joy upon seeing this so we spent an hour taking her on the swings, slides and jungle gyms. It reminds me again now as I write this how completely devoted the Italians are to children. We saw children’s parks everywhere in Sicily.

On the way out of town, we pulled off and bought a huge slab of watermelon for Emily. It was fantastic to be traveling in the spring and early summer as all of the melons and fruits were just becoming available. Back on the well-maintained highway, we reached Taormina in about an hour and a half.

At this point (as has been the custom before I finish writing about a place), I’d like to point out something that had been recommended to us in Catania but that we had missed. We had read and heard that Catania is a very youthful, lively town, full of students. It’s supposed to be the city with the best nightlife in Sicily. Having a 2-year-old and being here though on a rainy weekday didn’t allow for our being able to pub-crawl. According to the research though (and I’ll need this for next time), all of the action is supposed to be around the Bellini Theatre, along Via Etnea and in Via Crociferi. Also, Sicily’s most famous red-light district is on Via delle Finanze. Funny name for it…

Driving up to Taormina on the road by car was an amazing experience. Taormina is perched 200 meters high on a mountain. The mountain is very steep and the houses that make up Taormina look as if they would easily fall off given the slightest shake. Adding to the mystique was the fact that it was raining. Taormina, with its windy and narrow streets, is not the friendliest place for cars. So upon landing in the central area, I got out of the car and walked to a pensione that I had read about called “Casa Grazia”. I didn’t have the phone number of this place so I crossed my fingers and hoped that I could get a room by inquiring in person. It took me a little while to find this place but luckily there was a room available. Casa Grazia is at 20 Via Iallia Bassa. The rooms are large, clean, airy and bright, although fairly basic. Some rooms had self-catering facilities for no extra charge. All had in-suite bathrooms. The location is very central, near the Greek Theatre. The landlady, Grazia speaks no English. The views from the roof top terrace make the place though, and a breakfast spent looking over the bay is unbeatable. We paid $60.

I have also heard good things about Pensione Svizzera. A couple with a young baby that I met on the Internet writes, “Great hotel. This place also has a couple of rooms on the top floor with their own terrace - definitely ask for those even if you have a baby. The hike is worth it!” Another suggestion is Villa Ama, 20 minutes from Taormina. While Villa Ama looks great, I can’t imagine not staying in Taormina if I were visiting Taormina. It takes a bit of time to get up the mountain and driving back down the mountain from Taormina to the coast was not easy.

I returned to get the car and parked it in a private garage for $15/day. The price was easily worth it as it was difficult driving on the narrow, steep hills. Back at the hotel, we quickly got settled and then left to take our evening passagiatta. Tourists were everywhere. This didn’t bother me though as I had been mentally prepared for the onslaught. The town is, of course, picture-postcard perfect. The shops are chic and cater to the jet set. Gelati is everywhere. A tourist Mecca.

We stopped at Wunderbar in Piazza IX Aprile, a very famous, old bar that everyone seems to know about. I have a Top Ten List of bars in the world and I might have to consider adding this place to it. Stephanie ordered a hot chocolate in honor of the light rain that was falling. I ordered a prosecco. Emily had warm milk that we added a little sugar to. A nice rest and then off to dinner at a restaurant well known in Taormina called Granduca (+39 0942-24983). Great atmosphere and a great view. More importantly, we went for the pizzas, which were supposed to be awesome. I ordered a bottle of Nero d’Avola. Emily was tired and we found a little space for her to lie down on the floor. We finished with dessert at a gelateria and had a nice conversation with a woman who moved to Taormina from Havana. Seeing her reminded us of the fact that we saw very few ethnic-looking people on the island. During the entire trip, other than in Palermo, we never saw any blacks, Arabs, Hispanics or Asians.