Blog One – Catania, Sicily

Published by Alastair Reid on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019

[8th – 10th September 2019]

Catania was originally just meant be be a one night stopover en route to the Aeolian Islands, but the British Airways pilots’ strike led to us leaving a day early, so we had a full day in Catania as a bonus.

Because of the way we booked the airport hotel, as a result of the extra night, we had two different classes of room reserved, which the Reception staff happily resolved into the same 3 person room for both nights. It was huge, but strange, with a desk at which you could have sat 6 people side by side, if there had been enough chairs, but no power points whatsoever. For some reason, there was a large wash hand basin in the area between the bedroom and the bathroom, and the balcony afforded one of the most unique views of any we have experienced in almost 40 years of travelling together. An entire cement works, which had the look of a communist era Eastern bloc construction. Lovely.

The hotel coach took us to the airport where we caught the Alibus into the city centre – so nice of them to provide an individually branded vehicle for me.

Catania has an historic centre, and features some lovely buildings, incuding the University. Extensive remains of a Roman amphitheatre have been excavated right beside the main road into town. The centre piece of its main square is a fountain surrounding an elephant made from black lava, holding up (for some reason) an Egyptian obelisk.

Just off the square are extensive markets, containing nothing you’d imagine you’d ever want to buy, and a couple of streets of nice, small, closely packed restaurants. We’ve all used the phrase “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” – well I was and I did: an Organic Sicilian Horsemeat sandwich, which was excellent (when in Rome…or, in this case, in Sicily!)

As soon as you move beyond that area, the districts look decidedly unwelcoming, with decrepit apartment blocks, and every inch of wall space spray-painted with grafitti. Catania must have drawn Hellas Verona in the cup sometime recently, as the Hellas Ultras have visibly left their calling cards.

Its fair to say that Catania itself has its fair share of dodgy people hanging about the place. Ordinary looking folk, in my case a young woman with a toddler, try to beg cash – possibly just from tourists. Walking around in sapping heat and humidity clutching our bags closely in the crowds, we formed the opinion that the city is definitely somewhere you’d have to take care in at night.

The Alibus trip back to the airport featured the most psychotic bus driver you could ever hope not to meet. This guy drove his bus full of people at breakneck speeds around sharp bends, seemingly aiming at the metal barriers before careering around curves on two wheels. One female passenger was thrown out of her seat and across the bus – luckily she was quite lithe and fit, and she was caught by people on the other side.

When we finally got back onto terra firma, Fiona was so incensed she went up to the front of the bus and had a word. The demonic driver applied a haughtily disdainful look and turned his back on her, as had the cafe owner when she complained about a 50% service charge – must be a local custom.

Next morning we were off in the bus, an hour or so round the coast to Milazzo, to catch the ferry to our first stop in the Aeolian Islands – Lipari. On a brief two hour visit, Milazzo looked a bit more salubrious than Catania – a bit better off and perhaps a little more refined – but I guess, like us, most people just pass through the town on their way to the islands.

My dozen favourite images from our brief stay in Catania are included in the gallery below. Click on a thumbnail to see a bigger image.

Image Gallery