Sicily

 

Catania - Syracuse - Messina

July 2021

Only a 25 minute flight from Malta and we reached the city of Catania. 

Catania is the second largest city of Sicily that lies in close proximity to the legendary Mount Etna. The volcano (3329 m tall) is hovering over the town and is visible from various streets.

During the Renaissance period, Catania was one of the most influential cities in the country and was known for its rich culture, arts and history.

As an ancient city next to beautiful architecture it also hosts ruins of old temples, Greek Acropolises and Roman theatres.

Basilica Cattedrale Sant’Agata on Piazza Del Duomo.

Originally constructed in 1078 over the ruins of  Roman Baths, the magnificent cathedral has been rebuilt many times due to earthquakes.

Cannot not have Granita in Catania. 

It's not ice-cream, but a similar semi-frozen dessert. Ohhhh, so good! It originates from Sicily and the tradition goes back to Middle Ages. Anytime’s the right time for a delicious granita served with a hot brioche. The one on the photo is from Scardaci Ice Cafe.

A lovely art district with ongoing outdoors exhibitions. 

Giardini Bellini/Parco Maestranze.

A lovely park and public gardens with naturally shaded walking trails.

There are many bars and restaurants on Piazza Del Duomo and as it is an excellent place to people-watch and just enjoy the weather and the atmosphere, we chose one next to Fontana Dell’Elefante to do just that. 

A 2.5 hour bus ride and a good nap later we arrived to another historical city: Syracuse, to spend a couple days on the Ortigia island - a maze of narrow streets, Baroque churches, centuries-old palazzos and piazzas.

Island of Ortigia is the historic center of Syracuse. It has been inhabited for over 3,000 years and is talked about for its Greek heritage. It's a UNESCO landmark for its "remarkable testimony of the Mediterranean cultures over the centuries”.

We booked a place from a private host through Booking - Suite Ortigia vista Mare. Altho some alarm gave up on us and terrorized us constantly on our first night there, the host was super kind and helpful in everything and fixed the problem quickly. 

The house was right on the coast, two minutes walk from the nearest swimming spot and five minutes from more proper beach. The interior tho was interesting. Seashells over seashells over seashells. 

If you have to ask why I keep coming back to Italy..

Cannoli!

Castello Maniace, created in 1232 by Emperor Frederick II.

Arethusa Fountain aka Arethusa Spring and it's papyrus plants. Honestly looking at it, I was wondering what on earth is this huge hole, reading about it makes it pretty interesting tho. A source of fresh water next to the sea, the water coming from the Ciane river. In 1169 due to an earthquake, the water that fed the source dried up and disappeared and only reappeared years later, also in 1693 also due to an earthquake, the water flow of the source significantly declined and started to dry up. 

Fountain of Diana on the Piazza Archimede. The fountain features a host of magnificent sculptures depicting various ancient scenes and is surrounded by little palm trees.

Temple of Apollo, dating back to 570 BC, this temple is the oldest in Sicily.

Piazza del Duomo and  the cathedral of Syracuse (“Duomo di Siracusa”)

Colourful and vibrant Ortigia outdoor market. 

Fresh juices, seafood, fruits and veggies - made up a fresh lunch.

Next to more traditional restaurants and trattorias there were also plenty of modern 'hipsterish' places which were cheap but equally as good.

Last stop Messina. 

Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, it has a thriving port and is important economically, it also has a lovely old town. Not so fun fact, they're big on siesta, finding a restaurant that serves food on the afternoon was a huge challenge. 

For once got lucky and made it to the port exactly when the boat was leaving to mainland Italy. Bought the tickets they hurried us on board and off we went. A quick half hour ride to Villa San Giovanni to figure out how to get ourselves to Naples by next morning (to be continued).