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Italy : Catania - December 2007

Country Code: Dial for Italy

The ‘Milan of the South’ is a fiery melting pot of grand baroque architecture and bustling street culture, with the finest fish market in Sicily. Best enjoyed in winter, when crowds are scarce, Catania’s dark, scented recesses will bewitch and inspire you, as Patrick Evans discovered en route to the heart of the Ionian coast

Getting around

Fontanarossa Airport

Bus: The Alibus shuttle service runs between the airport and the central train station. It’s a 15-minute journey, with buses running from 5am to midnight. Other services are available to all major Sicilian destinations, including Taormina and Palermo. The bus journey into Catania costs €2.
Taxi: Taxis are also available and the journey into Catania shouldn’t cost more than €30. All major car-hire companies are represented at the airport.
Tourist information: The main tourist information office is at 10 Via Cimarosa (, www.turismo.catania.it)

PIAZZA DUOMO

Join the Catanesi as they chatter, eat, drink and passeggiata their way through this cobbled throng of lively streets and piazzas.

Sleep soundly – Hotel Villa del Bosco (62 Via del Bosco, , hotelvilladelbosco.it, rooms from €90) is a refurbished palazzo that ticks every conceivable box. The equally glossy Hotel de Duomo (28 Via Etnea, , hoteldelduomo.it, rooms from €75) is located right in the centre of town.

Culture vultures – Piazza Duomo is dominated by the baroque splendour of Duomo di Sant’Agata, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, Agatha. The imposing Castello Ursino (Piazza Federico di Svevia) hides archaeological rarities above a thick raft of lava. Leisurely strollers should visit Giardino Bellini (off Via Etnea), some of the prettiest public gardens in Sicily.

Must eat – Osteria I Tre Bicchieri (31 Via San Giuseppe al Duomo, ) stocks 1,000 wines. Al Cavalier Roxy (51 Piazza Federico di Svevia, tel. ) does cipollata (stewed onions) and fresh fish pasta.

Must drink – Agorà Café (6 Piazza Currò) is part of a hostel and has live music nightly. Otherwise, zigzag your way along Via Mancini to Piazza Bellini for back-to-back bars.

PIAZZA EUROPA

This is the locals’ preferred place to swing a handbag or sip a cocktail while looking out over the sea.

Must eat – Bio (38 Via Alberto Marlo) sells fine organic fodder straight from its own supermarket, while Andrew’s Faro (55 Via San Giovanni Li Cuti, tel. ) serves up mouth-watering calzone and fabulous sea views.

Must drink – Caffè Europa (304 Corso Italia) is popular with Catania’s choosiest drinkers, while the Art & Jazz Caffé (84 Via Alfonzetti) does peppery Sicilian concoctions.

Shop til you drop – If the fakes in the Chinese district (Piazza Carlo Alberto) don’t tempt you first, saunter down Via Monfalcone and Via Giacomo Leopardi to pick up some designer label luggage.

ETNA

Mushroomed over an area greater than New York, the gigantic snow-capped volcano ‘Mama Etna’ has forced Catania to rebuild numerous times. Evelyn Waugh famously described her glowing peak as the most “revolting” thing he had seen in nature.

Culture vultures – The more intrepid among you can circumnavigate Mount Etna and the daring settlements that skirt its slopes, by means of the scenic railway (circumetnea.it). Otherwise, for the more sulphurous thrills of Rifugio Sapienza, hop on a cable car. Black smoke is fine, but beware white ash pluming from her chimney – that means Europe’s largest active volcano is about to do a Pompeii.

TAORMINA

A relaxing train journey north from Catania brings you to this cliff-top resort that comes into its own during December when it’s blissfully free from tourists. Look for Mount Etna winking through the arches of the ancient Greek theatre here.

Sleep soundly – Rooms at Villa Ducale Taormina (60 Via Leonardo da Vinci, tel. , villaducale. com, rooms from €150) come complete with private terraces and free taxis to take you to the beach.

Culture vultures – If Teatro Greco (amphitheatre) is busy, don’t miss Museo Siciliano d’Arte e Tradizioni Popolari (Palazzo Corvaja) with its intriguing renditions of saints and miracles.

Must eat – For arancino di riso (local rice speciality) – every Sicilian’s favourite bite of heaven – try Trattoria La Botte (4 Piazza Santa Domenica, tel. ).

Must drink – Bar Vitelli (Piazza Fossia, Savoca) was the location for Michael Corleone’s wedding in The Godfather, and is a great spot for a negroni on ice.

Compiled by Patrick Evans